Bright and Myrtleford SES volunteers had been awarded for their dedicated years of service.

Unit members joined colleagues from across the North East for the special Victoria State Emergency Service award ceremony recently held at the Wangaratta Gateway.

More than 650 years of volunteer experience was present, as members boasting between five and 50 years of persistent service were recognised for their vital role in emergency response and preparedness across the region.

A range of awards were presented, including National Medals for 15 years distinguished service, VicSES Long Service medals for 10 years of service and certificates acknowledging five years of service as a volunteer.

Bright SES member Trina Friend and section leader Nathaniel West received certificates for their five years of service, while William McRae was among three others honoured for 15 years of service.

Several other Bright members were unable to attend and will receive their awards later this year.

"It was particularly pleasing to see a former Bright member, Zachary West, receive the National Medal for his combined service at Bright and Tallangatta units," Bright SES unit controller Graham Gales said.

VICSES Myrtleford Unit volunteer and former long-time controller, George McPherson, was honoured for his 45 years of service - which included holding the unit’s top job for 14 years, after joining the service in 1979.

The event was rounded out by the presentation of a series of organisational excellence awards, celebrating the work done by units and volunteers behind the scenes to improve emergency response and community preparedness.

“Our VICSES volunteers do incredible work in their communities both pre-emptively and in times of emergencies without the expectation of acknowledgement for their efforts," VICSES operations manager, Goulburn-Broken Unit Support Team, Scott Richter said.

“We have so many incredibly experienced members who continue to lend their expertise to local emergency response and awareness and it’s important we celebrate that fact at every opportunity.”

VICSES volunteers in the Hume region were called to almost 3700 requests for assistance in 2024/25, including more than 2000 calls for trees down and 500 rescue-related callouts.

To find out more about volunteering with VICSES, visit www.ses.vic.gov.au/join-us.