Trucks and Books - Ann's Time with the S.E.S.
Published on 22 May 2026
People living outside of Hamilton may recognise Ann as the friendly face of the Mobile Library, but her calm demeanour hides a SES veteran with over sixteen years of experience.
“I wouldn’t have even been able to apply for my job without the SES,” said Ann, “It’s through them that I was able to get my medium-rigid licence; and if you can drive one of those trucks - then you can drive anything, even a mobile library.”
Currently serving much of the area north of Hamilton, she spent many years in the metro region even serving as a Crew Leader in Doncaster before making a tree change to the Southern Grampians.
“I wanted to give back,” she said of her start in the SES, “I felt physically capable of doing the work, and I wanted to do more than sell raffle tickets.”
Ann can look back over a rewarding time with the crews. It was in the SES that she learnt how to tie knots as well as use heavy equipment and machinery.
“If you want to learn to be a bit handy, they’ll teach you everything you need to know there. But you can take it as far as you want, some people train in the Land Based Swift Water rescue which is a bit like going to wet and wild. Boating is a big area of training. There’s something for everyone.
“Most of the jobs I attend are things like downed trees but that’s important. A red gum down on a blind bend or people trapped somewhere, it’s good to be able to use your skills to help people.”
“One of the most, I guess you’d say affecting jobs I ever responded to was when I was on a metro crew. A tree fell and split a house down the middle. Thankfully no one was injured but these people had lost their home. We were able to secure an entry way for them to get back into the house safely, so they could evacuate properly and then help them to remove as many of their possessions as we could. They were in shock of course, but we were able to do what we could to improve a horrible situation as best we could.
“You don’t want to intrude on what might be the worst day of someone’s life, but the truth is that you’re there and you can help. It means something.”
The SES has a huge variety of jobs that need to be done so there’s a position for any skill set. The Crew will only ever give you the roles you are physically and mentally suited to.
In the event that volunteers come up against something particularly challenging or potentially traumatic, the SES has a very strong peer support team that are available 24/7, and that care extends to the families of volunteers too. In fact, the peer support teams are themselves volunteers, giving another avenue for people who want to provide assistance but can’t do the in-person jobs.
Ann encourages anyone with a volunteering side or even an adventurous streak to drop by their local crew.
“The crew have been wonderful. They’re friendly and welcoming and always happy to see new faces. In the Southern Grampians the area is very large, so we always need people.
“There’s also an understanding that volunteering has to fit into your life. Some people are intimidated, they think they’ll have to give over all of their free time, but we often see people have a child or something and they drift away for a while and then come back to the team- that’s just part of life. Don’t let that stop you from giving it a go.”
The Hamilton SES meets for Training Tuesday nights at 7.30pm at the Hamilton Showgrounds.
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