This year, the NSW SES Ashfield-Leichhardt Unit is celebrating its 65th anniversary, recognising a remarkable history that stretches from the Civil Defence era of the 1960s, through to the highly trained and capable emergency service unit of today.
Established in 1961 from a single room with basic furnishings, volunteers gradually built the foundations of what would become today's Ashfield-Leichhardt Unit. Originally, training reflected the Unit's Civil Defence origins, before evolving towards storms, floods and other emergencies.
A major revival occurred in the 1970s, when a generation of new volunteers joined the Ashfield Unit. Among them was Alexander Bailey, who joined as Deputy Local Controller in 1976.
"Our first meeting was just three people standing in a corridor in the old Ashfield Town Hall, discussing how to build an SES Unit from nothing," Mr Bailey said.
"It was not long before we had enough members in the unit to be able to challenge the other units in the metropolitan area at the rescue challenge."
Among the first enthusiastic recruits was Peter Kaye AM LVO ESM, who soon became Local Controller in 1983, at just 25 years old, and went on to lead the unit for the next 40 years.
"When I look back to where we started and compare it to the NSW SES of today, the change has been extraordinary," Mr Kaye said.
"We went from volunteers working with limited resources and often relying on their own vehicles and equipment, to a highly trained and capable emergency service."
Across its history, Unit members have responded well beyond their local area, supporting significant emergencies including the 1989 Newcastle earthquake, 1994 bushfires, 1997 Thredbo landslide, 1999 Sydney hailstorm, 2007 Hunter storms, and the 2022 floods.
NSW SES Ashfield-Leichhardt Unit Commander Sharon Buckley said the anniversary was an opportunity to recognise the generations that had shaped the Unit.
"We are incredibly proud of our history, but even more proud of the people behind it," Inspector Buckley said.
"Every volunteer who has walked through our doors has contributed to the organisation we are today."
Inspector Buckley, who joined the Unit in 2006, became its first female Unit Commander in 2023, succeeding long-serving leader Peter Kaye.
Today, Ashfield-Leichhardt volunteers are trained across a range of emergency response capabilities and continue to support communities locally and across NSW. In 2025 alone, the Unit responded to 352 incidents.
NSW SES Commissioner Mike Wassing AFSM said the milestone demonstrated the extraordinary contribution volunteers make to their communities.
"I would like to thank the Ashfield-Leichhardt Unit members, past and present, for their dedication to serving the community, often in challenging and unpredictable circumstances," Commissioner Wassing said.
"The history of the Ashfield-Leichhardt SES is not defined solely by major operations or milestones, but by the people who quietly and consistently gave their time in service of others."
To celebrate the special milestone, Ashfield-Leichhardt Unit, in collaboration with Inner West Council, launched a history publication, a display cabinet featuring historical artefacts and a photo display at Inner West Council Centre. Members of the community are encouraged to visit the display, borrow the publication and learn about the history of the NSW SES Ashfield-Leichhardt Unit.
