The Mayor's Column
We love the orange people in Mosman! The ones who wear the orange overalls. The ones who do not fear storm, flood or disaster. They are the Mosman SES.
On a recent wet windy Saturday night they were not at home watching “The Bill.” They were out responding to calls from distressed residents. A huge tree limb crashed onto a drive and footpath. They cleared it away. A skylight blew off a roof and a safety system was set up to prevent further damage. All in a night’s work.
When there is a special event such as the Mosman Festival or other road closure, the SES is there in co-operation with the police to marshal people and traffic.
There are many stories about these truly brave people who are on call day and night 365 days a year. They are volunteers, but highly trained and skilled in dealing with a variety of emergencies, including major disasters.
The wonderful leader of Mosman’s SES team is Jean Tyacke, whose leadership skills ensure a professional and loyal team. Training includes rescue procedures for those in dangerous situations, such as abseiling down cliff faces for vertical rescues. Of course they are highly trained in first aid procedures and regularly take part in mock accident scenarios to hone their skills. To organise personnel locally and regionally, members are trained in operational management and radio communications.
For such serious and often dangerous work the group shares a great sense of adventure, camaraderie and team spirit. They seem to enjoy looking after us. They are heroes!
The team utilises the different interests and strengths of the members, whether that is out doing the challenging physical work or using managerial expertise, so a variety of different skills and personalities and ages are needed.
Be adventurous. Contact Mosman SES on 9968 3285
Cr Denise Wilton, Mayor of Mosman
