Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) colleagues, family and friends helped celebrate a combined 60 years of remarkable service for two retiring members.

The event held on Sunday, 23 November at the Rutherglen VICSES Unit for volunteers Irene Cracknell and Roger Farrell drew VICSES deputy chief officer Ray Jasper.

Ms Cracknell was also presented with an award of life membership – the highest honour a unit can bestow.

Mr Jasper said the special membership is for members with a long standing and transformational contribution in shaping a unit’s history, stability and future.

In his address delivered to the gathering, the deputy chief officer said both volunteers had dedicated years of service as well as making an incredible impact through their leadership, commitment and unwavering service to the Rutherglen community.

“We celebrate an extraordinary milestone for Irene,” he said.

“Irene joined as the unit’s first female active member and 43 years later she remains a cornerstone of our unit still serving as deputy controller, a role she’s had for more than 20 years.

“Irene has demonstrated a rare combination of resilience, leadership, compassion and unwavering dedication.”

“She has been a mentor, guide and steady hand for generations of SES volunteers with a calm presence, a voice of experience and a trusted leader.

“Her contribution spans decades of major incidents and community support, including tornado response, vehicle rescues, major floods, missing person searches and critical response across the region."

Mr Jasper also spoke about Ms Cracknell’s achievements, including VICSES long service medals, a National medal, an Order of Australia medal (OAM) in 2003 and an Emergency Service medal (ESM) awarded earlier this year.

“These awards recognized both her service and quality of her leadership and the depth of her impact,” he said.

“Irene’s greatest legacy is the influence she's had on people, training new members, supporting peers through difficult incidents, building community connections and shaping the culture, capability and spirit of the Rutherglen Unit,

“Her dedication has gone above and beyond what would we expect of a volunteer.

“Irene is a champion within the community, not just SES who brings the community and SES together.”

Mr Jasper said Roger Farrell joined VICSES and the Rutherglen Unit 18 years ago and had been consistently reliable, valued and a committed member of the team.

“Roger has contributed across a wide range of roles, including section leader, operational response, member, community engagement representative, unit finance officer and unit duty officer,” he said.

Ms Cracknell delivered an account of the unit’s history from when she joined.

“I joined as the Rutherglen SES needed new members, I’ve loved being an SES volunteer helping people and it's always been very rewarding,” she said.

Mr Farrell said being an SES volunteer gave him a great deal of satisfaction.

Rutherglen SES controller Darren Trevaskis said both Ms Cracknell and Mr Farrell had been great models.

"Roger has an impressive background from British Army days with his knowledge of vehicle maintenance and knows about every bit of equipment we have,” he said.

“They have both been a great support.”