KIAMA and Wollongong lighthouses will be illuminated a fetching hue of orange tomorrow in support of NSW SES volunteers as part of Wear Orange Wednesday (WOW Day) celebrations.
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With the help of NRMA Insurance, the NSW SES celebrates WOW Day each November each year to recognise the efforts of NSW SES volunteers who help their communities in times of storms, floods and other emergencies.
Over the past twelve months, NSW SES volunteers in the Illawarra South Coast Region have been among the busiest in the state.
The public is encouraged to show their appreciation in a highly visible way, by wearing orange - the official colour of the SES uniform.
The Wollongong and Kiama lighthouses will be illuminated orange for the evening and residents are invited to come along for a photo with local volunteers.
In the past 12 months, NSW SES volunteers contributed 260,294 hours to help the people of NSW. Not only did they attend to 16,484 storm and flood jobs, but they responded to 604 road crashes, helped the NSW Rural Fire Service on 851 bushfire support tasks and responded to 447 tasks for remote medical assistance through the NSW SES Community First Responder Units.
NSW SES Region Controller Ashley Sullivan said WOW Day was a good opportunity for the community to recognise vounteers’ contributions.
“WOW Day is a great way for the public to show their support of our selfless and committed volunteers who sacrifice their time away from families and work to help their community in times of need. It’s also an opportunity for people to consider joining the NSW SES to give back to their community,” Mr Sullivan said.
“Seeing people wearing orange and decorating their workplaces and communities shows how much support there is for our volunteers who who are there purely to help out someone when times are tough,” he said.
NRMA Insurance Community and Sustainability Manager, Lee McDougall said NSW SES volunteers play an invaluable role in helping people prepare for and recover from severe weather.
“As an insurer we see the devastating impact that wild weather can have on communities. That’s why we work with the NSW SES on a range of initiatives to support NSW SES volunteers and help make communities safer and more resilient.”
“We are proud to support the NSW SES and wish to say a big thank you to all volunteers across NSW for their hard work,” said Ms McDougall.
The lighthouse at Flagstaff Hill will be illuminated orange from 6pm on Wednesday. Shellharbour SES Volunteers will have a static display and rescue vehicle at the NRMA branch at Stockland Shellharbour on Wednesday and Shellharbour City Council customer service staff will wear orange SES T-shirts for the day
The Kiama lighthouse will be illuminated in orange and SES volunteers will be in attendance with rescue trucks, glowsticks and giveaways from 7.30pm.
Kiama Municipal Council customer service staff will be wearing orange SES T-shirts for the day.
