OMG!!!

5th November 2009

 

Yes...3 months since my great coal debate. I have been flooded with assignments, exams, family business & trying to run a Unit of vols! INSANE!!!

 

First things first:

 

I AM NOW OFFICIALLY THE UNIT CONTROLLER FOR THE VICSES- FOOTSCRAY UNIT (back dated a few months)! As i twittered a week back its definitely a step in a 'different' direction for the service. I am 27yrs young & currently the youngest Controller in the state. And i suspect the youngest in the country! But happy to hear from ANYONE that is a Controller in SES around Australia that knows otherwise...would be fab to talk issues faced in volunteering & gossip is always great =) I definitely didnt expect a 'huge' fuss from my Unit members. I was handed my 3 stripes by the Regional manager- Ray Jasper, Tucek provided some great & inspiring words, Jenny & Lynda gave some lovely flowers, Denis one of the oldest members at the Unit provided lovely words & Marion also contributed. Thanks Footscray....you ROCK!!!!

 

Here are some photos from the event:

 

Ray Jasper & I- Receiving my 3 stripes on the 26th Oct 09!

 

 

Me getting my lovely congrats flowers!

 

Now onto some extreme weather prep that is occurring. I am off to a Managing Floods Using AIIMS course 18th- 20th Nov. The Maribyrnong River is one of the biggest flood risks in VIC & being the Controller of a Unit that has the river in our response area, i figured this is a course i need to attend.

 

ITALY!!!!

Climate change isn't just in Australia (if you have been living under a rock for the last 5yrs you would know that). I am off to Italy to do a sustainability study in Cinque Terre. The area has been listed as heritage & under threat of losing its natural environment due to rising tourism in the area...all of which contributes greatly to climate change. I am there for 10days, though spending a few days in Rome, Florence & Milan while I am there.

 

Run for Safe Climate

James Beard (Malvern Unit Deputy Controller) asked if I could attend the official launch of Run for Safe Climate. I was very keen to check out all the hype of the event & meet some of the runners...check out this news blog. Great cause, please get behind them by watching them on the net as they run 6,000km (crazy town!!!) through some of Australias iconic locations.

 

Here are the details:

 

Time: November 2, 2009 to November 29, 2009

Location: Cooktown, QLD to St Kilda, VIC

For more info check out: http://www.aclimateforchange.org/

I hope to have some members from Footscray greet them at the finish line in St Kilda (unfortunately I will be OS) =( 

 

At the launch I was bombarded with people wanting photos as I seemed to be the only person in uniform....orange that is! But I had no idea who these people were, but the orange seem to act as a magnet for conversation, which is always good in a crowd of unknown people!

Check it out!

 

Brendon Condon (he was exhausted!) organiser of the event. 

 

 

Penny Milstein i believe does the PR for the event. Happen to meet her by accident, but she loves the EWHs site & Mara!!!

 

Tin rattle

Footscray Unit did a tin rattle over the weekend. Great to see everyone linking orange to the SES & being very generous. The Unit is currently working with Theo who is in charge of Emergency Management at Maribyrnong City Council to get out flood specific information to residents that live in the Maribyrnong River Flood Plain. We did a door knock in Dec 08, & found that alot of residents did not know they live in a high risk flood area! Mind blowing!!! When you buy a house in a flood risk area you would think immediately that you would be informed of the risks! The flood specific info will have tips of how to be prepared, a emergency kit with info & numbers, the flood markers & what they mean & also the colours of the flood markers. Maribyrnong City Council, VICSES & Melbourne Water have been working together to get this info out asap to residents for when disaster hits. Hopefully the info will be available in JPEG format so i can post for you at my next blog (which will be post exams!).

 

For now you can enjoy some photos from the tin rattle...!

 

Chris V, Gillian & Sarah (NO..thats not me!)

 

 

Gillian, Sarah & Me (with my funky Incident Controller vest & wide brim hat- why oh why do they make us wear that???) 

 

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