The first of its kind for Solomon Islands, three locals have been recruited to join the Volunteers for State Emergency Services (VSES) in Victoria, Australia.
They are Peter Bulubali, 29 years old, from Auki in Malaita, Philemon Roroi , is 34 also from Auki and Nathaniel Tutugu is 26 years old, from Tulagi, Central Province.
Theresa Mantovani, a member of the Cobram State Emergency Service (SES) Unit in Victoria and also the Tocumwal SES Unit New South Wales (NSW) told the Solomon Star said, the trio are currently employed by JBS Cobram.
They have applied as volunteers and have passed their probation period on the State Emergency Services.
“The first from your country, Solomon Islands, to join VICSES. We have have three young men, who are from Solomon Islands, and are currently employed by JBS Cobram, have stepped up as volunteers and have passed their probation period on the State Emergency Services,” Ms Mantovani said.
Although they are currently in early stages of training, they have shown great interest in learning new skills and have even been on the front page of our local paper and a very popular facebook post by Iumi Story (over 1400 likes), she said.
JBS Cobram have been very supportive of the group and at a recent SES Open Day they had several JBS bosses and supervisors turning up to support and encourage these newest members.
“I’m so very proud of these young men , helping our community while they are here in Australia working and trying to better their futures.
“They are intending on using their new found skills to help their homeland when they return,” Ms Mantovani said.
All three young men have been working at JBS Cobram (Abattoirs) for past 2 years, under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme, which they applied for to experience life in Australia with an employment opportunity to earn good money to build a better future for themselves and their families back home in Solomon Islands.
JBS Foods Australia is the country’s largest meat and food processing company.
Re-opened in Cobram , Victoria, in 2023 , to service the growing demand for lamb, goat and mutton proteins both in Australia and overseas.
The Cobram facility operates five days a week with a capacity to process up to 4,000 head of livestock per day.
How do they ended up signing up with SES
Peter came across the Cobram SES Unit on facebook while searching for volunteer work that would not only help the community but would give him something to do in his spare time. As he looked into the service they saw that the SES stands for State Emergency Service and that VICSES is the control agency for storm, flood, earthquake, tsunami and landslide throughout Victoria, and also provides the largest road rescue network in Australia.
The three friends agreed that this would be an excellent service to volunteer for whilst in Australia.
As a member of SES some of their expected roles?
As a volunteer of the SES Mantovani and her team train as a group for 2-3 hours every week, on a Monday night, between 2 different units (In Cobram and Tocumwal) as they are also members of the NSW SES.
Because they live on a state border divided by a river it is necessary for them to apply for both states to be able to help communities on both sides of the river.
They had to complete some online training as well as practical exercises.
As the SES deals with many different aspects of emergencies training varies each week.
As well as training , maintenance of SES vehicles and checking of equipment is a regular requirement of the team and a good way to become familiar of tools and where they are kept, she said.
So far training has consisted of storm and flood training which includes learning knot techniques, building damage and temporary repairs, ladder safety, anchor tarps, rope throwing as well as sandbagging .
They have had several training nights focusing on road crash rescue.
There are many components to RCR training including stabilization, glass management, lighting, traffic management, casualty handling and familiarisation of the many tools that are need when cutting someone free or removing a body from an accident.
It also includes evidence preservation – which is vital to assist the police in their investigations.
The team practice different techniques on cars which have been donated by the community which gives everyone the opportunity to learn how to handle and safely operate these large powerful tools.
Ms Mantovani added, they partook in a “Domestic Rescue” training session – which the team learnt how techniques used to free limbs from a range of domestic incidents or impalement whilst minimising the potential for further injury and preserving the integrity of evidence.
They practiced cutting rings of fingers and pipes off arms.
They have participated in interagency training, where we trained alongside of police, ambulance and fire fighters in road crash scenarios.
Their most recent training session was based on a Missing Persons Search. Where they were split into teams and had to search bush-lands, in the dark.
Locating clues to find two missing persons a if it was a real life scenario.
Ms Mantovani added, future training sessions will include boating, earthquake training, radio communications, navigation and mapping, industrial rescue, large animal rescue, crime scene preservation, community evacuation, fire support operations, body recovery in rescue Boat .
Along with these training sessions we have also the opportunity to complete extra certified training such as first aid course, chainsaw course , 4WD course and boating course.
Peter, Nathaniel and Philemon all see themselves continuing with community services when they eventually return home to Solomon Islands.
The trio hope to be able to use what they have learnt and their new skills to teach others back home and help their own communities in emergency situations.
Cobram SES is very proud to be the first in the Australia to have members from Solomon Islands.
A official statement from Luke Herezo, Unit Controller, Cobram SES, Eastern Region said; “It’s with immense pride and gratitude that I write this in support of the remarkable work being done by Peter Bulubali, Philemon Roroi, and Nathaniel Tutugu, three outstanding volunteers who have joined the Cobram SES Unit as part of their journey in Australia under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme.
“Since joining our unit, these three men have demonstrated unwavering commitment, curiosity, and passion for community service.
“They embody everything we value in SES volunteers teamwork, resilience, a willingness to learn, and a genuine desire to make a difference.
“Despite juggling full-time work at JBS Cobram and navigating a new cultural environment, they show up every Monday night ready to train, ready to grow, and ready to serve.
“They’ve taken on training across multiple emergency disciplines storm and flood response, road crash rescue, interagency scenarios, and more always eager, always humble, and always with a smile.
“Their progress has been exceptional, and it’s been a privilege to watch their skills and confidence grow.
“The fact that they are the first from the Solomon Islands to join VICSES is not only a proud milestone for them but for our whole unit.
“Their involvement is already inspiring others within the PALM community to explore volunteer opportunities. This ripple effect highlights the broader value of their contribution not just in emergencies, but in building stronger, more inclusive communities.
“To Peter, Philemon, and Nathaniel thank you for choosing to be part of Cobram SES.
“Your dedication and spirit enrich our team, and we’re proud to stand beside you in orange,” Herezo said.
By MOFFAT MAMU
Solomon Star, Honiara
