WENDY Witty fondly recalls her last 51 years volunteering with the SES, from its development as a civil defence unit repurposing army surplus supplies in the early 1970s to the statewide emergency service it now is.
Mrs Witty was the only woman out of the 16 people honoured for 50 years of service across Victoria as part of the SES milestone celebrations at the weekend.
She joined the Civil Defence in 1974 soon after she and her husband Ian moved their family to Swan Hill.
At that time, the group was based out of the Army Reserve Barracks and using an odd assortment of second-hand equipment.
SES formed out of Civil Defence as it was realised the community would benefit more from an emergency service.
“Swan Hill was one of the first units to be picked up by the SES in Victoria in 1975, and I think it’s still one of the better units,” Mrs Witty said.
“Our first road rescue vehicle was a second-hand truck purchased locally and painted bright yellow.
“Both the Swan Hill City Council and Shire Council, as it was at the time, were very supportive and decided to build us a shed in the early 80s which is still our headquarters now.
“It was just a shed; we had an operations centre and space to store our equipment and that was it, no toilet or kitchen facilities.
“So, we held a barbecue for the councillors at our shed, plied them with soft drink and as the need arose, told them they had to go all the way to the main street to use the facilities.
“We got the toilet soon after, and through a huge amount of volunteer time and donations we built up the inside, complete with the radio room, operations and training room, controller’s office, kitchen and bathroom.”
While the growing number of women members were only expected to operate the radios, they refused to sit on the sidelines.
“The girls wanted to do more than radio work and it became more important to them to take on hands-on work,” Mrs Witty said.
“I was one of the five Swan Hill women who entered a team in the State Road Rescue Competition and came third against the men, which was the start of Women in Rescue.
“Women in Rescue is now very big statewide, and their rescue competition is huge.”
Over 300 female and gender diverse Victorian SES volunteers participated in the 2025 Women in Rescue event at locations across the state, making it the biggest iteration of the event yet.
Women are trained and empowered through the program to operate rescue equipment, build leadership skills and connect with other rescue women.
Mrs Witty currently volunteers in unit welfare, ensuring volunteers receive the support they need while providing essential services to the community.
“Recently the group had a nasty call out, and peer support came out to talk to the crew involved, and one of our volunteers had no one to look after her four kids so she wouldn’t be able to go to the session,” she said.
“I baby sat because if no one had stepped in she wouldn’t have gotten the help she really needed to cope with the call out, and it would have kept having an impact on her and her kids.
“My role is particularly important in a regional community like Swan Hill because the chance that you’re going to attend a call and it be one of your family members or someone in your orbit is so much higher.
“Peer support was developed partly because of that, because it can take a toll, especially when it turns out you do know a person involved.”
Mrs Witty found her niche in operations and logistics early on in her time with the SES.
“It’s such an interesting group to be a part of because no matter what you’re interested in, there’s something right for you,” she said.
“Early on, I was involved in the development of a visual record of our stretch of the Murray River as it started to rise.
“I accompanied Peter Simmons on flights around the area, noting the weak spots on the riverbanks, and took readings from our network of river wardens who phoned in with the river level on their property each morning.
“It was realised that acquiring flood or rescue boats was a priority, so Swan Hill Unit was, and still is, very proud to have Boats One, Two and Three in Victoria, renamed to 501, 502 and 503.”
Mrs Witty’s husband Ian joined her at the SES in the late 80s and stayed an active participant until his passing, soon after receiving his 20-year membership in 2009.
“SES was very much part of who I am by that point, and the support I have received from all my SES friends has been invaluable,” she said.
“Now 51 years after I joined, I am still happy to be a part of this wonderful, every-changing organisation, and I will continue to do my bit for as long as I am able.”
