Celebrating First Responders at ACPS
by Various
7th July 2025
ON WEDNESDAY, June 11, Andersons Creek Primary School (ACPS) hosted a very special assembly to honour local first responders, coinciding with the national Thank a First Responder Day.
This initiative has become an annual event at ACPS, where the school community takes the time to acknowledge, celebrate, and thank the amazing people who keep our community safe.
ACPS was proud to welcome representatives from SES, CFA, Victoria Police, and Ambulance Victoria to the event, a number of whom are also parents in the ACPS community.
Students showed their appreciation through a thoughtful video they created, which collated images and personalised thank-you messages.
Each organisation was also presented with a special hamper full of goodies donated by the wonderful ACPS families that they could take back and share at their station.
In this way, students and families were able to demonstrate their gratitude for our First Responders service by bringing in teas, coffees, sweet biscuits, and savoury treats that could be taken back to stations for these special people to enjoy during their breaks.
ACPS Principal, Mr Webber, expressed gratitude for the participation of local emergency services and highlighted the significance of such events in building strong community ties.
“Our students love having you here and truly are grateful for all you do in our thriving Warrandyte community.
“A huge thank you to these everyday heroes for their dedication and service.”
As a school, ACPS is always so grateful for the time these organisations give to come out and spend time with the students.
Our first responding canines
THE ICONIC Dalmatian has a well-earned historical association with firefighters.
Their speed, endurance (30–50 kilometres per day) and lack of fear enabled them to become superb “coach dogs” running alongside horse-drawn coaches since around the 17th Century in England, Scotland, and Wales.
Originally from the Dalmatia region of modern-day Croatia, these majestic-looking canines give not only a regal appearance but also provide an immediate and highly capable security presence.
Accompanying the early horse-drawn fire carts and pumpers, the “fire dogs” would run alongside and act as a living siren to clear a pathway to the incident.
Once on scene, they would protect the horses and equipment whilst firefighters undertook their critical work.
The Dalmatians also provided a calming presence for the horses during these often chaotic and stressful events.
Living in stables on the ground floor of a fire station, the well-looked-after and valuable horses needed additional protection from theft.
Dalmatians instinctively protect “their” horses and the often-expensive firefighting equipment.
Many had grown up alongside their equine family since puppyhood.
And it’s not just fire brigades who have canine assistance, we can also be used for comfort, assistance and support tasks.
Dogs are often utilised as first responders in a wide range of tasks, particularly in search and rescue operations in challenging or hazardous environments.
Police and the Defence Forces around the world use search and rescue dogs; our sensitive noses and eyes are invaluable assets in locating missing persons, whether they are alive or dead.
While other State Emergency Services have dedicated canine units, Victoria’s SES operate alongside the Victorian Police Dog Squad and a specialist volunteer organisation, Australian Search & Rescue K9 Unit.
I am proud to say now I have a role supporting our emergency services.
I am delighted to be the official canine mascot for Thunderball to help raise much-needed funds for our SES Manningham unit.
See you at the Gala Ball on Saturday, August 16, at Bramleigh Estate.
To join me, get your tickets at trybooking.com/DAUAZ
Thunderball: get set for an electric evening
THUNDERBALL tickets are selling fast, with half the tickets already sold.
With such overwhelming support for the cause in the opening weeks of ticket sales, the Thunderball Committee is excited that the dream of a new vehicle for Manningham SES is fast becoming a reality.
Thunderball will be held on Saturday, August 16, and will be a celebration of our hardworking emergency services volunteers.
Generously sponsored by Bramleigh Estate Warrandyte, funds raised from Thunderball will go towards the purchase of a new 4×4 vehicle to assist Manningham SES to support other agencies such as Police, Ambulance, or the CFA.
Convenor of the Thunderball Committee, Sandi Miller, said that their current truck fleet is not only nearing its use-by date, but they just don’t have the carrying capacity to respond to the diversity of jobs they are called out to.
“When the unit receives a callout to attend an emergency, their first job is to load the vehicle depending on the type of call.
“If it is a river rescue, then they need to unload their marquee and load up the boating equipment; if it is a land-based search and rescue, they need to unload their boating equipment and load up the stretcher, the marquee and ‘the mule’.
“The same process goes for turnouts to floods, storm damage, crime scenes, bushfires, fallen trees, and the plethora of other services they provide to the community.
“With an additional vehicle, they could store all of the equipment in a dedicated vehicle for the job, saving precious time, getting them to the scene faster,” she said.
Thunderball is carrying on the legacy of Fireball, the brainchild of Julie Quinton.
Following the Flannery Court fires in 2014, Julie assembled a team of locals who recognised the enormous commitment of time, effort, and personal risk by our emergency services volunteers.
