Council staff honoured with National Emergency Medals for Cudlee Creek bushfire response
The National Emergency Medal is a prestigious honour awarded by the Governor-General to individuals who perform sustained or significant service during nationally significant emergencies in Australia.
We are incredibly proud of our team members who stood shoulder to shoulder with emergency services during the Cudlee Creek fire — clearing roads, removing fallen trees, delivering water, and supporting frontline responders wherever they could. Their work didn’t stop when the flames were extinguished. Long after the smoke cleared, they continued their efforts to help our community rebuild.
They were among more than 220 local government employees across 39 councils who collectively contributed nearly 6,400 staff hours through the Local Government Functional Support Group – a vital part of the State Emergency Management Plan coordinated by the LGA of South Australia.
LGA SA President, Mayor Dr Heather Holmes-Ross, paid tribute to the efforts of council staff during the 2019–20 fire season, which also included the Duck Ponds and Kangaroo Island bushfires.
“Faced with incredible challenges, councils stepped up to support their communities when they needed it most,” Dr Holmes-Ross said.
“Staff worked long hours, often in tough conditions, clearing roads, trees, carting water and doing whatever was needed to support emergency services during these disasters.
“Their effort and dedication made a real, significant difference both in the acute emergency phase and during the clean-up that followed, and this recognition is thoroughly deserved.”
The 2019–20 bushfires collectively burned nearly 235,000 hectares of land, destroyed more than 140 homes and hundreds of other structures, and tragically claimed three lives, while also causing devastating losses to local wildlife.
SA Country Fire Service Chief Officer Brett Loughlin said the fires were unprecedented and praised all responders who rose to the occasion.
“What I take most pride in is for everything we lost, we saved far more – we saved more lives than were lost, we prevented more injuries than occurred, and we saved more homes than were destroyed,” he said.
“When the focus shifted in the immediate aftermath from response to recovery, local government was there playing an amazing role in restoring normality and getting people back to living their lives.”
Recipients were formally presented with their medals during a ceremony at Local Government House in Adelaide on Friday, 4 April, attended by the Hon Joe Szakacs MP, Minister for Local Government.
We congratulate and thank our recipients of the National Emergency Medals:
Bill Shearer, Brett Watson, Damien Richardson, Daniel Newson, Darren Flaherty, Jason Hesse, Jason Simounds, Karl Manarangi, Kym Heinrich, Morris Chambers, Scott Thompson, Shaun Atkins
