SES Wangaratta Unit

06/09/2026

🦺💙 Happy Father’s Day from Wangaratta SES! 💙🦺
Today we’re wishing all the dads, step-dads, grandads, father figures and dad-joke specialists a very Happy Father’s Day! 🎉
For our volunteers, being a dad can sometimes mean juggling family life with the call to help the community. 🚨
One of our members decided to spend Father’s Day with the family… while also completing his Boat Deckhand Course! 🚤📚 Because apparently, Father’s Day is the perfect time to learn how to safely spend even more time on the water! 😂
Whether you’re enjoying a BBQ, relaxing with the family, fixing something that wasn’t actually broken, or learning a new skill — we hope you have a fantastic day.
From all of us at Wangaratta SES, thank you to the dads in our unit and across our community for everything you do.
❤️ Happy Father’s Day!
And remember… behind every good SES volunteer is a family who puts up with the late-night callouts, muddy boots and “I’ll only be gone for a little while”! 😜

31/08/2026

31/08/2026

🚨 TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT! BECOME A YOGI’S ANGEL! 🐻😇 🚨
The wait is over! Tonight is Wangaratta SES Information Night, and we’d love to see some new faces ready to join our amazing volunteer team. 🧡💛
📅 TONIGHT – Tuesday, 1 September
⏰ 6:30pm
📍 36 Handley Street, Wangaratta
Ever wondered what it’s like to be part of the team responding when Wangaratta needs a helping hand? 🌧️🌳🚗🌊
Come along tonight to:
👋 Meet our volunteers
🚒 Check out our vehicles and equipment
🧰 See what SES volunteers actually do
🎓 Find out about training and skills
💬 Ask all those questions you’ve been wondering about
🧡 Discover where YOU could fit into the team
You don’t need to arrive knowing how to rescue someone from a flood, cut down a tree or extricate a car — we’ll teach you!
All you need is a willingness to learn, help others and be part of an incredible team.
And Yogi is counting on you… because every good flood gauge needs a few Yogi’s Angels looking out for him! 😉🐻🌊
No experience required. Just bring yourself and your curiosity.
👉 See you tonight at 36 Handley Street!

29/08/2026

🚨 IT’S ALMOST TIME TO BECOME A YOGI’S ANGEL! 😇 🚨
Our Wangaratta SES Information Night is just around the corner — and Yogi is looking for some new angels to join his team! 🧡
📅 Tuesday, 1 September
⏰ 6:30pm
📍 36 Handley Street, Wangaratta
Ever wondered what happens behind the scenes when the weather turns nasty? 🌧️🌳🚗🌊
Our volunteers respond to:
🌊 Floods & water rescues
🌳 Fallen trees & storm damage
🚗 Road crashes
⛰️ Landslides
🔎 Land searches
🤝 And support our emergency service partners
But it’s not all about emergency call-outs. There are plenty of opportunities to train, learn new skills, support the team and make a real difference in our community.
You don’t need previous emergency services experience. You don’t need to be super-fit. You don’t need to know it all.
You just need to be willing to learn, help and be part of a team. 💪
👀 Come along on Tuesday night, meet our volunteers, have a look around and see if SES could be for you.
Yogi will be waiting… although we can’t promise he’ll be wearing his snorkel. 😉
🧡 Be there. Be part of the team. Be a Yogi’s Angel.

25/08/2026

Third time might be a charm 🤞but stay up to date with alerts and warnings

24/08/2026

No rest for poor Yogi 🧡 after a few days of beautiful sunshine ☀️ his back on Flood Watch!!

As this is the third time in two months he is well versed with his flooding risks and how fast water can rise. Hopefully 🤞 no snorkel 🤿 needed but we know is he does our amazing community will have him covered.

23/08/2026

🚨 BE A YOGI’S ANGEL! 🧡🚨
Ever wondered what it’s like to be part of the team that helps our community when things go wrong?
🌧️ Floods
🌳 Storm damage & fallen trees
🚗 Road crash rescue
🌊 Water rescues
🔎 Land searches
🤝 Supporting our emergency service partners
Now is your chance to join Wangaratta SES!
🧡 WANGARATTA SES INFORMATION NIGHT 🧡
📅 Tuesday, 1 September
⏰ 6:30pm
📍 36 Handley Street, Wangaratta
Come along, meet our volunteers, have a look around the unit, learn what we do and find out how YOU can become part of our team.
You don’t need to be a superhero. 🦸
You don’t need to know everything.
You just need a willingness to learn, help others and be part of something bigger than yourself.
And, of course, Yogi needs more angels looking out for Wangaratta! 😇
Whether you’re interested in getting hands-on operational experience, supporting behind the scenes, learning new skills or simply giving back to your community — there’s a place for you at Wangaratta SES.
✨ Come along. Meet the team. Ask the questions. Take the first step.
👉 Become a Yogi’s Angel and help us keep Wangaratta safe!

