Grants welcome as COVID hits fundraising • $100,000 to take radio training off the air

Grants welcome as COVID hits fundraising $177,000 in government funding for unit upgrades, new equipment.

Seven MRNSW units have received a total of almost $177,000 in NSW Government grants for new and upgraded operational equipment, technology and safety works.

The units have received the grants under the Government’s 2019 Community Building Partnership program, which funds community infrastructure projects.

MRNSW projects funded under the grants program include a CCTV camera on the hazardous Brunswick River bar, new engines and upgraded electronic navigation systems for rescue vessels and works to make docks and pontoons safer.

Grants and Sponsorship Manager Mat Smith said the funding would be a welcome boost for the seven units.

“Marine Rescue NSW receives valuable funding from the NSW Government and our boating community but we also rely on our volunteers’ fundraising and grants to help fund our mission to save lives on the water,” he said.

“Unfortunately, our units have

MRNSW radio operators to hone their on-air skills.

An Emergency Volunteer Support Scheme grant for almost $100,000 has funded marine radio training kits to enable radio operators to practice off the public airwaves.

Training and Education Director Chris Butler said the joint State and Commonwealth government grant had funded 34 training kits to complete the roll-out of the equipment to all units.

“The kits are designed for our radio operators to train in a realistic environment, ensuring they have the been forced to cancel or postpone their public fundraising activities during the coronavirus pandemic so grant funding is of even greater assistance during these challenging times.”

The units to receive funding are: • Cape Byron: $47,100 for CCTV camera equipment to provide vision of the Brunswick bar and an emergency generator to maintain power supply to the base during extreme weather events and other outages. • Central Coast: $14,183 for a floating pontoon to dock its training vessel at its Point Clare base and $10,163 to install a new suite of electronic navigation systems on board Central Coast 22. • Norah Head: $26,000 for new twin Suzuki 150HP four-stroke engines for its rescue vessel. • Evans Head: $19,200 for a custom-made boat trailer to launch and recover its rescue vessel for servicing and maintenance. • Port Stephens: $50,000 to improve safety by replacing the badly-weathered dock where its skills, knowledge and experience to provide calm and professional assistance to boaters in trouble on the water,” Mr Butler said. “The benefit is that trainees can use these training kits instead of ‘live’ radios, confident that they can make mistakes in a safe environment without their exercises being widely broadcast to all boaters monitoring VHF Channel 16.

“This will help give people greater understanding of the marine radio equipment they will use on duty and surety that they can respond effectively to the radio traffic, particularly during peak periods.”

Work under way on MR Port Stephens’ new dock, awarded a $50,000 NSW Government grant.

rescue vessels are berthed. • Port Macquarie: $5,512 to install lighting on its Rescue Water Craft pontoon to maximise safety during night operations and upgrade kitchen facilities at the unit’s riverfront boat shed. • Lake Macquarie: $4,750 to upgrade the IT equipment at its

$100,000 to take radio training off the air Trainee operators can hone skills in safe, realistic environment.

New training equipment is helping

Pelican boat base.

Director of Operations Andrew Cribb and Training and Education Director Chris Butler with one of the new training radio kits delivered thanks to a government grant worth almost $100,000.