Love in a crisis: The story of four SES couples who met on the frontline

Love can flourish in unlikely places: run clubs, dating apps or, as it turns out, rescuing horses as deadly floods ravaged Sydney and the Central Coast.

Belinda Jackson and Joel Harris’ love story doesn’t appear typical: They met at a training event for the NSW State Emergency Service, and she plucked up the courage to start a conversation.

But among the cohort at the Campbelltown unit in southwestern Sydney, Belinda and Joel are among four couples who met at the service and were engaged at the same time.

Their connection had been strengthened through dealing with disaster, the couple said.

“To be able to get into a boat in a rescue situation with someone you can trust wholeheartedly is really special. I can look at Bel and she knows exactly what I want to do and vice versa,” said Joel, who has volunteered for nearly two decades.

“We know each others’ tells, it comes as a second nature.”

Belinda, who joined the SES in 2013, teamed up with Joel during the 2022 Hawkesbury floods.

“Joel was a face in the crowd within the Scouting movement, and when I came to an SES training weekend, I thought ‘I know that face, let’s start a conversation’, and it’s led us to where we are today.”

The pair got engaged when Joel popped the question on a cruise at golden hour.

“Wedding planning is in full swing,” he added.

‘I FELL ASLEEP IN HIS ARMS’

Stuart Densham’s love story with Heather Woods also needed a little bit of disaster before it came good.

Heather had rejected Stuart on dating sites four times before they met in person.

Stuart can still remember their first real-life meet-up at Campbelltown.

“I saw her walking in for the first time and noticed it was the woman that rejected me three times,” he said.

“It was definitely love at first sight.”

Heather said she recognised Stuart straight away, adding: “That’s when it all clicked and I knew he was the one.

“Stuart asked me on a first date which was so romantic, I fell asleep in his arms.”

After a proposal at a surprise picnic in the Southern Highlands, the couple will be married in November.

Newlywed Shawna Bradley, who met now husband Michael at the unit, fell for him on his first training night.

“The very first night he showed up for training, we were demonstrating something for our rescue comp team, and I thought I’d show off and fell flat on my butt right in front of his face,” she said.

“He thought it was really funny, but I didn’t … I was trying to show off because I thought he was really cute.”

Michael, a Star Wars fan, got down on one knee on May 4.

Rose-Marie Salem and Shaun Goulding discovered their common interests after meeting at a training event and are now planning a wedding for 2027.

“We’re often on the same team for storm incidents, but we’re strictly teammates and we’re professional. As soon as we’re finished on that job, we’re back to being a couple,” she said.