State Emergency Service

This plaque is located at the State Emergency Service clubrooms, Silvester St.

As the name indicates, the SES responds to emergencies in our community.

Emergencies come in many forms – from a cat stuck up a tree to a three-car accident and everything in-between.

VICSES is the control agency for storm, flood, earthquake, tsunami and landslide throughout Victoria, and provides the largest road rescue network in Australia.

We assist the police with road rescue, search and rescue, and crime scene protection. The ambulance service calls on our assistance in patient recovery, and the CFA for lighting and traffic control.

Cobden VICSES Unit is one of the oldest in this region. Formerly known as Civil Defence, it was granted its charter in October 1977 and became known as the Heytesbury Unit until becoming the VICSES-Cobden Unit.

It was originally founded by the Heytesbury Shire Council, with the first controller being shire engineer Colin Campbell and membership was mainly made up of shire employees.

Cobden’s SES is a small unit which includes men and women with different backgrounds as well as a wealth of skills and experience.

Operational members of SES become highly-trained in all phases of their duties – first aid, road rescue, search and rescue, roof-top safety, off-road driving and general rescue – with many qualifications in other fields.

Non-operational members are responsible for manning the radios and general administration duties.

Like many SES units around the State, the Cobden unit trains every week – on a Tuesday evening – to refresh our skills and undertake practical exercises. Some weekend regional training may be required from time to time for members to gain additional qualifications.

The unit’s base is the old Temperance Hall which was moved to Silvester Street from its original site on the corner of Victoria and Smith streets in 1914. It was built by the Cobden Rechabite Order in 1873 and was, at one stage, used as a court of petty sessions and a classroom for the State School. On its new site, as the Oddfellows Hall, it has provided valuable space for Cobden’s pipe bands and the Apex Club before being utilised fully by the SES.

Cobden SES is a vibrant group of people of all ages and they are dedicated to serving their community 24/7.

How about joining us?