The Marine Rescue Eden Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (SARCC), located at the Lookout on Bramble Street, will open its doors to the public during this weekend’s 2024 Eden Whale Festival.
Marine Rescue Eden Unit Commander, Roger Barson, said the open weekend would provide visitors with valuable insight into the heartbeat of Marine Rescue NSW’s radio communications and emergency response.
“The Marine Rescue NSW marine radio network spans from Eden all the way up the east coast to Point Danger on the Tweed and is operated by volunteers.
“Marine radio is the vital life-saving link between the land and the sea. When a boater requires assistance on the water, the voice of our highly skilled volunteer radio operators is often the first thing they hear in their time of need,” he said.
Unit Commander Barson said visitors to the Whale Festival and Sapphire Coast residents have a rare opportunity to tour the Marine Rescue Eden radio base, which is one of three Search and Rescue Coordination Centres on the Far South Coast.
“Marine Rescue Eden, Narooma, and Batemans Bay are all SARCCs, meaning they can act as command posts where key personnel from our partner agencies, like NSW Water Police, come together to coordinate and execute a multi-agency response,” he said.
Marine Rescue Eden volunteers from radio operations and vessel crew will conduct tours of the SARCC between 11am and 3pm on both Saturday, 19th October, and Sunday, 20th October.
“Visitors will see first-hand how our radio operators engage with boaters and gain a better understanding of why boaters should always Log On and Off with Marine Rescue NSW,” said Unit Commander Barson.
“All boaters are encouraged to Log On either via the free Marine Rescue NSW app or VHF Channel 16. Logging On provides peace of mind for boaters and ensures that if they do not return from their voyage as planned; our volunteers will start looking for them.
“The SARCC also overlooks Twofold Bay and provides a wonderful photo opportunity,” he said.
38 volunteers currently support Marine Rescue Eden and Commander Barson said more are needed to assist the boating community.
“Our daily radio operations are delivered by a highly skilled group of 13 radio operators and four watch officers.
“We definitely need more volunteers to be the voice of safety on our waterways. No experience is needed with Marine Rescue NSW providing full free training,” he said.
Marine Rescue Eden volunteers will also be on hand at the Barclay Sporting Complex on Saturday, 19th October, providing safe boating information.
Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.
