NSW State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers may have to dig deep when plunged into two days of cave rescue training at Wellington from Saturday.
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Wellington Caves Complex will again host the annual Wellington Wombats Caves Rescue Exercise that attracts volunteers from across the state but particularly Sydney.
Macquarie region learning and development officer Gavin Arnold reports that it is the “largest annual exercise run in the NSW SES”.
He said the 2018 event had attracted more participants than ever before and thanked Dubbo Regional Council for its continuing support. More than 170 NSW SES members will take part in the 2018 training exercise including 120 participants, 29 trainers and 25 helpers.
“The members who attend get to enhance their rescue skills in environments they do not usually get exposed to,” Mr Arnold said. On Saturday they will be rotated through a number of skills stands before being sent “up the hill and out into the paddocks to start putting those skills to use”. “Not only do we use the Wellington Caves Complex but two property owners kindly give us access to their property in the Bakers Swamp area,” the learning and development officer said.
NSW SES volunteers come from all walks of life and provide vital services to communities in times of need. “This exercise gives them an opportunity to not only learn and practice skills but come together with other members who they may only normally see in times of emergency,” Mr Arnold said.
The members who attend get to enhance their rescue skills in environments they do not usually get exposed to.
- NSW SES Macquarie Region learning and development officer Gavin Arnold
“The Saturday night bonfire is part of the camaraderie felt where members meet friends from old and make new ones for years to come as they swap stories.They put in a huge effort getting up at nearly dawn on Saturday before kicking off at 7.30am and not finishing until around 6pm, only to do it all again on Sunday before traveling home to go to work on Monday.”
Mr Arnold said the dedication of the NSW SES volunteers needed to be commended because without their tireless efforts the communities of NSW and Australia would be “a whole lot worse off”.
Anecdotal evidence suggests the training exercise began in the 1970s.