THE Marine Rescue NSW unit at Narooma is always in need of more volunteers and hopes profiling volunteers will inspire others to join.
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Watch officer Brenda Cavey and radio operator Judy Barry-Cotter are just two of 50 or so volunteers at the Narooma unit.
Brenda has been with the unit for 14 years and has now progressed to watch officer, with extra responsibilities in the radio room in times of emergencies and also mentoring other operators.
“We’ve got people undertaking different roles and yes you get a lot of a responsibility but there are a lot of different ways you can get involved,” she said.
Judy meanwhile has been with the unit for just over 12 months and is now a radio operator doing the six-hour shifts, recording and giving weather reports and also logging on boaters as they head out.
The ladies are frustrated that more boaters don’t log on when heading out of Narooma, as the bar entrance is acknowledged as one of the most dangerous in Australia.
“We would like to see everyone who goes out through the bar logging on,” Brenda said.
Marine Rescue NSW now even has a smart phone app that boaters can use, and visiting boaters can also come up to the Narooma base and get a temporary N-number.
So what do the two ladies most enjoy about volunteering with Marine Rescue?
Other than spectacular views and whales passing, they also said it was a great way to meet new people and develop friendships while giving back to the community and even perhaps helping to save lives.
“We tell everyone we have the best office on the coast,” Judy said.
She said operating the radios and making calls was a bit a daunting at first, but she had become a lot better over the past few months and even her pronunciation was better.
So if you want to join, just stop in at the Marine Rescue headquarters anytime for a chat.
The Narooma News and the unit hope to bring you next profiles of some of the boat crew and Jet ski drivers, so stay tuned!
“We’ve got people undertaking different roles and yes you get a lot of a responsibility but there are a lot of different ways you can get involved."
- Brenda Cavey, watch officer