Over 120 people gathered at Hyatt Place Essendon Fields on Saturday 16th September 2023, to celebrate the inaugural Victorian Rotary Emergency Services Community Awards (RESCA) honouring eleven finalists from ten of Victoria's emergency services agencies. The Awards are an important mechanism for our community to acknowledge and celebrate the selfless Community Service of Victorian Emergency Services personnel and recognises the incredible achievements of both volunteer and paid officers.
The Rotary Districts of Victoria Emergency Services Community Awards are community nominated and recognise community involvement, in keeping with Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self”.The RESCA committee led by Woodend Rotarian Grant Hocking with members from 3 districts worked for several months to deliver this wonderful event and were rewarded by great attendance from across the Emergency services sector. Deputy Secretary Emergency Management Kate Fitzgerald and Inspector General Emergency Management Tony Pearce were in attendance to acknowledge and congratulate all the finalists and recognise the two winners. Several other agencies were represented by Commissioners or CEOs along with Rotarians, and family and friends of the finalists.
There were excellent presentations from Dot Hennessy on the formation of RESCA and Dr Faye Bendrups on the ESF scholarship program.
The finalists were:
• Melissa Buckingham - Ambulance Victoria (Ballarat)
• Graham John Symons - Country Fire Authority (Omeo)
• Tyson Taylor -Fire Rescue Victoria (Melbourne)
• Christopher Lee - Forest Fire Management (Knoxfield)
• Mevan Jayawardena - Life Saving Victoria (Mordialloc)
• Peter Bellion - Life Saving Victoria (Port Melbourne)
• Stephen Sennett - Red Cross (West Metro)
• William Robson - SES Victoria (Bacchus Marsh)
• Yvonne Berrie -St John Ambulance (Wodonga)
• Ann Meates - Victorian Council of Churches (Maribyrnong)
• Stan Jezewski - Shepparton Search and Rescue (Emergency Management Victoria)
The overall winner of Officer in a Volunteer Capacity was Country Fire Authority Group Officer Omeo Group of Brigades, Graham Symons, and the overall Winner for Officer in a Paid Capacity, is Operational firefighter Tyson Taylor from Fire Rescue Victoria. These two winners go on to represent Victoria at the AUSRESCA (Australian RESCA) ceremony at Government House, Yarralumla, ACT on Friday 20 October 2023.
The Victorian RESCA program also supports two Emergency Service Foundation Research Scholarships investigating Mental Health in Emergency Service Workers (www.esf.com.au). The scholarship program was launched at the Victorian RESCA event with applications being accepted until 19th November. Anyone working in the Victorian Emergency Service sector can apply for the $10,000 scholarships. The announcement of the two successful scholarship applicants will be made December 2023.
Nothing would have been possible without the support of pour wonderful sponsors and we thank them for their generous support of the Victorian RESCA program.
• Inspector General Emergency Management Trust
• Transport Accident Commission
• BankVic
• Rotary District 9800
• Rotary District 9820
• Hyatt Place
• Industry Media
The Victorian RESCA program will continue each year with nominations for next year commencing on 1st March 2024. Nominations can from anyone in the community including family, friends, and Emergency Service colleagues. We hope to see many more nominations next year from across Victoria.
More information about the Victorian RESCA program, information on all finalists and photos from the evening can be found at www.vic.rescawards.org.au.
Grant Hocking ASM
Chair Victoria RESCA Organising Committee