Last Tuesday at the Yass-Hilltops Awards Ceremony, Ken Pearsall was recognised for 45 years’ service for career in the SES.
The Harden and Yass SES units were glad to see such a man be recognised and called his achievement “astonishing”.
In his 45 years, Ken has seen and helped in some big events across the state such as the Thredbo Landslide in 1997.
The Thredbo landslide occurred at 11:40 pm on 30 July, 1997 when part of a road embankment went down a hill into the Snowy Mountains ski resort village of Thredbo. Approximately 2,000 cubic metres of rock shifted below the Alpine Way.
The landslide pushed Carinya Lodge off its foundations onto Bimbadeen Lodge at high speed, burying the 19 victims under metres of rubble. The harsh environment, as well as the steep incline of the hill and instability of the land, all made the rescue operation extremely tough for the SES and Mr Pearsall.
Eighteen bodies were recovered and one survivor was rescued from under debris more than 60 hours after the disaster. Further investigation found the cause of the landslide to be a leakage from the water main leading to the saturation of the fill embankment on the road.
Ken’s dedication to the service is admirable which makes him worthy of recognition.
Ken has enjoyed most of his time for the SES, saying, “It was enjoyable. I originally started as light rescue and when I came to Harden, I was in vehicle rescue and then storm damage. I didn’t do floods, but I did a bit of land search.
“I like meeting different people in different towns and running into them after a few years without seeing them.”
Forty-five years have seen a lot of changes in just about every industry, but the SES has a remarkably big shift over the years as technology, policy and the politics of the service has changed. Ken has been there for a large chunk of this evolution of the State Emergency Services.
“A real big lot [has changed], when I was young, I never took much notice of what was going on. Councils and all that now help with sourcing buildings, and State Government now helps with finding us buildings. Finding a place for us to meet and put our equipment and vehicles, that’s one of the biggest changes.
“I can remember once, it was unreasonable to keep vehicles where we were because you would retrieve them covered in bird faeces. We have our own sheds now. Things have changed, we have all sorts of modern things.”
He said you once had to raise money for new emergency vehicles but now it is supplied, which is a major change since it takes a large weight off the shoulders of the SES.
When asked what he loved about the SES, he jokingly replied, “I couldn’t tell you.”
“I met a fair few friends at the SES. I’ve talked to people at different places and found out later on they’ve joined the SES. One thing we used to do here in Harden, was the driver reviver, we don’t do it now but it’s still going.
Ken now serves as a unit archivist, recording and teaching new members the Harden Unit’s history, with archives reaching back as far as the 1960s.
“At the moment I’m retired. I’ve been making little dioramas at the men’s shed and have been in the Historical Society as Treasurer.”
“It feels great to be rewarded. It’s not something many people achieve; I’m keeping on going until the time comes. I’ve been told to go for 50 years by a bloke who went 57 years before he retired. I’ll keep going and there will be a point where I’ll retire.”
The SES has been having a bit of a tough time lately with the flooding last year and recruiting new members. Few can say they’ve seen it all like Ken.
Jack Murray
