It's been almost 17 years that Roger Walton has been involved in rescue work in Australia, starting out at the Country Fire Service in South Australia in 2006.
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It all began shortly after he'd moved from England to Australia in 2005, wherein he decided to join the Country Fire Service where he learnt how to become a road crash rescue operator.
"I had always wanted to become a firefighter, it was something I'd wanted to do since I was a kid," he said.
Mr Walton stayed on at the fire brigade in South Australia until 2013, by which point he had not only learnt various skills but also become captain of the brigade.
The next chapter of his rescue work in Australia began in NSW in the town of Stroud, where he not only joined the local Rural Fire Brigade but also the town's SES unit.
"I helped set up the road crash rescue in the Stroud area up until 2021 when I moved to Eden for my retirement," he said.
While settling into life at Eden, Mr Walton discovered the town's SES unit conducted road crash rescues and naturally he joined the team.
When asked what made him join rescue work, Mr Walton said he had been drawn to the community connections it created.
"I'm ex-military from the British Army and I like the sort of comradeship that the jobs we're doing bring, where you've got to rely on each other as a team," he said.
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Mr Walton said in his personal experience it had also really helped him get to know his community, after moving into a new area.
"By joining these emergency services, whether it be with the SES or the rural fire service, you find a way into a small community," he said.
"Most small communities are often very difficult to get into at first, but immediately after starting with SES you've got mates around you and it's a superb way to integrate into a new community."
Mr Walton said too often people have shied away from joining because they thought they wouldn't be physically able.
"A lot of people don't look at joining because they think they're not fit enough, my argument is that if you're fit enough to do a day in the garden, you're fit enough to do what we do," he said.
Mr Walton said he encouraged anyone who was interested to come and "give it a go".
"If it's not for you that's fine, but I think most people would find there is something on offer there and it's certainly a really good way of keeping yourself active and learning new skills," he said.
I'm no youngster, I'll be 66 this time round but I'm still going up and down cliffs.
- Roger Walton
"I'm no youngster, I'll be 66 this time round but I'm still going up and down cliffs."
Mr Walton said the emergency services also provided youth with great possibilities.
"It gives them the opportunity to expand their horizons, fill out their CV's and learn life skills," he said.
Mr Walton said another important thing to remember about emergency services was that "we don't take unnecessary risk".
"Everything we do here is assessed and analysed so that what we do it in the safest possibly way," he said.
Amandine Ahrens
Twice weekly
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