Meet Ron!
Ron Green’s association with serving the community during emergencies began in the 1980s in Queensland, when his parents assisted in the search for a missing child. Moving to the Territory in 2005, Ron joined the Northern Territory Emergency Service (NTES) Katherine Volunteer Unit and hasn’t looked back.
“I recall my parents helping with the SES for days in FNQ searching for a lost child near Lion’s Den,” Ron said. “This made a lasting impression on me and fostered a desire to join the SES. I originally joined the Queensland SES in Mackay during 1996-97 but left to study interstate before moving to Katherine in 2005.”
Over his two decades with NTES, Ron has taken on several roles within Katherine Volunteer Unit including, Rescue Leader, Equipment Officer and Unit Officer and has assisted with flood evacuations, cyclone recovery efforts and in the search for Paddy Moriarty in 2017/18.
He said that he enjoyed giving back to the community through delivering education and preparedness programs to reduce risk, save lives, and build safer, more resilient communities.
“NTES provides emergency response capability that other organisations cannot, which makes it vitally important to the community, especially when these specific skills are needed,” Ron said.
“I have seen the best in people when providing on-the-ground support during crises.
“With volunteers coming from communities across the NT, their local knowledge and community ties can be invaluable when responding to disasters and local emergency events.
“I love it when worthy NTES volunteers and staff are recognised for their significant contribution to NTES; they are what makes the service so special. You know you can rely on each other along with other frontline services, and not only that, they become great friends.
“There are several events that come to mind over my time with NTES including Crystal Falls Rescue in 2019 [LINK] where a hiker became pinned under a boulder. We worked with hydraulic equipment to lift the boulder and, alongside NT Police, Park Rangers, a St John paramedic and CareFlight crew, we were able to successfully extricate the person for medical treatment.”
Ron also assisted in the 2006 Katherine Flood, 2011 Daly River Evacuation, 2015 Cyclone Lam (Elcho Island), the 2016-17 Daly River Flood, along with deployments to NSW and Queensland.
Ron has received recognition for his efforts including the Chief Minister's Medal for Emergency Services and the Emergency Services Medal.
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