Given the resounding success of the inaugural Batemans Bay Marine Rescue charity golf day last year, the event teed off again on Friday, March 22, to raise crucial funds for the volunteer organisation.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After a lead up of wet days, the sun shone and the Bay sparkled, as the teams of four gathered at Catalina Club.
In full support, the business community of Batemans Bay got behind the event entering teams, sponsoring holes, offering prizes for the tournament, the auction and the raffle.
This year local businesses Soul Tribe Yoga and Wellness Hub, Industrial Replacements and Clyde Mitsubishi Batemans Bay all stepped in as major sponsors.
Clyde Mitsubishi Batemans Bay dealer principal Anthony Hall took the opportunity to bring his team along to play.
"We like to support local organisations and Marine Rescue do a lot for the community. Many of our customers are boat people," Mr Hall said.
Marine Rescue NSW zone commander south Mike Hammond was once again impressed with the support the day received from the community.
"It's a great thing to see members of the community supporting our volunteers for what they do. It's really gratifying and great recognition of the work that the volunteers put in."
Well versed in a sausage sizzle, the volunteers donned their aprons and got down to feeding the 28 teams of four before they hit the course.
Eurobodalla mayor Matthew Hatcher was in attendance and playing. While unsure of how his game was going to shape up, he was unequivocal in his praise for Marine Rescue.
'With emergency services we are always wanting them to be there when we need them. And just like the RFS and the SES, Marine Rescue rely on volunteers," Cr Hatcher said.
"We hear about Marine Rescue every year, the boats that they tow in, the people that they save.
"That's one side of the work they do, but also there are the recoveries - they have to deal with some pretty hard stuff and it's all volunteer."
Batemans Bay is a crucial player in the Marine Rescue south zone, responding to more incidents in the last three months than any other base between Illawarra and Eden.
MRNSW Zone Commander South Mike Hammond believed the Batemans Bay unit to be one of the strongest units on the South Coast.
"The Batemans Bay unit covers quite an extent of coastline. The unit has to have both offshore and inshore capability and they do a great deal of training and preparing," Mr Hammond said.
"Being an emergency service our volunteers have to reach a level of professionalism that is quite demanding - we like to call them 'unpaid professionals' to reflect the level of skill and training that is involved."
Although some government funding is provided, there is a shortfall that fundraising must cover. Fuel and maintenance costs for the three vessels are the biggest costs.
For MRNSW unit commander Batemans Bay Rod Ingamells the focus of the day was very much on having fun and bringing the community together.
"Although funding is important, and a focus, the primary outcome should be bringing the community and Marine Rescue together. It should be a chance for us to have a good day together," Mr Ingamells said.
