Brothers prove two birds of a feather

Trapped frogmouth freed in behind the scenes operation.

As emergency services worked desperately in the dark after five men were washed off a rock platform at Port Kembla in January, another, smaller, rescue was taking place on the sidelines.

The command post for the joint search and rescue operation was established in the carpark at the MR Port Kembla Hill 60 radio base.

In the midst of the action, a tawny frogmouth became trapped in the tower’s security fence, injuring a wing. Kind-hearted police and ambulance officers and Unit Commander Kevin Bradley joined forces to free the distressed bird, placing it in a box to be watched over by the unit’s radio operators until it could be ferried to a wildlife service or vet.

Early the next morning, a police officer on scene agreed to drop the bird at a veterinarian on his way to his next appointment, saying he would also ask his brother’s advice.

Seems caring for members of the animal kingdom - and tawny frogmouths in particular - runs in the family. Turns out Senior Constable Phillip Brown’s brother is everyone’s favourite TV vet, Dr Chris Brown.

The unit has been told the bird pulled through.

Dr Doolittles ... Senior Constable Phillip Brown ferries an injured tawny frogmouth from the Hill 60 radio base for treatment, while his brother Chris (left) cosies up to another on I’m a Celebrity.

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Dramatic roo-scue to reach tired swimmer

Our radio operators keep watch over countless incidents on their local waterways but the team at MR Ballina spied an unusual rescue from their radio tower on January 5.

A wallaby had run into a bit of trouble crossing the river against the tide and a determined ‘roo-scue’ team was on the way.

Grabbing a surfboard, local resident Cooper helped the tiring wallaby to the bank to safety.

Another local, Lenny, gave a hand to lift the animal up on to dry land, while our radio operators called the local WIRES team.

After a quick once-over, the healthy but tired wallaby was released into the scrub around the base where it had come from.

A great joint operation to save a life on the water!