September 27, 2012
The South Burnett Regional Council and South Burnett CTC are looking at a proposal to save the region’s Emergency Services Cadets unit.
The program – which trained young people aged 13 to 18 in emergency services procedures, leadership skills, teamwork and self-confidence – was terminated by the State Government earlier this month as part of Budget cost-cutting measures.
The closure affected 39 active units throughout Queensland, including the South Burnett unit, based in Kingaroy, which had 28 cadets supported by 10 volunteer trainers.
At a hastily convened public meeting at the Glendon Street SES Shed on September 17, 100 people opposed to the closure were told the Kingaroy unit operated on a budget of $3000 a year, plus uniforms and insurance.
Mayor Wayne Kratzmann said at the meeting that volunteers were the lifeblood of local communities and expressed concerns that if the program was closed down it might not be able to be re-started in the future.
He then pledged to help keep the unit going if the State Government couldn’t be persuaded to reverse its decision.
Two days later his stand was backed by the South Burnett Regional Council when Councillors voted unanimously to advise the State Government that the SBRC supported the Emergency Services Cadets program and requested that the government continue to fund “this valuable community service”.
Tonight the Mayor told southburnett.com.au that Council and CTC are now looking at possible ways to save the local cadets unit by splitting the group’s administrative and logistical operations between them.
He said the Council still needed to talk with the State Government about some aspects of the proposed arrangement but hoped that discussions could be held in the near future.
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