STRANDED! Port Stephens Unit’S Rocky Rescue Big Boat Spend $2.5 Million Vessel Upgrade Meet the Fleet Kevlacat 3000 Series
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Volunteers saving lives on the water Quarterly Journal of Marine Rescue NSW | Issue 11, June 2012 STRANDED! Port Stephens unit’s rocky rescue Big boat spend $2.5 million vessel upgrade Meet the fleet Kevlacat 3000 series PLUS: Emergency Services Medal winners | High-tech gadgets | 4-page local guide CONTENTS Issue 11 | June 2012 FROM THE HELM 2 Commissioner’s report 4 Chairman’s report ON THE RADAR Quarterly Journal of Marine Rescue NSW 2-3 • Volunteer Education Scholarship • Queen’s Birthday honours 4-5 • MRNSW on show at SIBS • $2.5 million fleet upgrade Publisher Marine Rescue NSW 7 • Crackdown on illegal fishing Level 5, 9-13 Young Street 8 • Port Hacking UC earns seniors award Sydney NSW 2000 • New Council a voice for volunteers • Five units receive $110,000 in grants Contact Kate Woods, Ken McManus IN THEIR OWN WORDS Phone: 02 8071 4848 11 Hawkesbury unit skipper Catherine Sky Fax: 02 9969 5214 Email: [email protected] MAKING WAVES Editor 14-15 Northern Rivers news Ashley Gray • Wooli • Brunswick • Cape Byron 16-17 Mid North Coast news Design and Layout • Coffs Harbour • Forster-Tuncurry Nicole Brown • Port Macquarie Advertising 18, 23-25 Hunter Valley / Central Coast news Graham Joss • Central Coast • The Entrance • Port Stephens Email: [email protected] • Newcastle • Lake Macquarie Phone: 0419 492 836 26-28 Greater Sydney news • Port Jackson • Broken Bay Printing • Port Hacking • Hawkesbury Printing, binding and mailing by Galloping Press Pty Ltd Unit 29/398 The Boulevarde, Kirrawee NSW 2232 29-31 Illawarra news • Jervis Bay • Port Kembla • Shellharbour Marine Rescue NSW is pleased to acknowledge the invaluable support of our • Ulladulla • Shoalhaven Soundings advertisers. 32-33 Monaro news © Copyright Volunteer Marine Rescue New South Wales. • Alpine Lakes • Eden Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited without permission of the • Merimbula • Batemans Bay publisher. FEATURES Marine Rescue NSW encourages the use of Soundings articles on boating 19-22 Units share their local knowledge safety. Permission to use and supply of relevant images can be obtained 34-35 Introducing the Kevlacat 3000 from the publisher. PICTURE GALLERY 13 & 37 What we’ve been up to EXPERT TIPS 36 How VHF radio repeaters work GEAR UP MARINE RESCUE NSW 38 Must-have new equipment Volunteers saving lives on the water EXTRAS Volunteer Marine Rescue New South Wales 39 50-year-old speed boat’s amazing transformation ABN 98 138 078 092 Level 5 IN MEMORIAM 9-13 Young Street, Sydney NSW 2000 40 Tributes to valued members Phone: 02 8071 4848 Fax: 02 9969 5214 Email: [email protected] LETTERS 40 Feedback SOUNDINGS | MARINE RESCUE NSW 1 FROM THE HELM Official business From the Commissioner Leadership, commitment and purpose in a tough climate. eadership is top of mind across have questions, and to their credit, sponsorship’s share of total marketing L our organisation as units hold their have taken on board some straight budgets dropped 4 per cent to 18 elections for Unit Commanders and/or answers. Leadership is not about per cent in 2011 and the proportion Deputy Commanders. These elections sugar-coating reality or avoiding tough of sponsors anticipating increases in are important events, as our members truths. Some recent decisions have their budgets dropped from 42 per exercise their democratic right to been difficult but are necessary for the cent in 2010 to 24 per cent. In this choose who will lead them. management of the organisation. We climate, MRNSW units appreciate Our unit officials make an are working not only to meet corporate the support they receive from local outstanding contribution to boating and operational obligations but also to sponsors. Headquarters is working safety. These roles demand strength of ensure we can invest in growth. hard to seek out corporate sponsors. purpose and a shared commitment to Embracing the future also means Winter is a quieter time for MRNSW. MRNSW’s values. I would like to thank providing training for the next Hardy souls will still be down at the Commissioner, all the Unit Commanders and Deputies generation. To assist with this, I urge boat ramp in the early morning chill, Stacey Tannos ESM who have fulfilled these demanding members to apply for the new Marine but most boaters retreat until warmer roles and congratulate and welcome Rescue NSW Volunteer Education weather means they can launch their those who are newly elected. Scholarship before July 1. Details are boats without risking hypothermia. MRNSW invests great power in at your unit or on the website. Our volunteers are therefore its members, who directly elect the We are continuing to search for spending more time training and MRNSW