SOME of Ipswich’s finest emergency services officers were honoured at the annual Ipswich North Rotary Pride of Workmanship Awards.
The awards recognise the efforts of emergency services workers and volunteers who work to keep our community, streets and homes safe.
This year’s recipients were:
Police Officer of the Year: Sergeant Leon Margetts
Sergeant Leon Margetts was sworn into the Queensland Police Service on 5 December, 1980 and has worked in the Ipswich District since September 2003.
He is a strong advocate for humanity in policing, with a particular focus on mental health and suicide prevention. Sgt Margetts was the driving force behind the creation of the Mental Health Co-responder Unit which is unique in Queensland and provides a rapid response for people experiencing mental health crisis.
Sgt Margetts is an outstanding professional role model and teacher for trainee police and embodies community policing approaches.
He is a quiet achiever who is widely respected by his colleagues.
Fire and Rescue Services Officer of the Year: Mark Stephenson
Mark started his career with the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service in September 1996 in the Ipswich area.
Since then, he has moved through the ranks to station officer where he has dedicated a lot of his time and effort to training firefighters to reach Senior Firefighter and Station Officer qualifications.
Mr Stephenson has also been instrumental in the development and coordination of training programs for the broader fire service.
His dedication and expertise have made him a role model for younger firefighters in the Ipswich region.
Rural Fire Officer of the Year: Robert Anderson
Rob joined the rural fire service in 1991. He became the second officer for the Mt Forbes Rural Fire Brigade in 1996 before progressing onto the role of first officer.
During his time with the service, Mr Anderson has helped the brigade establish itself in the region.
He has been on deployments to Coonabarabran in New South Wales, Orbost in Victoria and on several Queensland deployments.
During the 2011 floods, Mr Anderson orchestrated and managed the clean-up of the Ipswich City Council area with the volunteers from the rural fire service of the Ipswich group.
Ambulance Officer of the Year: John Borowski
John is affectionately nicknamed the ‘Mayor of Goodna’. It says plenty about how well respected he is in the community.
Mr Borowski’s first job was in the railways as a first aid officer before progressing to his lifelong career as a paramedic.
He is renowned for helping educate children about the ambulance service and also assists elderly people in the community.
Mr Borowski often goes out of his way to help clean gardens, fix household items or check in on elderly residents.
While his efforts are largely unseen, they have had a lasting positive impact on the community.
SES Member of the Year: Christopher Brandt
Chris has been a member of the Ipswich City Unit for just over three years, showing a high level of commitment and standard in his work.
He has been known to deal with members of the public very professionally, including offering comfort to those facing challenging situations.
Mr Brandt is a leader, providing invaluable guidance and assistance to fellow SES members. He is the Ipswich unit’s leading field operations member.
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