This King's Birthday Honours List has recognised four Marine Rescue NSW volunteers to be recipients of the Emergency Services Medal in 2024.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Among the wealth of dedication and experience, Batemans Bay unit life member Colin Tritton was one of those honoured.
Mr Tritton has given meritorious service to the NSW community as a volunteer member of Marine Rescue Batemans Bay for almost 25 years, having joined the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol (RVCP) in 1999.
Prior to joining, Mr Tritton had a distinguished career with NSW Police as a police diver and with the Water Police (now Marine Area Command).
With the RVCP, he was responsible for establishing a training regime.
Through his training, he was able to assist in producing a new wave of qualified coxswains in the Monaro region, which was much needed particularly around the time of the merger to form MRNSW.
![Marine Rescue Batemans Bay Colin Tritton ESM with Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips. Picture supplied Marine Rescue Batemans Bay Colin Tritton ESM with Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/232432949/83cc89db-cb3d-40fd-8e06-e117c365ed84.png/r0_33_670_409_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Mr Tritton was also a TAFE teacher who specialised in practical marine rescue specific courses and maritime studies; and used his experience as a teacher to contribute to MRNSW membership and training.
As a qualified Marine Rescue NSW Master, he has led numerous challenging search and rescue operations in response to traumatic emergencies over his years of service.
Mr Tritton has recorded hundreds of hours of sea time and until a recent illness, made himself available around the clock to respond to emergencies on the water, personally conducting numerous rescue missions, often in dark and dangerous conditions.
Previous recipient of the medal Monaro regional operations manager Glenn Sullivan, was mentored himself by Mr Tritton, and said the recognition was well deserved.
"I would like to thank Colin for his service and for mentoring hundreds of Marine Rescue personnel as well as training members in the local community, and for his work with other emergency services throughout his career," he said.
"During significant operations Colin with his experience, was able to provide a very calming and consolidated influence, always keeping the focus on the task at hand."
Marine Rescue NSW Commissioner Alex Barrell said the service is privileged to have such highly regarded volunteers in the ranks.
"Their dedication and commitment to serving local boaters and those who enjoy our waterways is appreciated by Marine Rescue NSW and their respective communities," he said.
"All four recipients are extremely experienced mariners holding either Coxswain or vessel Master ratings and share a wealth of knowledge with their fellow volunteers.
"Our volunteers sacrifice personal and family time to help boaters in distress at any time of day or night to help keep our waterways as safe as possible and I thank all of them for their commitment to service and saving lives on the water."