It’s hard to imagine an Australia without the State Emergency Service (SES). From devastating natural disasters to events like the Lindt Café Siege and Waterfall train derailment that kept us glued to our TV screens, SES volunteers have been keeping people safe in times of crisis for over sixty years.
As we move into the 21st century which brings increased risks of major natural disasters and heightened terror threat levels, the organisation’s history has become of greater significance. In 1955, when the State Emergency Service was established, the biggest threat to New South Wales was the nuclear bomb and most communities were small and self-sufficient. Now the threats faced are more diverse and severe, with communities more reliant than ever on organisations like the SES. A new documentary aims to chart the organisation’s response through these changes with hopes that the solutions of the past can inform the challenges of the future. It is also hoped that this new outlook on the SES’s history and legacy will help attract new volunteers from the community as it grows to meet these future demands.
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