Trio of VICSES stalwarts awarded Emergency Service Medal

Three of Victoria State Emergency Service’s (VICSES) most accomplished volunteers have been awarded the Emergency Services Medal, acknowledging more than 120 years of combined service to Victorian communities.

Honoured as part of the 2025 Australia Day Honours List, Peter Weeks OAM, Irene Cracknell OAM and Michael Delanis join an exclusive list of VICSES volunteers who have received the award, having each been pillars of their communities over multiple decades.

Calling the state’s northeast home, current VICSES Alexandra Unit Controller Peter Weeks has been a volunteer at his local unit for more than 50 years, and has spent all but three months of his tenure acting as a leader among his colleagues.

Having spent more than 40 years as a Unit Officer supporting capabilities such as search and rescue and boating rescue, Peter ascended to the role of Unit Controller in 2015, and has since guided the unit through a range of serious incidents including the extensive October 2022 floods.

It was during this period Peter and his volunteers undertook the dramatic rescue of a young family from Acheron, pulling a five-month-old baby and beloved family pets from floodwaters as the local unit received more than 140 requests for assistance (RFAs) from community members over the course of several days.

Peter also spent more than three weeks in the Alexandra Incident Control Centre (ICC) during the 2019/20 Hume Region fires, coordinating VICSES and other local resources to assist with the ongoing fire effort and providing a wealth of local knowledge to other responders deployed throughout the local area’s remote bushland.

Peter is also widely respected for his work in local community radio, for which he received the Order of Australia Medal in 2012 as a result of his extensive work as an emergency broadcaster as founder and President of Upper Goulburn FM.

Further north, Irene Cracknell has forged a career as a trailblazer for VICSES Rutherglen Unit over more than 40 years, joining as the unit’s first active female member in 1981 before serving two stints as Unit Controller (1998 to 2002, and again from 2019 to 2023), in addition to more than 18 years as a Deputy Controller.

A committed operational member, Irene has played a key role in managing many of the high country’s largest emergencies in recent memory, supporting neighbouring communities and the wider Rutherglen area as devastating floods swept through the north east in 1993, following isolated rainfall totals of 200mm in a 24-hour period.

When a devastating tornado swept through the Rutherglen township in 2013, Irene excelled as ICC coordinator leading a coordinated multi-unit response by volunteers from VICSES Rutherglen and Yackandandah units.

Her experience managing flooding events shone through again throughout 2022, first when 50 residential properties were inundated following the malfunction of an outlet pipe at Lake King, and again during the prolonged flooding of the Murray River in October, when she collaborated closely with local council and road authorities following extensive damage to the area.

Her caring nature was on full display as she and her volunteers conducted welfare checks along the riverbank, checking in with members of the homeless community before coordinating sandbag and relief efforts in the local area.

Outside of her extensive role with VICSES, Irene has been a willing participant in all aspects of the Rutherglen community, and received the Order of Australia Medal in 2023 for service to the local region.

Forging a reputation among the state’s finest volunteers, VICSES Malvern Unit member and former Unit Controller Michael Delanis has turned out to more than 2500 requests for assistance (RFAs) during his 31 years of volunteering with VICSES, supporting communities both in Victoria and interstate.

Since 2015, Michael has served as a VICSES crew leader on four different interstate deployments, providing vital emergency capacity in New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, and supported several additional deployments during protracted storm, flood and fire events within Victoria.

A widely respected volunteer always willing to lead the way, Michael has consistently placed a high priority on the role he plays as a first responder for his community, often placing his work and family second to ensure the VICSES Malvern Unit is ready to respond to emergencies 24/7.

Beyond his operational involvement, Michael has also played a key role in working groups tasked with enhancing VICSES’ operational effectiveness, including through the review of uniforms, vehicles and equipment, and regularly performs essential operational tasks such as preventative maintenance and equipment repairs for the unit in his own time.

In 2024, Michael was awarded VICSES Life Membership, acknowledging his leadership acumen during emergencies, his mentorship of new members, and his unparalleled dedication and ongoing service to the community.

Congratulations to all of VICSES’ brand-new Emergency Service Medal recipients, who each continue to leave a lasting impression on the communities they serve.