Surrounded by fellow community leaders in Melbourne’s north east, Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) Nillumbik Unit Controller Justin Kibell recently added another honour to an impressive record of service with his local unit.

Taking the stage alongside Jagajaga MP The Hon. Kate Thwaites at an intimate ceremony in Viewbank, Justin was one of a number of valued constituents presented a Jagajaga Community Volunteer Award, after being nominated by a Nillumbik Unit colleague.

Having joined the then-VICSES Eltham Unit in 1989, Justin’s passion for emergency response and management quickly blossomed, with a 16-year stint as a volunteer followed by important roles at VICSES’ State Headquarters.

Originally hailing from North Warrandyte, volunteering was always encouraged within the community, but it wasn’t until he engaged with an SES-run display at the Eltham Festival showcasing the unit’s search and rescue equipment that Justin found his future in orange.

Volunteering while studying at university, Justin quickly rose into positions of leadership within the Nillumbik community, serving as a duty officer for the unit and taking on key roles in administration, training, logistics and crew leading.

His passion would then become a career with the SES in 2005, serving as State Operations Officer – Operations Planning for 10 years before an eventual move to Emergency Management Victoria.

Upon his return to volunteering at Nillumbik, Justin spent time as a Deputy Controller before being elevated into the unit’s top job, one month after being honoured with a Life Membership with VICSES.

The work of Justin and his predecessors has seen VICSES Nillumbik Unit maintain proficiency in managing a range of challenging emergency scenarios, with the unit’s service area requiring a blend of urban and rural responses.

Since April last year, Nillumbik volunteers have responded to more than 450 requests for assistance (RFAs), encompassing everything from downed trees, road crash rescues, to building damage, and assisting partner agencies in challenging, physical rescues in rural terrain.

VICSES Nillumbik Unit is also one of four VICSES North West Metro Region units to attend more than 400 RFAs in the last 12 months, alongside Heidelberg, Fawkner and Whittlesea.

Quotes attributable to Justin Kibell, VICSES Nillumbik Unit Controller:

“VICSES Nillumbik Unit is a fantastic example of a group of volunteers who respond in their community in a professional, efficient and safe manner to a range of challenging incidents.

“As a Unit Controller, I like to see things improve, I like to see people grow, and I like to share knowledge, and this role allows me to do that while seeing our volunteers thrive.

“We volunteer because we care about our community, and we will continue to do so to provide support wherever and whenever we can.”