Although many rural SES units do vertical rescue, you only get the opportunity to train in it if you are a member of one of those units. However, situations arise in general rescue where some of these skills could come in handy. This is where the value of the “Wellington Wombats” weekend lies.

Organised by the Wellington SES and held at Wellington Caves, it gives members of other SES units a chance to practice their general rescue techniques in confined and difficult spaces. We started out with using a “self lowering technique” to enter the caves (for some reasons “abseiling” is a naughty word in the SES), followed by some basic cave exploration and finishing off with rescuing casualties from deep underground.

The weekend fills both days and the evening in between is a great opportunity to meet members of other units and swap “war stories”.

If you ever have an opportunity to go on this weekend I can thoroughly recommend it