CHELSEA SES members have a new place to call home.
A warehouse on Ashley Park Drive in Chelsea Heights will be converted into a new home for the SES unit. A six-bay drive-through motor room will be constructed, including additional storage for boats and equipment.
The state government will spend $7 million to convert the space for the SES.
Chelsea SES controller Ron Fitch said the announcement was a culmination of a decade of work. “There were many times over the past 10 years or so when many of us at Chelsea SES wondered if we would ever see this day” he said.
“History happens when over a period of time something significant occurs to a group or individual that has an effect on entire communities, changes views, and impacts the future. I think that makes [this] announcement for Chelsea SES, it’s volunteers, and our community, truly historic.”
The VICSES Chelsea Unit has 58 active volunteer members. It responded to 325 calls between July 2019 and June 2020, including floods, trees down, damage to property, and search-and-rescue operations at Mordialloc Beach.
Chelsea SES has been operating since 1953. Settlement for its new home is on 1 July, with fit out works expected to be complete by the end of the year.
State MPs joined SES members and emergency service workers at last week’s announcement. Acting minister for police and emergency services, Danny Pearson, said “VICSES Chelsea is one of our longest serving units and it’s important that volunteers have the space and resources they need to effectively respond to incidents and support Victoria Police and other emergency services.”
Mordialloc MP Tim Richardson said “the new VICSES Chelsea facility will be an important development for the community who count on the great work of our volunteers on a daily basis.”
The state government says it is spending more than $50 million of taxpayers’ money on SES infrastructure across Victoria.
The new SES facility will be at 13 Ashley Park Drive, Chelsea Heights.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 14 April 2021
