Great Southern community to wear orange on May 21 in support of local State Emergency Service volunteers
The Great Southern community is being encouraged to wear orange on May 21 for Wear Orange Wednesday to show appreciation for local State Emergency Service volunteers.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services Great Southern Supt Wayne Green said the day recognises the 'great work' of SES volunteers.
'Not only them as volunteers, the commitments their families make when they support volunteers when they go out usually in adverse conditions to help the community out,' he said.
SES volunteers attended 233 incidents across the region over 2021 hours between May 1, 2024, and May 6, 2025, including 54 severe weather events, 20 large bushfires, 19 rescues and patient lifts, and 26 road crash rescues.
The volunteers' skills vary from rappelling off cliffs to rescue people to securing roofs in bad weather with their support in natural hazards, storms and bushfires essential to keeping the community safe.
'They're the same volunteers that are out during the storm season that are then flat out during fire season supporting those operations,' Supt Green said.
'They can do everything from ferrying resources around to getting food and critical supplies out to our firefighters right through to conducting or looking after staging areas where we've got a large volume of resources responding where they're at.'
Supt Green said they were 'quite often' called to climb the Stirling Range to assist with rescues.
'SES are quite often called upon to climb to the top of Bluff Knoll and provide that manpower to assist with getting casualties or people who are in distress down to a safer location,' he said.
'Usually that's in arduous conditions, not only in terms of the climbs and the distances they've got to travel, but the weather conditions they're exposed to.
'And sometimes climbing overnight and then getting up again first thing in the morning to go and do it again.'
Supt Green said Wear Orange Wednesday was a 'small token' of appreciation for their efforts, always going 'above and beyond'.
'Doesn't matter what the task, how big, how small, they're always putting their hands up to come and provide that support,' he said.
Across WA, SES volunteers have attended 2464 incidents across 23,725 hours.
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The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- The Advertiser
John Martin, first popularly elected Singleton mayor and Shire Freeman dies at 90
Former Singleton mayor John Martin, who spent more than 50 years in local government, and was made a Freeman of the Shire, died this week after a decline in health, the council confirmed. He was 90. Mr Martin, who was remembered as a tireless community servant, was elected to the Singleton Municipal Council in 1965 and spent more than half a century as a local representative, including serving as mayor from 1990 to 2000. He became the shire's first popularly elected mayor in 2012, at 77, narrowly defeating political neophyte Kylie Stibbard, who had entered the race that year, having never served as a councillor, to run second by a mere 118 votes. In the Singleton Shire, the mayoral office is a four-year term, elected by direct popular vote, while the nine other councillors of the 10-seat chamber are elected proportionally. Mr Martin retired from political life in 2021, the same year he was officially inducted as a Freeman of the Shire, having been conferred the honorary title in 2020, and spent his later years living in care at the now-closed Mercy Residential Aged Care Facility. In February, when the centre faced closure amid years of financial strife, Mr Martin told the media that he was concerned about where he would move when the centre closed. "At the moment, it looks like we might have to go out of town," he said. "I don't want that to happen. Singleton is my town, and I believe in it, and I wish to stay here." Mr Martin was remembered this week as a tireless community volunteer and a life member of the State Emergency Service. Throughout his six decades in public life, he served with Our Care services, Meals on Wheels, Singleton Apex Club, Albion Park Tennis Club, Singleton Hospital community trust, and Singleton Tidy Towns. "John leaves a huge legacy, and although he was a humble man, his mark on Singleton will remain for decades to come," the shire's sitting mayor, Sue Moore, said in a statement on Friday. "He was steadfastly loyal to the people of Singleton right up until his passing, and while our community, and indeed the wider Hunter Region, is all the poorer for his