Volunteer Experience

NSW State Emergency Service

As a volunteer member of the NSW SES since I was 17, serving across three units; Maitland (six years), Glen Innes (nine months) and Tamworth since 2016. Since starting as a field member, I have held various leadership roles across the units, including Operations Team Leader, Finance Officer, Trainer, Assessor, Membership Coordinator, Deputy Unit Commander and currently Unit Commander.

  • - Actively participated in large-scale events as overnight Operations Officer with approximately 1,500 incidents being fully operational for over two weeks


    - Filled the position of Incident Controller in many level 1 incidents with up to 14 teams


    - Continued to finesse and grow my skillset through both delivering and participating in ongoing training and personal development

    - Nominated for 2024 Tamworth Citizen of the Year for my work within Tamworth SES and support for the community/other units.

    - Promoted a positive and inclusive work culture within the unit by listening to members and involving them in the decision-making process

  • - Improved member retention by collecting feedback by completing three and six-month interviews with new recruits and implementing strategies to combat concerns such as allowing recruits to observe practical training sessions to stimulate their interest before beginning face-to-face training while finishing their entry-level online courses

    - Worked collaboratively with Training Coordinator to identify weaknesses in our operational capabilities and implemented additional training sessions where required

    - Expanded our social media presence to become the main source of recruitment and community engagement, posting accurate information and actively answering queries

  • - I led a new team consisting of members from Tamworth and Manilla Units through the North Western Zone Disaster Rescue Challenge winning both the Safest Team Award and advancing to the State Disaster Rescue Challenge. At the state competition our Peel Cluster Team came 4th of 8 in our first year of competing


    - Enhanced recruitment by demonstrating to the public that we have a diverse workforce where a large range of skill levels and backgrounds are welcomed through social media campaigns

    - In 2024, under my leadership, the Tamworth Unit was awarded the New England/Northern Inland Volunteer Team of the Year. This achievement has qualified the team as finalists for the prestigious New South Wales Volunteer Team of the Year award