“Workaholic” draftsman Russell Taylor speaks to Luke Voogt about helping locals survive emergencies alongside his volunteer comrades at VICSES Corio.
Tell us about you…
I recently turned 57. I met my wife Louise many years ago as she was backpacking around Australia from the UK.
We have three children – only one left at home – and a few grandchildren.
I was born and grew up in Bell Post Hill where my parents built their first home after immigrating from the UK in the late ’50s.
I have always lived in the northern suburbs attending Bell Park Primary and North Geelong High schools.
I currently live in North Geelong where we built our home at Geelong Golf Course seven years ago.
I’m a draftsperson by trade and work as a production manager for a home builder, so designing and building our home was a rewarding process.
I love the convenience of where we live as we can easily head up to Melbourne for the day or head off for a bike ride down the Great Ocean Road.
Why did you join VICSES?
I couldn’t tell you exactly why I joined about two years ago, except that it was something that I had thought about for many years, but due to work and family commitments had never taken the next step.
Knowing what I know now, I wish I had made the effort to join earlier.
I still work very long hours – some say I’m a workaholic – but I’m so glad my employer allows me to also carry out my duties with VICSES.
I guess I felt that I had more to offer to others and being able to assist people within the community gives me great pride.
How have you helped others?
It can be as simple as helping someone with minor flood damage or assisting an injured person out of the You Yangs; but also dealing with confronting situations like assisting police at crime scenes and attending road incidents.
Ever since joining VICSES Corio, I have had the opportunity to be trained in many new skills, from general rescue and storm damage to the challenging and sometimes confronting road rescue.
Training is ongoing and I’m looking forward to gaining new skills that I may never have had the chance to learn if it wasn’t for joining VICSES Corio.
Since joining the unit I have also enjoyed making some great new friendships with a group of like-minded people who, not only volunteer an extraordinary amount of their time to the community, but also care about each other’s welfare.
How have you coped with COVID-19?
During 2020 and the peak of COVID-19 I was lucky to be able to keep working in the building industry.
However, it did take its toll on my family here and still does with many relatives living overseas.
Operating for VICSES during that period had its challenges with keeping crews separated to avoid potential cross-infection and training remotely by computer, but at the same time still being available to respond to incidents safely when needed.
