With 45 years of service to the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) in the bank, it's fair to say that when the going gets tough, the Ruffs get going.
Married couple Wendy and Graeme Ruff were among the 49 Mid North Coast volunteers who were recently honoured by the SES for their service.
Graeme first joined the SES in 1977. He said the community had helped his family out in a time of need and he wanted to return the favour.
Wendy joined one year later at the suggestion of a friend. Her home town of Taree had just experienced devastating flooding, leading to some anxious moments at the family farm.
"We had to move all the cattle from the low lying areas onto the hills, but then we couldn't leave the house afterwards. We moved the cattle, but couldn't get out ourselves," she said.
After joining, she met Graeme. They developed a close friendship, and in time, that friendship developed into a romance. They were married in 1980.
Over the years, the couple have responded to a range of emergency situations - including floods, bushfires and searches for missing persons. They have also helped out at numerous community events.
Wendy said a lot had changed about the SES over the years, including more safety regulations, changes to training procedures and better equipment.
"There's a lot more rules now. It was just go and do the job however you like. You didn't really think about the safety of it, you just went and did something," she said.
The most dangerous situation Graeme could recall being placed in was during one of the floods he was called on to respond to.
"The rate of the river was rising. You'd take the reading and then 15 minutes later you'd be taking another one because it was rising at such a rapid rate," he said.
Disaster relief has become very much a family affair. The Ruffs' son Matthew is currently one of Wingham Unit's deputy commanders. Their other son Joshua and daughter Melinda were also active volunteers for many years.
While Wendy didn't think the number of natural disasters had increased over the years, demand for the service has.
"(Residential) areas are building up now, people are leaving trees too close to houses.... when they say thank you, it means the world."
For emergency help in floods and storms, call the NSW SES on 132-500. In life threatening situations, call 000 immediately.
