Liam McNally
In the mid 1980s a major bushfire ripped through Melton that destroyed 14 homes. CFA captain at the time Stephen Hirt described it as being like “the gates of hell” had opened.
Melton SES volunteer Robert Trott recalled witnessing the disaster.
“I was in the garage pottering around, I heard sirens and smelt smoke – I decided to see if anyone needed help and drove up High Street and all the gum trees were just glowing,” he said.
It was this event that inspired him to join the Melton SES, and as the unit celebrates its 50th anniversary he is the team’s longest currently-serving volunteer.
Since signing up Mr Trott said he has been on about 100-200 callouts a year.
“I try and get out there and do the best I can… my main thing is just to help the community at times when they need the help,” he said.
A stand-out memory for Mr Trott was helping out in Sydney in the wake of a large hailstorm incident.
“Four of us drove up and were there for four days, tarping and repairing roofs,” he said.
“It was hard work, but the night before we were leaving we were having a pub meal and everybody in the pub stood up and gave us a round of applause for the help, it hit the heart a little bit.”
On Thursday, May 4, the Melton SES unit celebrated 50 years of emergency service to the community.
To mark the occasion, the team held a barbecue at the branch’s high street location with current members, and welcomed visits from operation managers who gave out mementos to the team thanking them for their service.
Melton SES deputy controller Karl Sass said it was a “really important” milestone to reach.
“It was really nice to pause and look back over 50 years of service to the community, and look at the bigger picture of what volunteering at the SES means,” he said.
On May 27, Melton SES will host a celebratory dinner for current and past members of the unit, and launch a book that commemorates the history of the branch.
