A visit from Marine Rescue NSW leadership marked a step-up for the Moama unit. Pictured are Moama unit volunteer Daryl Gardiner, Monaro Zone regional operations manager Glenn Sullivan and Moama unit volunteer Darren Woods.
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Marine Rescue NSW top brass made a trip to the Moama unit recently to congratulate two crew members on their newly earned titles.
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Southern Zone commander Mike Hammond and Monaro Zone regional operations manager Glenn Sullivan and training manager Olivia Ford visited the team in late September.
The visit coincided with volunteers Darren Woods and Daryl Gardiner receiving their level one coxswain and crew rating accreditations, respectively.
MRNSW Monaro training manager Olivia Ford, Moama unit volunteer Daryl Gardiner and unit commander Luke Sharrock.
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Moama unit commander Luke Sharrock said a minimum of two people with both qualifications were needed to get a vessel on the water for incident responses.
“We’re certainly a lot more capable in that space for helping save lives on the waterways, so that’s pretty huge,” he said.
“To get accredited, it’s not an overnight thing. The amount of work that actually goes into it — there’s quite a few qualifications.”
The volunteers were presented with the qualifications by Mr Hammond, and the visit, which was the first in many years, allowed the team to liaise with the service’s leaders.
MRNSW Unit commander Luke Sharrock, Moama unit volunteer Darren Woods and Monaro training manager Olivia Ford.
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Mr Sharrock said a grant for the unit’s larger vessel had been secured during the trip, which will see a major upgrade to the onboard electronic equipment.
With the next closest MRNSW unit located in Jindabyne, the Moama volunteers are tasked with looking after a large catchment, stretching from Mildura to Yarrawonga.
The unit is also uniquely placed to assist various emergency services on both sides of the border with call-outs.
Mr Sharrock said having updated equipment and further qualified volunteers would allow the unit to attend calls more swiftly.
“If someone needs a hand, we’ve actually got capabilities,” he said.
“We’ve got unit members that can go out there and get on the boat, and that obviously makes it timely.”
The volunteer-run service is free to use, and can be contacted by phoning 0499 577 633.
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