A highly-decorated Australian Defence Force officer with more than 35 years experience has been appointed the new Commissioner of the State Emergency Service.
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Brigadier Mark Smethurst, who has spent the majority of his career as a Special Forces Officer and commanded at all levels, will relocate to Wollongong later this month.
Brigadier Smethurst has served as troop and squadron commander with the Special Air Service Regiment.
He has also commanded the Special Forces Training Centre and the Australian Regular Commando Battalion, both based in NSW.
Emergency Services Minister Troy Grant said Brigadier Smethurst was a dynamic and practical leader with extensive experience in leading large and diverse teams both in Australia and overseas.
“This appointment will ensure sound leadership of the NSW SES and the further development of the organisation to help meet the challenges faced in times of crisis, and to support the broader emergency management response and cooperation requirements in NSW,” Mr Grant said.
The Minister thanked Deputy Commissioner Greg Newton who has been Acting Commissioner of the NSW SES for the past 12 months.
“Mr Newton brought great passion and dedication to the role, particularly during the East Coast Lows of June 2016, and flooding in Central Western NSW from August-December 2016,’’ he said.
“On behalf of the NSW Government, I congratulate Brigadier Smethurst and look forward to working with him to further strengthen the NSW SES.’’
Brigadier Smethurst, who is married with two children, will move to Wollongong from Canberra, and commence his new role on 27 February 2017.
He said he was looking forward to working with the SES team of full-time staff and volunteers across the state and building strong working and cooperative relationships with the broader emergency services team.