WELCOME
CHAIR’S REPORT It is my pleasant duty to present this Annual Report at the conclusion of our tenth anniversary year. While we were not immune from adversity this year, we have entered our second decade stronger together.
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his has been a year of remarkable contrasts, of disruption and uncertainty but also of promise and achievement. We began 2019-20 with pride, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the foundation of Marine Rescue NSW as a single, unified service and reflecting on the strides we have made since 2009: our committed volunteers and staff working together as one team, our world-class fleet and our leadership in the sector nationally. Our exponential development and the benefits of our increasingly professional resourcing and training over our first decade have been exemplified by the members of Marine Rescue Port Macquarie, whose courage and life-saving skill was recognised on the world stage this year with an International Maritime Rescue Federation award. The team’s determination to locate three seriously injured men on a cruiser offshore in the dark was praiseworthy in itself but the bravery of Chris Condon and Bill Richardson in boarding the sinking vessel and their ingenuity in extricating a man with a spinal injury by using the rising water in the cabin to float him to safety was indeed extraordinary. Everyday heroes, indeed. It was a distinct pleasure to personally congratulate all 10 volunteers at a ceremony to present them with Commissioner’s Commendations for Courage and Citations. It was equally as important to gather with our volunteer leaders and staff for our 2019 Leadership Conference. We were honoured to welcome newlyappointed NSW Governor Margaret Beazley to open the event. The Governor not only thanked our volunteers for their extraordinary contribution but also congratulated our leaders and exorted them to draw in young people and women to our organisation. Police and Emergency Services Minister David Elliott struck a chord when he told the members that awards and accolades were for their families so that “when you get called out from Christmas lunch, they can put that award on the table so they know we appreciate what you do, your sacrifice”. While we did not know it at the time, we were soon to witness leadership and sacrifice in equal measure as our State faced an unparalleled bushfire emergency, followed quickly by a health crisis the likes of which none of us had seen in our lifetimes. Our people responded to both with characteristic professionalism and generosity. I want each of them, both volunteers and staff, to know their contribution was seen and recognised not only across our own organisation but more widely in the emergency services sector, at all levels of government and by our community. The first day of this financial year also marked the start of our four-year State Government funding supplementation, which has this year enabled us to make great advances in our fleet delivery, improvements in our volunteer facilities and in bolstering the marine radio network on which the boating community, other maritime agencies and some commercial operators rely. The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted much in our lives this year and obviously led to significant changes in our operations and day-to-day business. For the Board, it has kept us from our usual routine of visiting units throughout the year to speak to our members about their volunteer
4 MARINE RESCUE NSW | ANNUAL REPORT 2019-2020
JAMES GLISSAN AM, ESM, QC Chair of MRNSW Board General Director
experience, interests and ideas. We look forward to resuming this schedule as soon as conditions permit. The Board has continued to work assiduously, whether meeting in person or via Zoom, to advance our organisation. I believe the 2019 Board elections were a vote of confidence in the strategic leadership and direction of the organisation. With four Directors to be elected, members in only one region were required to vote, with the other three Directors returned unopposed. This would indicate general satisfaction with the activities of the Board and management. The election resulted in Darcy Henriksen joining the Board as the new Northern Rivers Regional Director. Darcy has made a considered contribution to our decision-making processes and I look forward to continuing to work together for the good of the organisation and our people. The depth of corporate knowledge around the Board table was preserved with the return of Mid North Coast Regional Director John Lynch and Hunter/Central Coast Regional Director Jim Wright. I was honoured also to be returned as a General Director and I thank my fellow Directors for their trust in again electing me as the Chair of the Board. This is a distinct privilege. Commissioner Stacey Tannos and all our staff have again worked tirelessly this year. Their remote workplaces and conditions have not diminished their professional contribution and value. The Board thanks them all. Marine Rescue NSW sails on the experience of our volunteers. Our mission relies on their willingness to serve the public good. Our people have this year stood together in the face of the most trying conditions. The Board is proud to stand beside each of them. We thank each for their service and their individual contribution to saving lives on the water.
Chair James Glissan AM, ESM, QC
