Karen McNamara (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I had the pleasure to visit MacKillop Catholic College and Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College, Berkeley Vale campus, to attend ceremonies for students graduating from the NSW Rural Fire Service Secondary Schools Cadet Program. Forty-four students successfully graduated from the program and received their certificates. The skills and knowledge the students gained throughout this outstanding cadet program have set them in high stead for the future. I am a great supporter of the NSW Rural Fire Service and I have deep respect for those who volunteer their time and service so freely to our community.

Volunteers are the backbone of our community and play a vital role. To have representatives from the local Rural Fire Service offer their time and expertise to take the students through the cadet program is a wonderful demonstration of their commitment to impart their knowledge to the next generation. Rural Fire Service volunteers do not offer their time and energy because it is glamorous; nor do they do it for praise. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the brave firefighters in South Australia and Western Australia for everything the are doing at the moment for us.

At the heart of our Rural Fire Service volunteers is the drive to serve, protect, rescue and provide assistance in whatever capacity they can when and where it is needed. Sometimes this means they put their own lives at risk for the sake of saving the lives and properties of others. The Rural Fire Service embodies qualities of courage, tenacity, leadership, self-discipline, mateship, teamwork, self-confidence, self-reliance, initiative and community spirit. In a practical sense, they are highly skilled in emergency responses from fires to floods, storms, and search and rescue. The Rural Fire Service Secondary Schools Cadet Program embraces all of these qualities, imparting to the students the skills, knowledge and practical experiences that will greatly assist them as they make decisions about their lives and transition into the workforce. Importantly, the program inspires a sense of appreciation for the extraordinary work of our emergency services and volunteers and their utmost importance to our local community.

The value of volunteers can never and should never be overlooked or undersupported. Australians are accustomed to long, hot, dry summers when temperatures can soar well into the 40s for days on end. We know these are the days of extreme fire hazard, when even the smallest of sparks can cause catastrophic bushfires and endanger the lives and the homes of entire communities. For every fire that threatens the Central Coast in summertime and for every emergency in between, our rural fire service volunteers are on the ground working tirelessly to save properties and wildlife. I wish all rural fire service volunteers on the Central Coast and across Australia a safe and successful summer fire season. I commend each of the volunteers from the Warnervale, Charmhaven and Berkeley Vale brigades and also the staff from the lakes district team for generously giving their time and knowledge to take the students of MacKillop Catholic College and Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College through their respective programs. I am hopeful that at least some of these students who graduated will consider becoming volunteers. (Time expired)