Margaret River Volunteer Marine Rescue Group in Gracetown, Western Australia | Community organisation

Margaret River Volunteer Marine Rescue Group

Locality: Gracetown, Western Australia

Phone: +61 455 306 285

Address: Salter Street 6284 Gracetown, WA, Australia

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• Non-profit organisation
• Community organisation

25.01.2022 DFES SAFETY CIRCULAR 05/2019 SAFE FACILITATION OF FLARE DEMONSTRATIONS

24.01.2022 Some more photos from Australia Day - many thanks to our members who helped show off our appliances and, of course, looked good doing it!

21.01.2022 https://www.facebook.com/MarineSafetyWA/videos/2615531108678417/?t=9

21.01.2022 Commercial deckie, gaffed foot. 10 miles west of Cow bay. Approx out and back in 30 mins at 30 knots. Easy pickup and a bag of Bronzie to sweeten the trip. OK - he wins!!!!

20.01.2022 HELICOPTER TRAINING BUSSELTON Busselton Marine Rescue hosted 4 Marine Rescue groups and the RAC Rescue 652 Helicopter at their rescue shed last Sunday. Margaret River, Naturaliste, Busselton and Bunbury sent boats to train in winching to and from the rescue chopper, patient water recovery, helo paramedic recovery and helo communications. Fantastic weather on the day made the exercise fun, exciting and very informative. Having the Bell Iroquois Rescue chopper hovering about a meter above the boat cabin really brought the moment into reality, the noise, spray and wind was like being in the middle of a cyclone. Well done to the Marine Rescue Margaret River Boat crew for turning out on a Sunday for an exemplary display of seamanship and carrying out a great exercise.

20.01.2022 Marine Rescue Exmouth and Onslow responded to an emergency call recently after friends woke on shore to find their boat had capsized over night! Rusty Ellis, C...ommander of Marine Rescue Exmouth who initially received the emergency call, said that while the pair had anchored correctly, and were well equipped, a change in the weather conditions caused the vessel to capsize. Both lads came away from the incident unscathed and happy (despite losing their boat), as all their equipment and belongings were saved, including their esky of fish Rusty said that Marine Rescue Groups will always have the communitys back, and are adhering to the latest COVID-19 regulations, so asks that people still respect the social distancing rules when out on the water. He also reminds people to Have your equipment up to date, let your local Marine Rescue Group know when youre heading out, and stay safe! If youre taking your boat out this weekend to enjoy the sunshine find your nearest Marine Rescue Group below and make sure you log on: https://bit.ly/2YnAOcM

20.01.2022 Good job guys and girls

20.01.2022 Great turnout for our monthly training saw a full boat compliment and an over sponsored ski crew head out into a 20kn S Westerley with an evil little chop running in front of it. We practiced pick-up and drop off from the jet ski to the boat and water retrieval of hyperthermic and systolic susceptible patients. The weather and sea conditions made it a challenge maintaining contact between the vessels and patients in the water but with one of our newer members on the helm we n...ailed every pick-up, nice work Sahira! Great work from the boat crew and jet ski crew for this months training in slightly unpleasant, but necessary training conditions. Thanks also to Geoff, Michael, Trish and Bill for sacrificing a boat ride to update the multiple forms, requests, compliance issues and organise the office into some semblance of order... and cook some killer snags for a hungry crew! Also - welcome back Lucie from her long covid travels - good to have her back safe and well! Border Protection. 0439976240 See more

19.01.2022 $1200 TRAVEL PACK Tickets $5. Postage $1. Permit LS213915619 Here's how...1. Deposit into our fundraising account BSB 036127 A/C 151054. Put your Name on the deposit. 2. Email ([email protected] with your name and address and we will check your... deposit and post your tickets. 3. Plan your holiday ! First Prize is a travel voucher redeemable at Flight Centre Margaret River to the value of $1200. The voucher is intended to be used on the Flight Centre Exclusives Package of your choice. At the time of writing, the travel voucher value is sufficient to purchase a 5 night package in Bali for two people, however the winner is free to use the voucher to a destination of their choice. The graphics and descriptions used in promoting this raffle are for illustration purposes only and don't restrict the travel package the winner may choose. The prize winner is free to optimise the travel package by selecting travel times and destinations that suit their circumstances and offer best value for money. Contact Flight Centre Margaret River to discuss the options available. Be aware that package prices rise during peak periods. Your voucher will offer better value for money outside peak holiday times. Flight Centre Margaret River can be contacted on 08 9757 2144. See more

