Mrs Osborne said to her, half-joking, that if she passed the course she would also join.

Seventeen years later her long and outstanding service with the SES has been recognised with the awarding of the National Medal.

In a ceremony last Thursday administrator Hugh Percy presented Mrs Osborne with the medal.

"It's a very prestigious thing," he said, "it's up there with the highest awards in Australia."

Mr Percy said he was proud to be able to stand in a public forum and recognise what Mrs Osborne, and others like her, had done for the community.

"These people are in there for all the right reasons – to help others – and to do that for 17 years straight is very impressive."

Members of the SES are on call 24 hours a day, but after more than a decade-and-a-half of being on duty Mrs Osborne is still a long way off being ready to quit.

When Mrs Osborne first joined the SES it was primarily a mine rescue unit, with the majority of their call-outs being to the mine fields.

Over time, though, that has changed.

"As people have become more safety conscious there have been fewer accidents, which is a good thing for the Ridge," she said.

Mrs Osborne's main expertise is in first aid.

She is a qualified first aid instructor and is also a first aid assessor, able to go to other SES units and judge their effectiveness.

She said that the SES is always looking for new members.

"We're particularly looking for young people that we can introduce into the service and bring up to speed. After all, they're the next generation."