The Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) Robinvale Unit has more than doubled its operational membership in the past 12 months, with more volunteer emergency responders coming on board later in the year.

Since its inception in 1978, VICSES Robinvale Unit has responded to Requests for Assistance (RFAs) from the local community involving flood, storm, Road, Air, Industrial and Rail (RAIR) rescue, search and rescue, rope rescue, and supporting other local emergency service agencies

Robinvale, located on the south bank of the Murray River, is at risk when the Murray overflows following periods of prolonged rainfall in its upper catchments. Small acreages on the river flats, east of Latje Road, are located on a floodplain along with low-lying areas likely to flood when the Murray River overflows in the surrounding area. The town has not experienced a major flood event since 1956, but is vulnerable to flash flooding during short, intense periods of heavy rainfall.

New recruits receive training at VICSES Robinvale Unit, 2022

In recent years, a declining membership has meant that the unit - which has a response area of over 2,000 square kilometres - has relied on the support of VICSES Swan Hill, Ouyen, and Mildura Units, which border its response boundary, to answer RFAs.

Thus began the extensive Robinvale Unit recruitment campaign in June 2022, which sought to increase the unit membership from just six volunteers. Following this recruitment campaign,  which concluded in September last year, the unit’s membership has grown to 20 volunteers. And as of June 2023, six of these newly-minted volunteers have completed their Crew Member training, and are now fully-qualified to respond to RFAs.

New volunteer cohort at VICSES Robinvale Unit, Christmas 2022

Paula Rodger has been Unit Controller for the last year, but has been a VICSES volunteer for eight years. With such a small volunteer cohort at the unit, Paula had already stepped up to become a Unit Officer in 2019 to take on management of the unit’s finances.

VICSES Robinvale Unit Controller, Paula Rodger, gives a talk to schoolchildren at a community engagement activity, Summer 2023

Though the unit had been making slow, yet steady progress in building on increasing their active membership, the events of the global pandemic (COVID-19) affected their retention, and at one stage the volunteer cohort dropped to only two active members.

The two members were each asked to consider becoming the Unit Controller, or face closure of the unit. Both were offered support with recruitment, training, and mentoring, but Paula knew she needed to speak with her family before making a decision. 

Rebuilding after COVID-19

With the support of her family and VICSES staff, led by Community Resilience Coordinator (CRC) Jamie Macri and Volunteer Support Officer (VSO) Jason Conrad, Paula held a workshop for the existing members, preparing the unit to welcome new volunteers, and to formulate a plan to divide the necessary jobs at the unit. CRC Jamie Macri advertised an open night on local radio and newspapers, on message boards in Robinvale and Euston, and on the unit’s community pages on social media. He put up posters, undertook a letterbox drop, attended community events in the days before the open night, and persuaded the local member of parliament to attend. Before the event, Jamie and Jason set up a pop-up stall in the main street, handed out brochures, talked to local members of the community, and attended a local football training session to give a presentation.

Support from local media was essential to the recruitment effort

At the open night and in the subsequent weeks, Paula and Jamie welcomed 14 new members to VICSES Robinvale Unit, growing their active volunteer membership to 21.

CRCs and VSOs work as part of 14, dedicated Unit Support Teams (USTs) scattered throughout the state in key locations, to support big and small units alike. USTs assist units to recruit new members, engage with the community, and supply training and materials to their members.

The renewed volunteer cohort at Robinvale Unit consists of volunteers from a wide array of professional backgrounds, bringing a diversity of skills and perspectives to their work at the unit. There are trade contractors, farmers, mechanics, small business owners, and retired persons, with the age of members ranging from late teens to over-60s.

With the influx of new members, Paula is looking forward to delegating her other roles as finance officer, facilities, along with maintenance and inductions for new members. Juggling the challenges of expanding the unit, the recent floods, and the new VICSES Operating Model, Paula continues to advocate on behalf of her membership and her community, with the help of Jamie and her UST.

A bright future ahead

With many hands making light work, the existing volunteers are delighted to have a new influx of members, and the call-out data speaks for itself. So far this year (2022/23), VICSES Robinvale Unit volunteers have attended twice the number of storm and flood-related incidents (26), and more than four times the number of requests to assist other agencies (42).

From townships on the Murray to the north, throughout the Mallee, over and between the ranges to the east and around the central plains; from the Bellarine to Port Phillip Bay: our volunteers are ready. Interested in volunteering with VICSES? Join Us.

Quotes attributable to VICSES Robinvale Unit Controller, Paula Rodger:

“I joined the unit to strengthen it, though not necessarily be an operational member, but here I am chainsaw-trained, road crash rescue-trained, and the Unit Controller!”

“It’s a small town, I live here, and I’m involved. My kids grew up here, my grandkids are at preschool. So, I couldn’t live with myself I there was an accident that we couldn’t attend because we walked away.”

“You need that goodwill from the community, and even the former Unit Controller Bradley Sutton has been on the phone behind me, every step of the way. It’s a small community, so his knowledge and support has been important to our success.”

“Jamie was extraordinary. Sometimes it takes an outsider, because he could talk to the parents and the kids, the neighbours, the elderly; and Jamie being such a broad-minded person, he found that common ground. That’s how we got these new members, and he maintains that contact with them.”

Quotes attributable to Community Resilience Coordinator, Jamie Macri:

“It’s about building those relationships. It’s not always the people you talk to are the ones you get to join, but the people they might talk to.”

“The days of getting a flyer in the mail or seeing something in the paper are gone. That face-to-face interaction and relationship building are the most impactful thing you can do. Those conversations usually were about educating people on what VICSES does.”

“We worked to reach people who had English as a second language, so they knew how to prepare, and who to call. We were able to offer Local Flood Guides in seven languages, appropriate to the community at Robinvale. It was an extensive effort but absolutely worth it.”

“Hopefully now Robinvale is a really strong unit with 21 members. You can have growth at a unit like that, because you have more space to do the preparedness activities and the engagement.”