loss, we have certainly been enriched by his contribution." Mr Martin's public life was surrounded by history. In 1955, he told the council earlier this year, marking 70 years since the Hunter Valley floods, that he had tried to walk home to Fitz Street on the night the town was almost entirely submerged by water. He was knocked off his feet in chest-height water at Church Street and realised he had to wait it out. It would be two days before his family knew if he was alive, during which time he had helped a local police sergeant to get to the hospital after breaking his leg in a fall. "The town was a bloody mess," he recalled in February. "There were logs and rubbish everywhere. Burdekin Park, I remember, there were a lot of dead animals in Burdekin Park, sheep and cattle. The smell was terrible. And everything was covered in mud. We had no water, the water works broke down. No electricity. No sewerage. "There were three semitrailer loads of bananas up on McDougalls Hill, they were being transported and couldn't get through Singleton. So, we had plenty of bananas. You'd go down the street the day after the flood and your bloke would say, 'You want a banana? Here, take a case." It was in the aftermath of the 1955 disaster that the State Emergency Service was born, then known as Civil Defence, and Mr Martin was Singleton's first controller. "John's love for Singleton and his service to its people and the community is unparalleled, and unlikely ever to be repeated," Cr Moore said. "I was very privileged to serve alongside John on council for a number of terms, and while we may not have always agreed, I had a great respect for his leadership and the vast knowledge, expertise and experience that he brought to the chamber." "I'm deeply saddened by his passing and will remember him most for his unwavering commitment to always acting with the best interests of the community at heart." Former Singleton mayor John Martin, who spent more than 50 years in local government, and was made a Freeman of the Shire, died this week after a decline in health, the council confirmed. He was 90. Mr Martin, who was remembered as a tireless community servant, was elected to the Singleton Municipal Council in 1965 and spent more than half a century as a local representative, including serving as mayor from 1990 to 2000. He became the shire's first popularly elected mayor in 2012, at 77, narrowly defeating political neophyte Kylie Stibbard, who had entered the race that year, having never served as a councillor, to run second by a mere 118 votes. In the Singleton Shire, the mayoral office is a four-year term, elected by direct popular vote, while the nine other councillors of the 10-seat chamber are elected proportionally. Mr Martin retired from political life in 2021, the same year he was officially inducted as a Freeman of the Shire, having been conferred the honorary title in 2020, and spent his later years living in care at the now-closed Mercy Residential Aged Care Facility. In February, when the centre faced closure amid years of financial strife, Mr Martin told the media that he was concerned about where he would move when the centre closed. "At the moment, it looks like we might have to go out of town," he said. "I don't want that to happen. Singleton is my town, and I believe in it, and I wish to stay here." Mr Martin was remembered this week as a tireless community volunteer and a life member of the State Emergency Service. Throughout his six decades in public life, he served with Our Care services, Meals on Wheels, Singleton Apex Club, Albion Park Tennis Club, Singleton Hospital community trust, and Singleton Tidy Towns. "John leaves a huge legacy, and although he was a humble man, his mark on Singleton will remain for decades to come," the shire's sitting mayor, Sue Moore, said in a statement on Friday. "He was steadfastly loyal to the people of Singleton right up until his passing, and while our community, and indeed the wider Hunter Region, is all the poorer for his loss, we have certainly been enriched by his contribution." Mr Martin's public life was surrounded by history. In 1955, he told the council earlier this year, marking 70 years since the Hunter Valley floods, that he had tried to walk home to Fitz Street on the night the town was almost entirely submerged by water. He was knocked off his feet in chest-height water at Church Street and realised he had to wait it out. It would be two days before his family knew if he was alive, during which time he had helped a local police sergeant to get to the hospital after breaking his leg in a fall. "The town was a bloody mess," he recalled in