Living with ADHD and Autism, Jayden had initially been unsure if a volunteer role with SES was available to him.
Not only was it available, he’s now had eight years of keeping the community safe, and also runs Benalla SES’ social media pages.
“My mum, my aunt and uncle were all in SES,” he said.
“So, when I was 16, I asked to get involved too.
“While I recently got my five-year service certificate, I’ve actually been volunteering for eight.
“I started off as a junior member and you start training straight away to become a fully operational member, which you can do at 18.
“You start by going out to small jobs like trees down. It’s only once you are a fully operational member that you go out to things like car accidents and police assists.”
Jayden said part of the role involved being on call 24/7.
“We carry a pager, it can go off at any time of the day or night,” he said.
“My work are very good (Woolworths Benalla) and if it goes off at work I can leave and still get paid.”
Jayden loves most aspects of being involved with SES, but said the best was the mateship and comradery.
“I like working together as a team with all other agencies,” he said.
“With the police, ambulance and CFA, the emergency services we all come together and work as one.
“Working towards a goal, which is often to help save somebody.
“We're there on someone's worst day and then we end up putting a smile on their face.”
Jayden said that while it was nice to be recognised for five years of service, recognition was not the reason people volunteered with SES.
“We get lots of training opportunities, like 4x4 driving and I’ve got a chainsaw qualification through SES,” he said.
“And we’re like a big family.”
If you’d like to find out more about volunteering with SES visit www.ses.vic.gov.au/join-us/volunteer/
