To be able to help people prepare and protect, to ensure someone else doesn’t have to experience trauma and to make their life that little bit better is what Andrew Luke finds so rewarding about being an emergency service volunteer.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Whether it’s his own past experiences or his learned knowledge and training that guides the passionate young dad, he spends almost every waking moment out there in the outdoors ensuring the lives of others are safe.
Mr Luke is a local Merriwa resident, however his reach covers the entire Upper Hunter Shire as he is an official with the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Liverpool Range Zone, which covers the place we all call home.
Since moving to the Upper Hunter in 2006 he has worked for the RFS, however his affiliation with the service started back when he was a teenager.
Mr Luke’s first experience with fire was in 1983 when he was six-months-old and his family’s home was burnt to the ground in the Ash Wednesday bushfires.
He grew up in the southern tablelands, south of Canberra near Burra and although he was only a ‘gooing gaahing’ bub at the time, Mr Luke believes the fires and the impact and aftermath of them shaped his future enormously.
His uncle was involved in the NSWRFS, and the CFA and State Emergency Service in Victoria, so when he was 15, Mr Luke joined the Burra Rural Fire Service as a junior member.
He said he was inspired by his baptism of fire during the Ash Wednesday bushfires, as it was a landmark moment that motivated him to help someone else avoid what his family went through.
“Obviously I was too young to remember the fire itself, but after looking at the pictures and hearing the stories I realised how much is involved in re-establishing normal life and that was pretty good motivation,” he said.
“Getting an insight into what happens behind the scenes was a real driving force for me to help others.”
Throughout the remainder of his high school years and then into university, Mr Luke continued volunteering and training to work his way up through the ranks to become deputy captain and training officer of his brigade.
He was recognised for his dedication and commitment in 1998 when he was awarded the inaugural RFS Cadet of the Year, a very proud achievement.
Mr Luke had been educated at Queanbeyan and then Canberra before studying a forestry degree at the Australian National University in Canberra.
Throughout his degree he was fortunate to gain employment at ACT Forests on the fire crew where he had the opportunity to further up-skill his emergency and outdoor bush skills.
Mr Luke said this job gave him a great introduction to working with fires as he worked through the 2001 and 2003 major fires in Canberra.
“These fires were another great turning point as a fire fighter, showing me there is definitely always something to learn and improve from to prevent such incidents in the future,” he said.
After the 2003 fires, Mr Luke was again recognised by officials when he was awarded the Canberra Emergency Services Medal for all of his work during the fires.
Eventually he stepped up again, joining the fire management unit as a fire planning officer managing things such as hazard reduction and mitigation, and fire trails.
In this role Mr Luke was responsible for coordinating the rapid response remote area fire teams and seasonal fire crews, which were especially organised for the busy fire seasons.
It was in 2006 that Mr Luke and his family – wife Peta and two sons – made the move from the cold country to Merriwa and they have never looked back.
Mr Luke gained a position as the community safety officer of the Liverpool Range Zone with a major emphasis on increasing the presence of the RFS in the Upper Hunter community.
Although he works for the RFS, Mr Luke is still a volunteer with the service and is always keen to help out wherever he can in his local brigade.
Since 2010 he has been zone manager of the Liverpool Range Zone, a role he is extremely passionate about.
The reputation Mr Luke has in the local community speaks volumes about the caring person he is, and this is all due to his willingness to help.
Soon after moving to Merriwa he joined the Merriwa Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA) and the SES.
For the past five years he has been the president of the VRA, and is also the training officer of the group which basically provides all primary rescue support to the western half of the Upper Hunter Shire.
From land searches and motor vehicle accidents to industrial aircraft accidents, they cover it all in support of the ambulances and other specialist services.
Due to the nature of the role, volunteers are required to undertake a minimum number of training hours as registered rescue operators, so Mr Luke coordinates this for the 12 members.
Mr Luke said it is challenging as they do see things that others don’t have to, but he’s happy to do that and help out so that others don’t have to be exposed to the trauma.
“I feel a sense of responsibility to make a difference and help people in these situations.
“We’re basically on call 24/7, but it’s important to me to ensure people have a house to come home to and that their family comes home safe each night,” he said.
“I’m busy, but it’s very rewarding and I wouldn’t have life any other way, it keeps me sane.”
Mr Luke said he loves his role as a volunteer member of the SES and being a small town, he and his family like to get involved in all community events.
Sometimes he even dusts off his saxophone to play at local events, with one being the annual Merriwa Christmas Carols.
Mr Luke said to him, volunteering is an addictive thing, once you get the itch to volunteer and help you just have to be there.
“I love being outdoors, camping and bush walking so I like to get on the tools.
“Being involved in emergency services you get that immediate community exposure and you always see people in the best and worst circumstances, but if you become a part of the community the community supports you as well,” he said.