February. "There were logs and rubbish everywhere. Burdekin Park, I remember, there were a lot of dead animals in Burdekin Park, sheep and cattle. The smell was terrible. And everything was covered in mud. We had no water, the water works broke down. No electricity. No sewerage. "There were three semitrailer loads of bananas up on McDougalls Hill, they were being transported and couldn't get through Singleton. So, we had plenty of bananas. You'd go down the street the day after the flood and your bloke would say, 'You want a banana? Here, take a case." It was in the aftermath of the 1955 disaster that the State Emergency Service was born, then known as Civil Defence, and Mr Martin was Singleton's first controller. "John's love for Singleton and his service to its people and the community is unparalleled, and unlikely ever to be repeated," Cr Moore said. "I was very privileged to serve alongside John on council for a number of terms, and while we may not have always agreed, I had a great respect for his leadership and the vast knowledge, expertise and experience that he brought to the chamber." "I'm deeply saddened by his passing and will remember him most for his unwavering commitment to always acting with the best interests of the community at heart." Former Singleton mayor John Martin, who spent more than 50 years in local government, and was made a Freeman of the Shire, died this week after a decline in health, the council confirmed. He was 90. Mr Martin, who was remembered as a tireless community servant, was elected to the Singleton Municipal Council in 1965 and spent more than half a century as a local representative, including serving as mayor from 1990 to 2000. He became the shire's first popularly elected mayor in 2012, at 77, narrowly defeating political neophyte Kylie Stibbard, who had entered the race that year, having never served as a councillor, to run second by a mere 118 votes. In the Singleton Shire, the mayoral office is a four-year term, elected by direct popular vote, while the nine other councillors of the 10-seat chamber are elected proportionally. Mr Martin retired from political life in 2021, the same year he was officially inducted as a Freeman of the Shire, having been conferred the honorary title in 2020, and spent his later years living in care at the now-closed Mercy Residential Aged Care Facility. In February, when the centre faced closure amid years of financial strife, Mr Martin told the media that he was concerned about where he would move when the centre closed. "At the moment, it looks like we might have to go out of town," he said. "I don't want that to happen. Singleton is my town, and I believe in it, and I wish to stay here." Mr Martin was remembered this week as a tireless community volunteer and a life member of the State Emergency Service. Throughout his six decades in public life, he served with Our Care services, Meals on Wheels, Singleton Apex Club, Albion Park Tennis Club, Singleton Hospital community trust, and Singleton Tidy Towns. "John leaves a huge legacy, and although he was a humble man, his mark on Singleton will remain for decades to come," the shire's sitting mayor, Sue Moore, said in a statement on Friday. "He was steadfastly loyal to the people of Singleton right up until his passing, and while our community, and indeed the wider Hunter Region, is all the poorer for his loss, we have certainly been enriched by his contribution." Mr Martin's public life was surrounded by history. In 1955, he told the council earlier this year, marking 70 years since the Hunter Valley floods, that he had tried to walk home to Fitz Street on the night the town was almost entirely submerged by water. He was knocked off his feet in chest-height water at Church Street and realised he had to wait it out. It would be two days before his family knew if he was alive, during which time he had helped a local police sergeant to get to the hospital after breaking his leg in a fall. "The town was a bloody mess," he recalled in February. "There were logs and rubbish everywhere. Burdekin Park, I remember, there were a lot of dead animals in Burdekin Park, sheep and cattle. The smell was terrible. And everything was covered in mud. We had no water, the water works broke down. No electricity. No sewerage. "There were three semitrailer loads of bananas up on McDougalls Hill, they were being transported and couldn't get through Singleton. So, we had plenty of bananas. You'd go down the street the day after the flood and your bloke would say, 'You want a banana? Here, take a case." It was in the aftermath of the 1955 disaster that the State Emergency Service