In the afternoon at Government House, the Official Secretary, David Hughes, represented the Governor of Tasmania, the Honourable Barbara Baker, at an afternoon tea to mark the 50th anniversary of the Tasmania State Emergency Service (SES).

Today, members of Tasmania’s State Emergency Service visited Government House for a special afternoon tea to celebrate the organisation’s 50th anniversary.

The Tasmania SES was established in 1976, bringing together volunteers from across the State under a single, coordinated framework for disaster response.

Today's SES comprises more than 770 volunteers across 38 units, from Smithton in the north-west to Huonville in the south, and from the East Coast to the Central Highlands.

Over the past 50 years, SES volunteers have responded to countless incidents, often in challenging and hazardous conditions, saving lives and helping Tasmanians recover from some of the State’s most difficult events.

On behalf of the Governor, Official Secretary David Hughes acknowledged volunteers past and present, as well as the staff who support them, and thanked the SES for its half century of service.

Photograph:  Alastair Bett