SES stalwart Graeme Silver named Newcastle’s newest Freeman of the City

29 May 2026

26492_New Freeman of the City Graeme Silver

newy.com.au – Long-serving emergency volunteer Graeme Silver has been named Newcastle’s newest Freeman of the City, recognising almost six decades of service to the Hunter community.

Mr Silver received Newcastle’s highest honour at a special event at Fort Scratchley today, with Lord Mayor Gavin Morris presenting the award in recognition of his work across the State Emergency Service, NSW Ambulance and community emergency response.

His volunteer service began in 1969, when he joined St. John’s Ambulance at the age of 11. He went on to spend 47 years with the SES and continues to serve as SES Local Commander Hunter Coast Cluster.

During that time, Mr Silver has helped lead and support emergency responses through some of Newcastle and the Hunter’s most significant disasters, including the 1989 Newcastle Earthquake, the 2007 Pasha Bulka storm and the 2015 East Coast Low. His SES work has also included storm events, land searches, floods and training new volunteers.

Mr Morris said the honour reflected Mr Silver’s long and continuing commitment to public service.

“Across Australia, we rely on volunteers to be there for us during some of our darkest moments and Graeme Silver has been answering that call for almost 60 years,” Mr Morris said.

“Thousands of hours of Graeme’s life have been dedicated to keeping his community safe. He’s been there to lend a hand and lead the way through some of the biggest disasters we’ve experienced in Newcastle, while also helping the Hunter through storm events, land searches, floods and training the next crop of volunteers to ensure that legacy is continued.

“On behalf of Newcastle, I’d like to thank our city’s newest Freeman for everything he has done and continues to do in service of us all.”

Mr Silver’s service has extended beyond volunteering. He spent 32 years with NSW Ambulance, first as a paramedic and later as Chief Inspector Hunter, while continuing to support the SES outside his paid work. He often worked NSW Ambulance shifts during the day before assisting as an SES volunteer in the evening.

Awarded the Newcastle Volunteer Service Award in 2020, Mr Silver said the recognition was meaningful, but service to others had always been his motivation.

“It is an honour and a privilege to be named Freeman of the City today, but my vision first and foremost has always been to help others and help my community,” Mr Silver said.

“Volunteering has given me the chance to develop and enhance the skills I have needed to help people over the years in their time in need, and I’m very thankful to have been able to do that.

“I have worked alongside so many people at the SES over the years, and one thing I tell everyone is that no matter what position you hold, when it comes down to it, we’re all volunteers and teamwork makes the dream work.”

Minister for Police and Counter-Terrorism and Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley also paid tribute to Mr Silver’s years of service.

“Graeme Silver is exactly the kind of person who makes the Hunter such a strong and connected community,” Minister Catley said.

“For more than four decades, he’s been there when it mattered most, always putting others before himself.

“Through his work in the SES and in NSW Ambulance, Graeme has shown what true service looks like in action.

“This is a deeply deserved honour for a man who has given so much to the people and communities around him.”

The Freeman of the City award is conferred on Novocastrians for outstanding achievement and service to the city or to humanity. Mr Silver becomes Newcastle’s 23rd Freeman of the City, joining honourees including Big John Young, Adele Saunders and Father Nicolaos Zervos.