SPECTACULAR weather greeted the inaugural Tea Gardens Red Cross Emergency Services Information Fair at Anzac Park on Saturday, 26 September.
Multiple emergency services groups had been invited to take the opportunity to inform the general public of how and what they each do, with the day’s turnout including Tea Gardens Red Cross, Pindimar/Tea Gardens RFS, Fire and Rescue 471 Tea Gardens, Stroud SES, NSW Police, NSW Reconstruction Authority, and Marine Rescue Lemon Tree Passage.
The distances that many volunteer groups travelled just to gather in Tea Gardens was proof that our area is not only large, but has to be prepared for many kinds of emergencies.
These needs are covered mainly by volunteer-crewed groups that cover huge areas, such as Marine Rescue across the bay in Lemon Tree Passage, and the SES, based an hour away at their new headquarters in Stroud.
“Our local emergency services did an amazing job at the Emergency Services Information Fair, informing community members on effective ways to maximise their preparedness for fires, storms, and other disastrous events,” Joanne Pearce, Tea Gardens’ Red Cross Emergency Services Team Leader, told NOTA.
“Kids and adults alike enjoyed checking out the Fire Trucks and talking to the crews from our Tea Gardens RFS and Fire and Rescue teams, chatting with Hunter Area Police Emergency Services representatives or talking about boats and water safety with Marine Rescue Lemon Tree Passage.
“Stroud SES showed off their new all-terrain SES trucks and gave tips on preparing for storms.”
Red Cross Emergency Services showed people how to prepare a ‘grab bag’, and the Reconstruction Authority offered advice on how to prepare for emergencies and the role of different government organisations in disaster and evacuation scenarios.
The fair gave the services a chance to make themselves even better known to the public, with many of the groups being volunteer-crewed and always keen to attract new helpers to the cause.
Red Cross Emergency Services, one of the many arms of the Australian Red Cross, has several dedicated members based in Tea Gardens, Karuah and Bulahdelah. Many of them have been called upon to help ease suffering and provide Psychological First Aid at evacuation centres in the region.
Pindimar/Tea Gardens RFS brought the big red truck, while TG F&R, whose headquarters were just across the street, set up the hydrant to give people the opportunity to shoot the fire hose.
Stroud SES, whose area stretches some way up the Myall River, brought their awesomely kitted-out rescue truck, displaying the array of tools and expertise used to rescue people from floods and motor vehicle accidents.
Lemon Tree Passage Marine Rescue sent a crew by road and by water, coming out from across Port Stephens Bay. NSW Police, the co-ordinating authority in times of actual emergency, were accompanied by other state-level organisations including the Reconstruction Authority, which runs programs aiming to mitigate potential outcomes from emergencies.
Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest townships are serviced by a paid on-call force of Fire and Rescue firefighters, as well as a fully volunteer group of RFS brigade members, many of whom have been in the service for decades, with newer members attracted by a desire to do something in the wake of the Nerong fires last summer.
Those who took advantage of a beautiful day to enjoy the fair left with a greater understanding of how to deal with any emergency they may find themselves in, and lucky Hawks Nest local Meg also left with the ‘lucky door’ prize of a Grab Bag Starter Pack.
By Thomas O’KEEFE
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