Board of Directors. The Board opportunities to support our units fundraising. Our new training system is charged with setting the direction through sponsorship, marketing is operating and in our largest IT of the organisation. This is built on the and fundraising. We will soon be rollout yet, workstations, steering foundation of the MRNSW constitution. distributing new plastic-moulded consoles and radio and boating July 1 marks the third anniversary donation boxes, in the form of a simulation software packages have of the establishment of MRNSW and model Steber or Kevlacat vessel, to been delivered to all units. a great deal has been achieved in units, who will be able to replace Lastly, congratulations to three this time but we need an updated their existing collection boxes or ask MRNSW members awarded constitution to address shortcomings additional local businesses to place Emergency Services Medals in the and strengthen corporate governance. these boats on their counters. The Queen’s Birthday honours. Bob I urge all members to adopt the new next stage of the development of Herbert, David Lyall and Bernie constitution at the Extraordinary the MRNSW website will enable us Gabriel are worthy recipients. Each General Meeting on August 18. to provide fundraising opportunities has devoted countless hours to In recent weeks I have visited for units and personal benefits for MRNSW; supporting volunteers and Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, Lemon members and radio club members. management, taking part in operations Tree Passage, The Entrance, Port The current tight economic and assisting boaters. Thank you to Stephens and Jervis Bay units. These conditions are reflected in a cautious these and all our volunteers. visits are valuable opportunities sponsorship market. A report from Stacey Tannos ESM to talk to members. They always Sponsorship Australasia has shown Commissioner Volunteer scholarship closes soon arine Rescue NSW members on innovative ways to make it easier volunteering roles. become our leaders of the future.” M have until July 1 to submit for people to volunteer. “These scholarships are Commissioner Tannos said the their applications for the MRNSW “Volunteers in NSW contribute an investment in our future,” education scholarships would assist Volunteer Education Scholarship, more than 240 million hours of Commissioner Tannos said. successful applicants with the cost announced to mark 2012 National voluntary work each year, estimated “The grants will be targeted of training fees and associated Volunteer Week. to be worth a remarkable $5 billion,” at helping members to build expenses to attend recognised Citizenship and Communities Mr Dominello said. their capability in crucial fields external training courses that would Minister Victor Dominello also Commissioner Tannos said the such as emergency coordination, complement their MRNSW training. celebrated the week with the release MRNSW scholarships – worth a total administration and human resources MRNSW members can find of the State Government’s NSW of $10,000 – would be awarded to management. details of the scholarship at Volunteering Strategy, backed by help members undertake professional “We are particularly keen to marinerescuensw.com.au. The $4.5 million in funding and focused development to assist them in their help our next generation prepare to winners will be announced in August. 2 MARINE RESCUE NSW | SOUNDINGS ON THE RADAR Things to look out for Members honoured on Queen’s Birthday Commissioner thanks Emergency Services Medal winners for distinguished service. hree volunteers from Marine BOB HERBERT DAVID LYALL BERNIE TRescue NSW have been Bob Herbert David Lyall is GABRIEL recognised for their excellent has been a member of Bernie Gabriel contribution to the NSW boating the volunteer MR Broken has made a community and safety on the Regional Bay and also longstanding water in this year’s Queen’s Coordinator for volunteers his commitment Birthday honours. the Monaro Region since 2010. expertise to the management of and contribution to marine rescue Bob Herbert, David Lyall and He oversees the coordination of our property portfolio. One of the stretching back to 1965, when he Bernie Gabriel have been awarded the region’s vessels and radio earliest and most demanding tasks became a Foundation Member of the prestigious Emergency facilities and supports units and for the new organisation was the Air Sea Rescue (ASR) Tweed Heads, Services Medal. Headquarters. Mr Herbert is a need to unify three separate asset on the NSW-Queensland border. As MRNSW Commissioner Stacey member of the Batemans Bay portfolios, in particular numerous a skipper for more than 20 years, Tannos congratulated the three unit as well as a part-time local unit headquarters and various Mr Gabriel has taken part in many members on the national TAFE