Hanging up the hard hat
LEONGATHA SES Unit’s trusty controller Tony Lindhard retired from the role this month after leading the group’s operations for almost 13 years.
Mr Lindhard first joined Leongatha SES on December 9, 1977 after he moved to town a year prior.
“I was originally with the Apex club and we had a guest speaker from Ambulance Victoria come to speak with us about emergency service work. He said a new volunteer group was starting up so I went along and joined a week later,” he said.
“A lot has changed for the SES since then and I have learnt so much in my time with the group.”
Mr Lindhard is the fifth unit controller since Leongatha’s inception and holds the record for the longest term of leadership.
“Our role has grown over the years when other emergency services realised there was a gap in storm responses. So in the end we ended up receiving more work that we ever anticipated,” he said.
“Nowadays SES responds to storm and flood damage, and we also assist other emergency services in car accidents, fires and traffic hazards.”
In his time as controller, Mr Lindhard saw the introduction of the pager call out system which dramatically reduced response times to accidents and emergencies.
“We used to have to call all of the members on the phone in order to alert them to an emergency,” he said.
“We also did not have the fancy equipment we have now when I first joined. There was no such thing as the Jaws of Life. It was a lot more manual handling tools.”
Mr Lindhard said other changes to the unit have helped improve volunteerism for the group over the years.
“In my time as controller we have had four lots of upgrades both to our equipment and to our building, which has been great for our growing unit. We now have 40 members in Leongatha,” he said.
The retiree said being a member of the SES has presented him with various challenges over the years, however working in community assistance has proved to be a rewarding experience filled with career highlights.
“Some accidents can be very difficult. Sometimes we see fatalities and it is the worst when we know there is nothing that can be done to help them,” he said.
“But at the end of the day I can sleep well knowing I did everything I could to help the community. Everything we do is focused on teamwork and we have a fantastic team here.”
Matt Saario, a Leongatha SES member of the past 15 years will take over the controller role at an official handover ceremony at the Leongatha RSL tomorrow evening (Wednesday) from 7pm. Mr Lindhard hopes to complete one more year with the SES before completely calling it quits.
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