The 20 new recruits from between Lithgow and Orange spent their Saturday in Orange learning how to safely climb a roof so they could help repair buildings after storms. 

Ms Aitken said she remembered when she first thought about becoming an SES volunteer about six years ago she thought it was a “man thing” and there were no female members. 

She was wrong.

“I have loved every minute of it,” she said. 

She recounted a “roof job” she was sent to in Kangaroobie Lane which was difficult but at the same time thrilling. 

She said the team had to work quickly to patch the roof as best they could before the unfinished construction was destroyed.

“It was raining, slippery, the place was flooding and we had to use our special vacuum cleaner to suck the water out,” she said. 

The group of volunteers train every Monday evening and the skills learned were transferable to various types of employment, she said.

“You learn how to climb safely, about safety equipment and you do safety management sheets which make them aware of what could be potentially dangerous,” she said. 

The team was always on the look-out for recruits and the only qualification needed was a desire to help the community in times of need.

“That’s why I joined really just a sense of wanting to help the community.”

For information go to www.ses.nsw.gov.au