Published on Tuesday, 18 September 2018 at 2:27:00 PM
Invited guests and residents from Narembeen and surrounding towns gathered on Friday 14th September 2018 for the official opening of the Narembeen Volunteer Emergency Services Centre.
Shire of Narembeen Freeman Melvin Bristow, Halley Cowan, Stephen Padfield and Shire President Cr Rhonda Cole officially opened the $717,000 emergency centre.
Shire President, Cr Rhonda Cole said “this magnificent new building provides for the collocation of the Narembeen St John and the Narembeen Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade, two dedicated groups of volunteers who play a key role in the delivery of emergency services in Narembeen and the surrounding communities.”
Funding towards the project was provided by the Department of Fire & Emergency Services $258,000, Wheatbelt Development Commission $250,000, St John Narembeen $100,000 and Narembeen Bush Fire Brigade $30,000.
“The volunteers of the St John Narembeen and Narembeen Bush Fire Brigade are selfless and give their time to protect others; they are an essential part of the Shire’s response before, during and following emergencies. They are fundamental to the community’s safety and resilience and give their time without expectation and I thank you all for your dedication and commitment to your community”, said Shire President, Cr Rhonda Cole.
It was fitting that the day’s celebrations included a life membership presentation to Mrs Debbie Hall of Narembeen St John in recognition of her long and continuous service to Narembeen St John Sub-Centre and to the community of Narembeen. The honour recognised Debbie’s outstanding commitment, loyalty and dedication to the organisation. Congratulations Debbie.
Mr Murray Dixon, President of the Narembeen Bush Fire Brigade said “the process for a new building started over 9 years ago, there’s been a great investment by the State Government and more importantly by the local community, let’s continue to look after this investment as we head into becoming a Volunteer Emergency Service.”
Mr Lloyd Bailey, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Fire & Emergency Services said “the complex will provide a centralised base for operations in Narembeen as well as supporting emergency services in surrounding towns. As volunteers you give your time to the community, spend some of your free time training and what you do will be challenging and we want to support you as best we can.”
It’s the community spirit and co-operation that makes resilient communities such as Narembeen possible, where neighbor’s don’t hesitate to help and where members of the community volunteer their time for both of these organisations”, said Mr Justin Fonte, Senior Operations Manager, St John Ambulance.
The building centralises emergency services, provides private office space for debriefs and counselling and provides training area to upskill volunteers and a shared communications room to better manage emergency situations.
Narembeen volunteers are a vital part of the fabric of our vibrant community, it is important to acknowledge and support them through dedicated infrastructure such as this wonderful facility.
Many thanks to the following people for their assistance on the day and in the lead up to the event:
- Narembeen P&C, in particular Lucy Lines for the power of work put into co-ordinating a magnificent afternoon tea as well as providing much needed assistance on the afternoon and following the event.
- Kellie Mortimore & Ian Mortimore for their assistance in setting up and cleaning up after the event as well as organising the bbq.
- Ian Mortimore and Michael Lethlean for their help in cooking the bbq.
- Andrew Hardham & Murray Dixon – for organising the drinks.
- Shire staff for their assistance on the day and in the lead up to the event.
It was a team effort and we couldn’t have done it without you! THANK YOU.
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