was born, then known as Civil Defence, and Mr Martin was Singleton's first controller. "John's love for Singleton and his service to its people and the community is unparalleled, and unlikely ever to be repeated," Cr Moore said. "I was very privileged to serve alongside John on council for a number of terms, and while we may not have always agreed, I had a great respect for his leadership and the vast knowledge, expertise and experience that he brought to the chamber." "I'm deeply saddened by his passing and will remember him most for his unwavering commitment to always acting with the best interests of the community at heart." Former Singleton mayor John Martin, who spent more than 50 years in local government, and was made a Freeman of the Shire, died this week after a decline in health, the council confirmed. He was 90. Mr Martin, who was remembered as a tireless community servant, was elected to the Singleton Municipal Council in 1965 and spent more than half a century as a local representative, including serving as mayor from 1990 to 2000. He became the shire's first popularly elected mayor in 2012, at 77, narrowly defeating political neophyte Kylie Stibbard, who had entered the race that year, having never served as a councillor, to run second by a mere 118 votes. In the Singleton Shire, the mayoral office is a four-year term, elected by direct popular vote, while the nine other councillors of the 10-seat chamber are elected proportionally. Mr Martin retired from political life in 2021, the same year he was officially inducted as a Freeman of the Shire, having been conferred the honorary title in 2020, and spent his later years living in care at the now-closed Mercy Residential Aged Care Facility. In February, when the centre faced closure amid years of financial strife, Mr Martin told the media that he was concerned about where he would move when the centre closed. "At the moment, it looks like we might have to go out of town," he said. "I don't want that to happen. Singleton is my town, and I believe in it, and I wish to stay here." Mr Martin was remembered this week as a tireless community volunteer and a life member of the State Emergency Service. Throughout his six decades in public life, he served with Our Care services, Meals on Wheels, Singleton Apex Club, Albion Park Tennis Club, Singleton Hospital community trust, and Singleton Tidy Towns. "John leaves a huge legacy, and although he was a humble man, his mark on Singleton will remain for decades to come," the shire's sitting mayor, Sue Moore, said in a statement on Friday. "He was steadfastly loyal to the people of Singleton right up until his passing, and while our community, and indeed the wider Hunter Region, is all the poorer for his loss, we have certainly been enriched by his contribution." Mr Martin's public life was surrounded by history. In 1955, he told the council earlier this year, marking 70 years since the Hunter Valley floods, that he had tried to walk home to Fitz Street on the night the town was almost entirely submerged by water. He was knocked off his feet in chest-height water at Church Street and realised he had to wait it out. It would be two days before his family knew if he was alive, during which time he had helped a local police sergeant to get to the hospital after breaking his leg in a fall. "The town was a bloody mess," he recalled in February. "There were logs and rubbish everywhere. Burdekin Park, I remember, there were a lot of dead animals in Burdekin Park, sheep and cattle. The smell was terrible. And everything was covered in mud. We had no water, the water works broke down. No electricity. No sewerage. "There were three semitrailer loads of bananas up on McDougalls Hill, they were being transported and couldn't get through Singleton. So, we had plenty of bananas. You'd go down the street the day after the flood and your bloke would say, 'You want a banana? Here, take a case." It was in the aftermath of the 1955 disaster that the State Emergency Service was born, then known as Civil Defence, and Mr Martin was Singleton's first controller. "John's love for Singleton and his service to its people and the community is unparalleled, and unlikely ever to be repeated," Cr Moore said. "I was very privileged to serve alongside John on council for a number of terms, and while we may not have always agreed, I had a great respect for his leadership and the vast knowledge, expertise and experience that he brought to the chamber." "I'm deeply saddened by his passing and will remember him most for his unwavering commitment to always acting with the best interests of the community at heart."
