News

For some, wearing orange overalls isn’t the ideal scenario for sparking romance.

For others, like Dave and Leonie Bere, serving the community is a wonderful place for love to blossom.

The couple found each other in 1996 through NSW SES, after Leonie joined the Wollongong Unit and Dave moved from the Blue Mountains Unit to Wollongong.

They became closer out in the field, were team leaders in the same team and put their hands up to be deployed out-of-area.

In 2001 the pair married, had two beautiful children, and made the family-volunteering balance work by alternating NSW SES shifts so they could continue helping locals.

With Dave now serving as Unit Commander and Leonie as Catering Team Leader at Dapto Unit, they continue to help their community and share common interests.

“We do Incident Management Team operations together, share the highs, lows and pressures together,” the couple said.

“We train together and we bounce off each other perfectly.”

Leonie and Dave Bere met through NSW SES in 1996 and featured many times in the NSW SES Volunteers Association magazine, including this November 2002 edition (left). They love operating and training together.