Boating safety on the Murray River near Moama has received a significant boost with the arrival of a 200 Series Toyota LandCruiser to the Marine Rescue NSW Moama unit.
L to R – Darren Woods MRNSW Moama, Helen Dalton MP and Luke Sharrock Unit Commander MRNSW Moama.
The acquisition of the vehicle was made possible through a NSW Government Community Building Partnerships Grant for $86,046.
Member for Murray, Helen Dalton said that the NSW State Government was delighted to support the Marine Rescue Moama unit in its vital work of saving lives on the State’s iconic Murray River.
“Here in Murray we are surrounded by rivers and waterways and it is essential to have a well-resourced emergency service,” Mrs Dalton said.
“The arrival of this vehicle is great news and even though we hope to never have to use this service, it is comforting to know it is well equipped for emergencies.”
“Marine Rescue Moama met the criteria for the Community Building Partnerships grant and are an important volunteer organisation within the community landscape,” the member for Murray said.
Marine Rescue Moama Unit Commander Luke Sharrock said the vehicle would be used to tow the unit’s primary response vessel, Moama 20.
“The addition of a second rescue vehicle doubles our capacity to respond to more remote locations, enabling us to have two vessels in the water at the same time,” Mr Sharrock said.
The Moama Unit Commander said that Marine Rescue volunteers have provided significant on-water support to the NSW State Emergency Service’s flood response.
“This support has highlighted the need for an additional rescue vehicle to enable the unit to more quickly and safely transport our primary rescue vessel to the scene of remote incidents.”
Mr Sharrock was grateful for the support of the NSW Government which he said will help keep local and visiting boaters to the region safer.
“The arrival of this vehicle will provide a significant increase to the ability of the unit to respond to incidents both in Moama and further afield.
“It will enable us to not only quickly and safely tow Moama 20 to where it is needed, but also to transport four crew members and their equipment.”
“The recent floods showed the need for another vehicle and now having a second one at our disposal will make a significant impact in our mission of saving lives on the water.
