DRESSED in orange jumpsuits atop similarly coloured e-scooters, the parade of SES volunteers that made their way around the shores of Lake Burley Griffin today (May 19) were an unusual sight after an unusual year.

Marking the annual event, “Wear Orange Wednesday”, which celebrates the work of the volunteer organisation, the convoy featured an array of volunteers, young and old, two-legged and four.

It was the first time since 2019 that the occasion has been held after it was cancelled last year because of covid, according to Emergency Services Minister Mick Gentleman.

In that time, Mr Gentleman says the capital has experienced an array of emergencies, which demonstrated the versatility and commitment of the SES and its volunteers.

Offering them a belated thanks for their life-saving work, he says last year volunteers went to great lengths to ensure the safety of the Canberra community.

“Volunteers responded to storm and flood related incidents during the La Nina weather event and record-breaking hailstorms and assisted ACT Policing in search and rescues,” says Mr Gentleman.

“They also worked alongside ACT Fire & Rescue and ACT Rural Fire Service during the 2019-20 Black Summer Fires and assisted ACT Health with COVID-19 compliance checks during Canberra’s lockdown.”

There are 390 SES volunteers in the capital, according to SES chief officer Anthony Draheim, with the number of applicants remaining high over the last year.

Though, the imposition of covid restrictions did present challenges.

Like many other business, Mr Draheim says the emergency service had to migrate its training online, as well as staggering in-person exercises to limit the number of people on-site at any one time.

So far, Mr Draheim says they’ve already had more than 200 people apply for volunteer roles this year, with the number of positions they needed to fill was about 35.

“Today feels like a significant celebration given what’s taking place in terms of the [covid] recovery efforts,” he says.

“[It’s] a really good opportunity to come out and say thank you to our volunteer services.

“They’ve done an exceptional job keeping us safe.”