ChillOut isn’t just a great weekend out – a central part of our purpose is to help raise money for a worthy cause.
Over the past 14 years the Festival has donated around $180,000 to not-for-profit organisations including hospitals, volunteer fire brigades, wildlife shelters
and the Alannah & Madeline Foundation.
This year ChillOut is proud to be partnering with the Hepburn Shire 
State Emergency Service (SES) Unit.
The Hepburn Shire SES has had a productive and
enjoyable relationship with ChillOut Festival for numerous years in roles as varied as marshalling the parade, car park management, transporting food and beverages and of course cleaning up afterwards.
One of 150 units across Victoria the Hepburn Shire Unit’s 45 members are part of 5500 Volunteers state-wide.
Formally commissioned three years ago the local SES volunteers were expected to respond to 60 calls for assistance per year. The reality is that our local volunteers average close to 400 responses annually placing them, at times, near the top of Units inVictoria.
A large slice of their workload consists of removing dangerous trees that have fallen
across roads during storm events, as well as assisting Ambulance personnel in
recovering injured people from remote or inaccessible areas.
They also take part in a number of Land searches in conjunction with Victoria Police and
have earned themselves a reputation for tireless and methodical work.
Whilst their focus is always on the welfare of the citizens of Hepburn Shire, local SES members have recently been deployed across the State to assist their SES colleagues in Victoria and indeed across the Nation to assist their colleagues in other States.
In the future the SES sees its role in the Hepburn community becoming more
multi-agency as their relationship with other emergency service organizations such
as the 20 Fire Brigades in the region becomes stronger. The Unit will be able to participate in roles such as Staging area control during bush fire events and assistance with patient transport and repatriation for the Ambulance Service.
Any funds raised this year by ChillOut Festival will be used by the Unit to purchase
extra equipment to assist the Unit in the performance of its role in a continuously
changing Emergency Service environment.
High on their list of priorities is a portable lighting tower to better illuminate critical
incidents and ensure that all emergency service personnel can work in a safer
environment that lighting can provide.
A number of members are undertaking courses which will qualify them in the use of rescue boats to assist people who may run into difficulties when utilising the leisure activities at Lake Daylesford. A boat crew would also see work in the surrounding towns and further afield.
These members will need adequate boat work wear and specialist rescue gear.
Other members are currently working on establishing an off-road search and
rescue capability.
As the number of tourists who enjoy our surrounding bushland increases, so does the
risk, rescuers mounted on off-road vehicles can cover much more terrain, more
quickly. Any new endeavour requires substantial funding to ensure the safety of
rescuer and rescued alike.
ChillOut will be raising funds from the sale of auction items at the Slowest Lunch @ Sault Restaurant on Friday 9th March 2012 and by event donations throughout the weekend.
We ask you to dig deep and help us raise funds for this very worthy and much needed service
They may be a small Unit, but they punch well above their weight.
For more information about this community appeal, please visit the ChillOut or SES
websites