Thursday, 28 August 2025

 Ros SPENCE (Kalkallo – Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Community Sport, Minister for Carers and Volunteers) (09:56): I rise to acknowledge the outstanding work by the VICSES Craigieburn unit in my electorate. It was terrific to have the Minister for Emergency Services join me recently to visit the SES. It was a great opportunity to thank the volunteers who support our community, particularly during the most difficult times and events. Of course you cannot visit the Craigieburn SES without a tour, led by life member Alan Penaluna, of the VICSES Craigieburn museum. The museum collection includes a range of documents, photographs and equipment from the very early days of civil defence, particularly the threat of nuclear conflict, with Geiger counters, radiation calculators, maps of fallout zones and much more. The collection also reflects the changes over the decades in the communications and road rescue equipment used by the SES.

Unit controller Omar Sayegh and the team are well respected and highly skilled, and they carry forward an ethos that has been embedded over many years since the unit formed in 1981. It is testament to this terrific culture that a number of members have been with the SES for decades. The close-knit nature of the unit was on show earlier this year when Paul and Emily Ledwich were presented with life membership. They were unable to attend the unit, so the unit arranged to go to them and held a ceremony in their driveway. The photos of the many unit members and neighbours showed the pride and significance of this well-deserved recognition. Congratulations to Paul and Emily, and thank you to all involved at the Craigieburn SES. Our community is grateful for your service.