Nominations are now being sought for the 2010 Keith Lane Award.

In his time in the State Emergency Service and the  S.A. S.E.S. Volunteers’ Association, Keith Lane was always recognised as a great volunteer leader and someone who always went above and beyond the call of duty in the roles he undertook.

The Keith Lane Memorial Award is selected by a committee of three Association representatives and is judged on “outstanding contribution by an individual member.”

The emphasis is not based just on an individual’s skills, but on commitment to their Unit and the SES in general.

Individual nominations are now sought from members, so nominate that colleague who you feel meets the criteria. 

To lodge a nomination, we require, a covering letter which includes, your name, address and contact details, together with the name, address, phone number, unit and rank of the person nominated. 

On a separate sheet, we need a short statement of  approximately 300 - 500 words on why the individual deserves to be considered for the award, plus  supporting  references or endorsements from other members would be useful.

The winner or winners as has occurred, receive an individual trophy, their name on the perpetual plaque and a cash prize. The award is open to any current serving member of the SES and Association and nominations can be forwarded to:

Keith Lane Award
S.A. S.E.S. Volunteers’ Association
GPO Box 2706, Adelaide 5001
Or emailed to susan@sasesva.org.au

Nominations close Friday 22nd October 2010.

The winner will be announced and the award presented after our annual parade on November 2010.

2008 Award Recipient - Keith Smith

   
Left To Right: Chris Hughes, daughter of the late Keith Lane, the Hon. Michael Wright Minister for Emergency Services and Keith Smith recipient of the 2008 Keith Lane Award.

The 2008 recipient, was Keith Smith, who commenced duties with the Western Adelaide Unit in September 1997. Despite his supposed senior years, (76 years young), Keith fits in well with all Unit members and provides the Unit with a proficient and reliable commitment, while also being a mentor to new recruits. He has the ability to generate whatever is required to ease difficult situations. His ability to adjust and respond to the demands of each situation is a quality few possess. Keith’s assistance is regularly sought and he does so willingly, providing leadership at the annual SES parade, ANZAC Day Parade and the Christmas Pageant. He also supported the Regional Manager, Metro East, organise and run a successful Police and Emergency Service Games in 2004.

A major role of the  SES focuses on public perception, often under harsh conditions. The ability to deal with the all in a confident and knowledgeable manner is a necessity. Once again Keith, as the  Deputy Unit Manager Western Adelaide has adapted to such demands, and always conducts himself in a professional and credible manner.

As mentioned Keith has been attached to Western Adelaide Unit for the past 11 years and has held the positions of Unit Controller and Deputy Unit Manager during this period. Keith has, and continues to impress with his dedication to the task at hand and his willingness to learn and develop his capabilities resulting in a more effective and efficient service to the community. Keith is a professional and competent officer who is a credit to the service. The assistance and knowledge he provides to the SES is of the highest quality and has been instrumental in making the Western Adelaide Unit what it is today.

With no knowledge that a nomination for the Keith Lane Award would be forthcoming, the Association in August, agreed unanimously to a proposal to present Keith  with honorary life membership of the Association in recognition of his outstanding contribution and support. Keith was one of the founding members of the Association and for over ten years has provided support in coordinating the parade. He was Deputy Chair for four years and for three years hosted all Association meetings.

Keith received his award from the Minister for Emergency Services, the Hon Michael Wright MP, assisted by Keith Lane’s daughter Chris Hughes, who is a SES volunteer herself at Quorn.

Additionally, the Association awarded a second honorary life membership to Noel Hodges, who served for seven years as the first President of the Australian Institute of Emergency Services (South Australia chapter), and was the Emergency Service representative for the Year of the Older Citizen. He was involved in the establishment of both the dog squad and horse search team.

2007 Award Recipients - Peter Larvin/Stuart Lambert

The 2007 Keith Lane Ward was this year announced and presented by Hon Carmel Zollo MLC, Minister for Emergency Services, and was shared by two recipients for their outstanding service to the SES. The recipients received plaques and shared a $1,000. The Minister was assisted by Keith Lane’s grand-daughter Kalya Hughes aged 16, who traveled from Quorn for the occasion.

The recipients were Peter Larvin from Western Adelaide and Stuart Lambert from Barmera.

Both were nominated by their respective units and praised for their encouragement and support of all members and the way they encourage members to utilize their individual skills and abilities.

Peter helped save a man’s live earlier this year, when a man fell into a drain near Keswick Barracks and when the man was sucked along the drain, Peter threw himself on the edge and held on to his hand to ensure he was not pulled further.

Stuart has been actively involved in the planning and implementation of Rescue Road Training and couldn’t be present to receive his award as he was conducting a road rescue training session.

SES Volunteers' Recognised

Four volunteers from the SES received plaques from the Governor for exceptional service at a presentation on Torrens Parade Ground. The plaques were provided by the S.A. S.E.S. Volunteers’ Association.

The recipients were Keith Smith, from Western Unit, Tricia Goodrich from State Headquarters Unit, Merise Adamson from Prospect and Daisy from the Dog Operation Unit.

   
Award winners Keith Smith and Tricia Goodrich

Keith Smith was one of the founding members of the Volunteers’ Association and was instrumental in both establishing and arranging the annual SES parade. His mentoring role and support reflects both his commitment and Work within the SES, and why he is a much loved member of Western Adelaide Unit.

Tricia Goodrich joined the SES in May 1995 as the inaugural Administration Officer for the newly formed State Headquarters Unit. Tricia had the primary input into the development of the ‘Request For Assistance’ software program used at the State Control Centre for the entering of Incident information, and has continued to expand on this program and train the State Control Centre operators in it’s use.

   
Award winners Merise Adamson and Daisy

Merise Adamson a Prospect SES Unit Volunteer, has doubled her volunteering time over the past two years to organise and support many SES recruiting and promotional initiatives. Working with the State Headquarters, Merise has helped set up and staff displays at the Royal Show, regional field days and local community shopping centres.

Daisy, the SES’s first rescue dog was two and a half years old when she commenced training with the SES in tracking and air scenting. Her feats are amazing and at six and a half years of age Daisy was diagnosed with cancer, but as a valued volunteer plus her search abilities, undertook a course of chemotherapy and has been in remission ever since. Daisy retired from active search duties at the start of this year and is now one of our well respected pr ladies. She celebrated her thirteenth birthday last Thursday.