Wellington Wombats attracts 150 SES volunteers from across NSW

150 SES volunteers from 76 units as far away as Tweed Heads, Ballina, Eden and Lightning Ridge attended this year's Wellington Wombats training event at the Wellington Caves complex.

Chief Superintendent Brigid Rice, Commander of Western Zone, said the two-day event held on May 27 and 28 was one of the first opportunities for volunteers across the state to get together since last year's unprecedented flooding.

"At Wellington Wombats, not only do volunteers get to learn new skills, but they also get to meet, connect and share stories with other volunteers around the state, after a huge year responding to the flood crisis," she said.

She said attendees learned advanced ropes skills which can be applied in many situations beyond cave rescues including floods, storms, tsunamis and other kinds of rescues the SES assist police with.

"Ropes can be a really critical part of all of those rescues and all of those roles. We might rescue someone from a vehicle in flooded waters and we'll use these same rope skills that you'd use to rescue someone at the bottom of a cave or ravine," Ms Rice said.

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"Exercising skills is absolutely critical. It's not only about learning new skills, it's sharing learned experiences, it's forming relationships with people all across the state."

NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Damien Johnston said training opportunities like the Wellington Wombats not only teach practical skills, but also help volunteers develop their team work and communication skills.

"Units do work together, especially during major operations. They're working out-of-zone and out-of-units - communication skills and being able to work together as a team is so critical for emergency services," he said.

"While this is about cave scenarios in the environment, it's certainly applicable to a whole range of situations out there for our SES volunteers - whether it be rescues on roofs or actually out there in the field or in caves."

Mr Johnston said since the event first ran in 1994 the number of women participating has grown significantly. This year, 35 per cent of attendees were women.

"Next year I'd like to see it up to 50 percent," he added.

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Chelsea Thompson, a ski instructor and animator from the snowy mountains, was among the women attending the event for the first time over the weekend. She said it was great to be able to explore caves that not many people get to see.

"[I decided to volunteer with the SES] because you get a lot of opportunities to learn and for personal growth - and you get to help people which is absolutely amazing," she said.

"It's been great meeting everyone [this weekend] and you get to learn a lot from different people. It's been cold though - we're all in tents but we've been getting quite a good experience out here in the countryside."

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