New South Wales adds 12 fallen emergency volunteers to its state memorial
11 October 2026
On 11 October 2026 a ceremony at Mrs Macquarie's Chair in Sydney added the names of 12 volunteers to the NSW Emergency Services Volunteers Memorial. Ten were members of the NSW Rural Fire Service and two of Marine Rescue NSW. The Marine Rescue volunteers, Frank Petsch and Bill (William) Ewen, died in May 2026 while responding to a vessel in distress near the South Ballina breakwall. NSW Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib attended the service. The memorial was established in 1999 and now carries 137 names.
Names added:
12
Total names on memorial:
137
Memorial established:
1999
Why it matters for exams: Highlights the volunteer-based emergency services that fight bushfires and carry out sea rescues in Australia.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
RFS NSW Rural Fire Service — Volunteer-based fire service of New South Wales that fights bushfires.