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Parties should act to stop the Senate being a launch pad for deserters
Pauline Hanson and Cheryl Kernot may give the lie to the truism that turncoats rarely prosper. But Labor's newest chum, Dorinda Cox, lacks Hanson's outraging populism and Kernot's high political achievements with the Australian Democrats, talents that allowed them to whitewash the stain of ratting on their political parties. The Western Australian Senator has deserted the Greens for Labor, handing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese an extra vote in the Senate and a black eye to former minor party colleagues already reeling after their May 3 election rout. But Cox's own actions and the leaks against her since her desertion will make it hard to put her past behind and be little more than a yes vote. A former WA police officer, Cox filled a casual vacancy in 2021 after the retirement of veteran Greens senator Rachel Siewert. Last October, the Herald 's James Massola revealed she had churned through her small parliamentary staff like a meat grinder: 20 resigned and investigations followed with Cox censured by fellow Greens. She also apologised. But they never really kissed and made up. Beaten to the Greens' deputy leadership by Mehreen Faruqi after the party's dismal election result, Cox defected to Labor. She's been there before, and had been a member of the ALP. 'I was let down by what I found to be a patronising attitude towards women and people of colour,' she said on her 2020 Greens' application form, one of many leaks against her since she jumped ship. Another leak claimed Cox signed a candidate agreement saying she would resign from parliament if she left the Greens in recognition of the effort, money and support party members donated to get her elected. She also was shown to have an obscene opinion of Hanson. Cox's term finishes next election but unlike other recent party defectors, Lidia Thorpe and Fatima Payman, Cox's prospects of retaining a Senate seat have been slightly enhanced by joining Labor. Not much though, but miles better than if she stayed a Green. Political defections are nothing new, but there does seem a rash of them lately. The phenomenon kicked off in 1996 when Hanson was preselected by the Liberals only to be dumped for her remarks about race – she won the seat of Oxley as an independent. The following year Kernot was ushered into Labor courtesy of a friendship with Hawke minister Gareth Evans, but only held Dickson for three years before voters decided for Peter Dutton. The parade of desertions continued this century. Bob Katter quit the Queensland Nationals to husband a 24-year career as an independent. Clive Palmer started funding hopefuls as disenchantment with major parties increased: Jacqui Lambie is his enduring achievement, although she, too, ratted on him.
West Australian
3 days ago
- West Australian
World Test Championship final: Why West Australian Cam Green is now the key to Australia's batting order
Steve Smith has been confirmed as Australia's No.4 for next week's World Test Championship final, leaving Cam Green to shape the rest of the order. Australian captain Pat Cummins said Smith will retain his place in the middle-order — rather than being bumped up to make way for Green's return — during an interview released on Wednesday. It means Green — who will play his first Test match in 16 months against South Africa at Lord's from June 11 — could bat at No.4, lower down the order, or even open the batting. Smith joins opener Usman Khawaja as the only members of the batting unit with their positions now in permanent marker. 'I can confirm that Smudge will definitely be batting four,' Cummins told The Grade Cricketer. 'Everyone else I am probably not willing to confirm, but I can confirm Steve Smith will be at No.4.' Smith had given up his No.4 position for Green in the months after David Warner's Test retirement, but slotted back into the middle-order when the West Aussie was injured last summer. Australian players gathered in Scotland last week for an under-the-radar pre-Test camp, but have now headed to London. West Australian Josh Inglis and quick Josh Hazlewood will be the final players to join the squad after Inglis' Punjab Kings lost Tuesday night's Indian Premier League final to Hazlewood's Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Inglis is an outside chance to force his way into the side after a strong IPL where he scored 278 runs at 30.88. Marnus Labuschagne had been considered the frontrunner to open the batting, but a lean stint in the second division of the County Championship may have opened the door to Sam Konstas, Green or Inglis pinching that spot. If Labuschagne opens, Green's most likely spot is at No.3. The all-rounder has not returned to bowling yet, which means Beau Webster is a strong chance to play to bat at No.6 and support the pace attack. Green could slot into the middle-order if Australia chooses to back in a four-man pace attack, although dry early-season wickets are likely to require some seam-bowling support. The 26-year-old's versatility will open the door to selectors squeezing in their six most in-form batters. Australian coach Andrew McDonald said last week Green 'could bat anywhere'. 'He could be three, he could be five, he could be six, he could open. He's got all bases covered. 'You're not going to get a negative word from the coach about Cameron Green and his batting.' WA teammate Jhye Richardson, who spent time in rehab with Green during his nine-month layoff after back surgery, said the all-rounder's county cricket form was an ominous warning to both South Africa and England ahead of this summer's looming Ashes series. Green scored three centuries during a five-match stint at second-division side Gloucestershire and finished with 467 runs at 66.71. 'I think we've seen a little bit already, with the success he has had over in England,' Richardson told The West Australian. 'If you can have success over there with the Dukes ball, it holds him in really good stead to come back here in familiar conditions. I'm really looking forward to it.'
