Six years ago, Narrabeen local Lyndsey Edwards joined the Warringah/Pittwater SES, uniting with an array of others for the purpose of supporting the community.
Lyndsey originally moved to the Northern Beaches from the United Kingdom nine years ago and at the time was looking to meet a new group of people.
“I joined to meet people because, as a new person to the area, I was struggling to find groups to make friends and things. I also joined because I live in Narrabeen, and it was just after the Collaroy storms that I joined the SES.”
The 44-year-old recalls being intrigued by a State Emergency Service (SES) truck on the side of the road and thought what the team were doing ‘looked really interesting’.
After attending a volunteer night for the Warringah/Pittwater brigade, the rest is history.
Lyndsey is also a quality and compliance officer for Sunnyfield Disability Services in Allambie Heights, where she has worked since moving to the Peninsula.
She attends SES training every Tuesday to keep her skills up and assists in most emergencies around the area. Most recently, during the storms and flooding, Lyndsey has been on the front-line helping locals together with her team.
“I was at work, and it was about one o’clock when the really heavy rain hit,” Lyndsey recalls from the floods in early March.
“We got a call through for as many members as possible, and I’m lucky because Sunnyfield are very flexible for me to be able to go out. They know how dedicated I am to the SES.”
Lyndsey recalls working until midnight that day before returning to her job the next morning, and additionally volunteering for the following nights after work.
“It’s intense [and] it gets your heart pumping. Even yesterday morning at 2am I was responding with my colleague’s doing lights and sirens down to Narrabeen, because a car had got stuck in floodwater.”
Lyndsey explains that although this can be a very physically demanding role, nobody is expected to do more than they can manage.
“You never get to the point where you are completely exhausted, because there are people to help you and take over from you if you are struggling.”
Lyndsey says she has surprised herself during her time in the SES and one of her favourite parts of the job is using the chainsaw.
“Now, I never thought that I would chainsaw in my life. It seemed quite scary, but I love to chainsaw now,” she smiles.
One of the biggest challenges the SES faces, Lyndsey says, is the climate crisis. She says they have ‘never seen rain before like the recent storms’ and floods, and they ‘don’t know what’s around the corner’.
Lyndsay says no matter how big or small the job at hand is, being part of the SES is a rewarding as the community are so appreciative of their work and thankful for their help.
“That for me is the best thing about volunteering for the SES, is that you’re putting people’s minds at ease. You get a big cross range of ages and different types of people. The thanks are always lovely, but it’s not what we do it for – we do it to support the community.”
If you are interested in finding out more about the SES or volunteering, visit ses.nsw.gov.au/volunteer.