As with Fireball, the intention of the Thunderball Committee is to ease the burden of fundraising on the emergency service volunteers.
Because SES volunteers sacrifice a lot for their community.
When we are running away from emergencies and accidents, our volunteers are running towards them, often putting their lives on the line.
And SES units are expected to fund much of their equipment.
Members are issued one uniform by the SES for the duration of their time in the unit, and when that is damaged or worn out, they must pay for it themselves, or the individual unit must fund it.
The unit also must fund its own stationery, training, phones and IT, as well as vital equipment such as chainsaws, ropes, and tarps.
The volunteers spend many hours each year training and maintaining the skills required for their diverse roles, such as safe working at heights, boating, chainsaws, first aid, off-road driving, to name just a few.
They sacrifice time with their families and friends for their SES duty for our community.
They have been known to hold barbecue fundraisers, sell SES merchandise at markets, run raffles, letterbox drops, tin rattles and more, all in a bid to raise much-needed money to buy equipment to help protect our community.
They do this because they are committed to volunteering and keeping the community safe; they do not complain or seek recognition, and many are uncomfortable with publicity.
To keep them safe in their endeavours, and us safe in our community, the Thunderball Committee has taken up the mantle of becoming that channel to enable the community to raise the funds for priority large purchases.
All funds are delivered directly to our local volunteers to buy the most up-to-date equipment they need.
This kind of fundraising target can only be achieved with sponsors, and the group is very grateful to its mix of donors who see the benefit to the community of supporting events such as Thunderball.
Thunderball is not only a fundraiser, it is a Gala Ball in every sense of the word.
Elements such as a champagne bar, great food, great music, and some surprise elements, to ensure the evening is a huge success and an unforgettable night out.
Sponsors
Thunderball wishes to acknowledge the following sponsors and encourages our community to support these local businesses.
Major Sponsor Mary-Anne McPherson, owner of Bramleigh Estate, Warrandyte, has donated the venue, meals and drinks for the night, significantly reducing Thunderball’s need to call on the support of local businesses.
Mary-Anne is passionate about “giving back” to the community and has been sponsoring activities in the area for some time.
After sponsoring the last Fireball, the committee was blown away when she suggested she would repeat her contribution for this year’s event, knowing it would make a significant impact on the bottom line and the ability for Thunderball to reach its target.
Community Bank Warrandyte and Community Bank East Doncaster and Templestowe Village have joined forces to ensure this event is supported Manningham-wide.
These fabulous social enterprise financial institutions support many local sporting clubs, schools, environmental groups, the arts, emergency services and more via its yearly Community Investment Program, which returns a percentage of its profit directly to the community, which, between the three Manningham branches, totals more than $11 million.
Warrandyte Market is a major sponsor, supporting Thunderball as part of giving back to the volunteers who do so much for our community.
The funds raised by the market through stallholder fees are given back to the community, with hundreds of thousands of dollars donated to clubs, schools, and our emergency services over the years.
Local service clubs have also stepped up to support the cause, with Warrandyte Lions, Rotary Club of Warrandyte Donvale, and Rotary Manningham City all providing sponsorship for Thunderball.
These clubs do such a lot for our community, with funds raised through their op shops, they support a vast array of programs across the community, and it is wonderful that they recognise the benefits of supporting our SES through Thunderball.
Manningham & Nillumbik Bulletin, the sister publication of Warrandyte Diary, has been another tireless sponsor.
Its support within the media space has been exceptional, helping to keep events front of mind, offering editorial space for educating the community and ensuring all important event and ticket information reaches readers far and wide.
42K Media has been working hard to produce the video content in the lead-up to the event.
42K Media are donating their time and experience to produce some wonderful social media content, and some highly engaging content to be screened on the night.
Quinton’s IGA has ensured the now-famous Champagne Bar, which was a hit at every Fireball, will be continuing for Thunderball.
The Champagne Bar offers guests the opportunity to purchase a glass of quality French champagne.
Every purchase of a glass of French champagne offers its purchaser a chance to win a diamond, donated by Grand Hotel Warrandyte.
An opportunity not to be missed.
Other ways to participate
The event will also feature an online auction, businesses who wish to donate an item or service are encouraged to contact thunderball2025@gmail.com.
All profits from the auction go towards the fundraising goal, so it is a great way for your business or organisation to contribute.
Get your ticket to a fabulous night out
Thanks to these fabulous sponsors, every dollar of ticket sales and the evening’s fundraising will go towards the purchase of a 4×4 crew cab vehicle for Manningham SES.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at thunderball.net.au or Trybooking.com/DAUAZ.
Purchase one ticket or get your friends together for a table of 12.
Get in quick to be a part of the gala event of the year.
