Community
5 March, 2025
Shorty steps up in aid of the Dajarra community
The SES volunteer has managed to grow the local branch into a powerful unit.
Trevina “Shorty” Rogers is the epitome of the mantra – women helping women.
In just a few years, Shorty has not only managed to save the Dajarra SES branch from imminent closure but has also given single mothers in the town an opportunity to learn some key life skills.
The lifelong Dajarra resident had only joined the newly formed SES group in 2018 and begun to understand its practical need in her community when several members left town in rapid succession.
By the closing months of 2022, Shorty was the last remaining member.
“I thought it would be terrible to lose it from the town and someone from within the community had to try to keep it going,” she explained.
“We don’t have an urban fire crew here, we have a volunteer rural fire crew – which has a truck with a 1000-litre water tank attached to it – but when something happens in our community we have to come together and work as a group.
“I didn’t know much about the SES when I joined, other than they helped people out in times of need and I have always liked helping people.
“But I also usually don’t like to be the leader – but someone had to step up so I started trying things.”
Shorty began looking around town for perspective members and soon realised there was a string of young single mothers who would benefit from learning the basic practical skills that the SES specialises in.
“I thought these young ones should be up here learning the skills – so I focused on recruiting the single mothers who are at home,” she recalled.
“I would go around and ask them if they wanted to learn some new skills; I would ask them if they would you like to start a generator, or tie a knot in a rope or would you like to learn how to use some of the basic tools?
“A lot of the girls thought at first that the SES was a man’s thing – but I thought ‘well, we can change that’.
“We just had to be flexible – they could bring their kids along or if they finished work at 5pm then we would have a training session at 6pm, we would encourage people to bring their families along and some nights we would have a cook up and make it into a social event.
“We were just doing what was needed to bring people together.”
The Dajarra SES has now gone from strength to strength.
Nine of its 10 members are women, many of whom assisted during the serious fire season that ravaged the district last year.
“I think the best thing has been seeing the girls gain these skills,” Shorty told North West Weekly.
“They can learn to tie knots in ropes and strap down things properly in the back of a ute – these are just very useful skills to have that anyone can learn.
“It is always nice to be able to help people.”