Karratha stalwarts Terry and Kathryn Swetman say goodbye to town

Karratha has waved goodbye to a couple who spent 46 years as State Emergency Service volunteers and who will be leaving a big hole in the local community. Terry and Kath Swetman have spent decades in Karratha and raised their family in the town. They are now set to retire to Chittering, north of Perth. Plans to retire to Chittering were thrown into disarray last year when the shed on the block of land containing furniture, appliances, tools and heirlooms while their house was being built was burnt to the ground on January 23. The couple have rebuilt the shed and moved down to Chittering to be close to their children and grandchildren. Mr Swetman said it was sad to leave Karratha, and had fond memories of growing up in the town. “We had a lot less but we did a lot more, we were able to ride our bikes up along Back Beach to go fishing or go out to Dampier to see our mates,” he said. “It was all so easy, We found a lot to do.” Mrs Swetman echoed his thoughts and said it was a great place to raise kids. “I think with having the family grow up here it’s a good place for kids to grow up,” she said. “I’ve been here since I was 10. I’ve sort of known the town when there was nothing — we didn’t even have a swimming pool. “So we had to make our own fun, we’d go riding bikes — we’d ride our bikes from Karratha to Dampier to have a swim in the ocean.” The couple were farewelled at a party by the Karratha SES Unit on April 4 with friends and fellow volunteers reminiscing over their impact on the town. Karratha SES Unit local manager Trevor Patton said the pair would leave a big hole in the local SES branch and also in the community. “Terry’s skill base and impartment of his knowledge on to the newer members coming through has just been phenomenal,” he said. “The skill base that man’s got and he’s so passionate about onboarding his training and skills to his fellow members. “It’s just incredible to see.” Mr Patton said the couple had been in town from when Karratha was being built. “So they’ve been in various roles within the community, involved with other community groups and so forth,” he said. “Very, very passionate about community service.” Fellow SES volunteer Damien Muller said the Swetman’s had hearts of gold. “If I was going to go anywhere and have to respond to an emergency, I’d love to have both of them on my team and or work alongside,” he said. Mr Muller said he worked alongside Mr Swetman when Cyclone George ripped through the Pilbara in 2007 and destroyed the FMG rail camp causing two fatalities. “That wasn’t the best outcome for some people but for the people that that we managed to help obviously it was a good outcome and having him there certainly made a difference,” he said. He said it was sad to see the couple leave the community. “They’ve been here since they were kids but I understand it’s new horizons for them,” he said. “I wish them all the best and I’m sure they’ll contribute to the community where they moved to down in Chittering as well.” The couple’s years in the SES saw them perform rescues and learn vital skills as well as compete in the Australasian Road Rescue competition and the World Rescue Challenge. Mrs Swetman said competing in the World Rescue Challenge was a major highlight of her years of volunteering because she came 14th in the world. “Here I was up against paramedics, doctors all that and I was just a volunteer in action,” she said.