THE Victorian State Emergency Service (VICSES) will celebrate Wear Orange Wednesday (WOW) Day, next week on May 18.

WOW Day is the national day of recognition to say ‘thank you’ to SES Volunteers around Australia.

To mark the occasion, landmarks around south-west Victoria will be ‘flooded’ in orange, including the Catenary Lights and Kardinia Park/GMHBA Stadium in Geelong.

Victorians have also been asked to don a ‘splash’ of orange on Wednesday to recognise the invaluable contribution volunteers have made.

Hamilton SES unit controller, Tim Fry, said volunteers were the backbone of the organisation and played a crucial role in keeping the community safe.

“The Hamilton VICSES Unit has responded to nearly 130 requests for assistance in the last 12 months,” he said.

 “In addition to sending members on multiple deployments, including the recent NSW flooding, and extreme weather events in Gippsland, Ballarat, Melbourne, and Portland.”

The Hamilton SES Unit will host an open night for those interested in joining or keen to find out more about how the VICSES supports our community on Wednesday, May 18 from 7pm at 58 Shakespeare Street, Hamilton.