I had the pleasure of being involved in three emergency services events in the
Wimmera region on 18 August, which included the Horsham VICSES twin cab utility
handover, the Grampians Country Fire Authority group new forward command vehicle
handover and the official opening of the Kaniva VICSES station. I take this
opportunity to thank all those involved for securing the funding and for their
continued involvement with the local State Emergency Service and the CFA. I
would like to particularly thank the community of Kaniva that braved the cold
weather on the evening of 18 August and came together to celebrate the
achievement of getting a major upgrade to their station. The member for Lowan in
the other place, Hugh Delahunty, was also in attendance.
I also need to make special mention of Dale Russell, Tony Grim,
Peter Rabone and Bob Thomson, who were not only extremely hospitable but
provided me with a forthright and valuable insight into the coordination of
local CFA, SES and police operations, particularly as they applied during the
February 2009 Haven fire.
