Community & Business
1 July, 2022
New controller calls for SES volunteers
ATHERTON’s new SES local controller Michelle Horch wants locals to get involved with their local SES group to be ready for the next storm season, one of her first actions after being passed the torch by previous local controller John Whyte.
Ms Horch has spent over a decade with the SES, first working in Cairns before working in Atherton for the past four years.
Initially using SES as a pathway to the Queensland Ambulance Service, Ms Horch fell in love with the brotherhood and camaraderie displayed in SES and decided to stay.
“I missed it, I missed the training, I missed the fact that I could just detach myself from life and get together with a whole group of new people that I didn’t know,” she said.
“We are an orange carrot family.
“When the roll for local controller came up, I put my hand up for it and was lucky enough to get it.”
As the local controller, Ms Horch oversees operations and trainings as well as liaising with surrounding SES groups outside of the Tablelands Regional Council area in which Atherton SES operates.
Despite now having the job, Ms Horch said it was not her first intention and she “just fell into it”.
“I was little bit reluctant at first because the new group was half the size of the group that I was coming from,” she said.
“The group in Atherton are a tight knit group – they are quite dedicated to their welfare, community engagement and training.
“Getting to know the people, the area, adapting to new surroundings that I was not used to and the Atherton group have been so helpful in supporting me in my new role.”
In one of her first tasks as the new local controller Ms Horch has put the call out for locals to sign up and get involved with SES before the next storm season.
“I would like to get more people signed up so we are able to support different parts of Queensland if need be,” she said.
“We also need to be prepared for our area if something happens over the next season or two.”
To get involved with the Atherton SES or any other local SES group head to the website at www.ses.qld.gov.au
