By Alesha Capone
Laurie Russell and Gerry Greenwood have each spent more than 35 years volunteering for the Wyndham SES.
The founding members were presented with certificates of appreciation for their years of service, at the SES Wyndham Service Awards earlier this month.
Mr Greenwood served as controller of the SES from 1983 to 1992 and these days is the unit’s community engagement officer. His late wife, Betty, was also a founding member of the unit.
Mr Russell took over the role of controller in 1992 and retains the role today. He is a director of the Victorian SES Authority board.
Mr Russell said that the SES unit received more than 400 calls for assistance every year.
“I think what I enjoy most now is seeing young people come up and progress, their highs and lows, seeing them get their first job and partners,” he said. “I thoroughly enjoy what I do.”
Mr Greenwood said that when the unit started in 1982, volunteers would gather at his and Betty’s home in Werribee, as they had nowhere else to conduct meetings.
When there was an emergency, SES members would drive the Greenwood’s family vehicle to the scene.
Mr and Mrs Greenwood even used their own finances to help equip the SES volunteers.
Mr Greenwood said some of the most memorable emergencies he had attended across the years included the 1983 Werribee flood and Ash Wednesday, also in 1983.
After receiving their awards, Mr Greenwood and Mr Russell thanked the community, Wyndham council (and its predecessor, Werribee Shire council) and the late John Nicol, who served as city engineer of Werribee Shire Council, for supporting the SES unit since 1982.