22/08/2026

🚨 WANGARATTA SES | AUGUST OPERATIONAL UPDATE 🚨

August has certainly kept our volunteers busy! With 33 Requests for Assistance so far this month, our Wangaratta SES team has been out and about helping our community through a wide range of incidents.
🌊 10 flood-related incidents
🚗 8 road accidents
🌳 10 trees down
🚤 3 water rescues
🚑 1 assist to Ambulance Victoria
⛰️ 1 landslide

Behind every one of these numbers are dedicated volunteers giving their time to help others. 30 Wangaratta SES volunteers have been involved operationally and behind the scenes — from responding in the field, driving vehicles and managing incidents, to preparing equipment, coordinating crews, supporting communications and keeping the unit ready to respond.

A huge THANK YOU to every one of our volunteers for the commitment, teamwork and professionalism you continue to show. 🧡
And to our community — please continue to Stay Safe, Stay Informed and Never Drive Through Floodwater. 🌧️
We’ll keep doing what we do best: being there when our community needs us. 💪


📸 Pics from last Tuesdays cluster training with SES Yarrawonga Unit

12/08/2026

🐻 THE GREAT YOGI DEBATE — IT’S TIME TO SETTLE THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL! 🐻

There has been confusion. There has been debate. There has been outrage. There may even have been a few strongly worded conversations over a certain orange dog at Apex Park. 😂

So, we’ve done some digging into the historical records…
Apparently, “the original Yogi got washed away in the 1993 floods, and a little unknown cartoon character was put up at Apex Park at the current site.”
But wait… the plot thickens! 👀
A strong contingent of the community insists that he is — and always will be — Yogi.
And apparently, we’ve even tried to settle this scientifically!
When the Wangaratta Local Flood Guide was launched a couple of years ago, featuring our famous flood gauge on the front cover, a community survey was conducted.
The results?
🐻 Most people thought he was Yogi Bear.
🐶 Fewer people thought he was Huckleberry Hound.

So technically, we have an answer…
…but clearly, the community jury is still out! 😂
And now we’ve got the added complication of Augie Doggie entering the conversation.
Is he Yogi?
Is he Huckleberry?
Is he Augie?
Or is he simply Yogi the Wangaratta Flood Gauge, living his best life and measuring the Ovens River while everyone else argues about his identity? 🌊😂

One thing we can agree on — when the river rises, everyone knows who Yogi is!

So Wangaratta… it’s time.
👇 WHO IS HE REALLY?
🐻 Yogi Bear
🐶 Huckleberry Hound
🐕 Augie Doggie
🌊 Just Yogi — Wangaratta’s Flood Gauge

11/08/2026

🌊 Apparently, we peaked too early! 😂

We thought the Ovens River had reached its peak this morning at 12.63m… but it seems the river had other ideas!

A second little rise this afternoon saw the river reach 12.64m, and it’s currently holding steady. Yes, Yogi got a snorkel for this second rise 🤿 🌊

But it’s not all about Yogi! 😉
Behind the scenes, our amazing Wangaratta SES volunteers have been working alongside our emergency service partners, Rural City of Wangaratta and community organisations including Wang Night Shelter, helping keep our community safe and supporting those who need a hand.

👏 And what a community effort it has been!
A huge shout-out to everyone who has been following warnings, staying informed and getting prepared. Your actions make a huge difference and help our emergency services focus on those who need assistance most.

And tonight, while most of our crews are taking a well-earned night off from training to complete their census (because apparently SES volunteers need more paperwork to do! 😂), we want to say a massive THANK YOU to our incredible team for the hours they’ve put in throughout this event.

💪 Want to increase your volunteer hours and be part of a team that makes a real difference in our community?
Come and join us! 🚨
Whether it’s floods, storms, road rescues or simply helping our community prepare, there’s a place for you at Wangaratta SES.
And don’t worry… Yogi promises there’s room for more people in the sandbagging team. 😉🧡

https://www.ses.vic.gov.au/join-us/volunteer