19.01.2022 A great weekend had by all at the 2020 Eagle Bay Epic, a huge thanks to Naturaliste and Fremantle MR’s for their expertise on the water. Thank you to Margaret River Marine Rescue for your energy and bird feeding skills. Special thanks to the guy carrying the oranges! For those who don't know - the Epic is a 2 day event with individuals and teams competing in a huge run/ ride/ swim and paddle: 23km Mountain Bike... 2km Ocean Swim 13.5km Paddle 12.5km Trail Run 300m team run to the finish line Our Marine Rescue groups provide support for the swim and paddle legs with jetskis and water craft - as well as spotters on land, to cover injured or tired competitors. Our members are all trained in First Aid, one member is a paramedic, all large vessels carry First Aid/ Oxygen/ Defibrilator equipment and there is ambulance/ paramedic/ doctor support on shore. On the paddle and combined swim legs there were up to 300 people in the water stretched over 13km - well done everybody! For those members who were not able to attend last weekend we are looking for crew for the interagency training course set for the 15th November - please let our secretary know ASAP

18.01.2022 A committed Jet Ski Crew turned out on Sunday in atrocious conditions to conduct a wave training session at a spot South of Gracetown. Training in reading the waves, beach landing and beach launching, punching through broken waves and lost ski retrieval when the broken wave gets the better of the crew.... awesome day. Thanks to Lucie Barthe for time she has spent with us and best wishes for her short trip home to France. We look forward to seeing her back on the Ski Team for ...Summer. Thanks to DMC Repellors fins for supplying the Ski Team with rescue fins. We can wear these fins all day with no discomfort and they fit in the gunnels of the Ski without fouling movement. Bloody good bit of kit. Jock Salkeld Border Protection Firebreaks and Slashing 043 997 6240

17.01.2022 Last weekend Bill and Michael stood in very humid, unfriendly weather down at the Gnarabup boat ramp, selflessly giving up their day to sell raffle tickets for our group. Over recent years we have relied mostly on operational funding through DFES to keep our bank balances in the black. In past years we did quite a bit of fundraising with raffles/ sausage sizzles/ quiz nights etc (thanks Maxine) but these activities have slowly ground to a halt. So a big thank you to Bill for... initiating something new and to Michael for supporting these endeavours to keep us in beer! Along with training/ seminars/ DFES initiatives/ support for community swims etc, fundraising is hugely important not just for our finances but to raise awareness of our activities in helping our community, educating the public on marine safety and attracting new members. We all have lives and families but next fundraiser please consider helping out - even just for an hour or two. As it turns out all money from tickets sold will have to go to replacing Bill's 95kg rated chair which Michael shamelessly smashed with his abundant frame. Have a great weekend everybody!

17.01.2022 After the busy season the past couple of weeks at Esperance a combined Services BBQ was held for the searchers, support staff and included partners of Police, P...olice Divers, Marine Rescue, State Emergency Service, Fisheries, Air Observers, Port Authority,Surf Lifesaving and Department of Transport. Police Air Wing flew divers into Esperance along with ROV equipment. With all the bush fires (still ongoing) to the north of Esperance and the holidays, the remaining volunteers were a little stretched as a lot of Marine Rescue Volunteers are also involved with SES. Well done to all. Now the paper war begins. See more

16.01.2022 I have 6 PLB's and 3 EPIRB's registered with AMSA and all our PFD's are fitted with them including lights, strobes and whistles and all crew wear them on rough passages during the day and ALWAYS at night. Plus we have 3 point tethers so we are always clipped on when moving around the boat and jacklines for clipping onto. He was organised - and very lucky! Geoff Constantine - Vice Commander

15.01.2022 What a motly looking crew - lucky Lucie was there to lift the bar. However - just the people you would be happy to see if you were bobbing around in the water by yourself!!!

15.01.2022 BUSY WEEKEND FOR MARINE EMERGENCIES Police and marine rescue teams have had a busy weekend with multiple rescues along the coast including of a man ...swept off rocks and a kayaker who spent the night lost off Naval Base. WA Police released this list of incidents where people have had narrow escapes (some vessels weren't so lucky). SUNDAY 12:00 noon Stranded kayaker located 2 nautical miles off the coast of Naval Base. He went out fishing last night from North Coogee but became disoriented and was unable to return to shore. He had a life jacket but no other emergency equipment. Found cold and in distress. SUNDAY 11:25am 28yo man swept off Sugar Loaf Rocks, Cape Naturaliste. He was wearing a life jacket but was struggling to stay afloat and reach the rocks. A member of the public had a drone and it was deployed to help guide a police officer to the man's location along the rocks. The police officer, wearing a life-ring, climbed across the rocks and helped the man out of the water. SUNDAY 11.10am Water Police intercepted a MAYDAY call from a vessel off the coast of Karratha, Western Australia. The vessel had struck a navigation buoy injuring two men. Three adults and two children on board at the time. Two recreation vessels also helped. A medical professional was on board one of the private vessels and was able to assist. The injured men were later helped by St John Ambulance. SUNDAY 10:15am Water Police intercepted a MAYDAY call from a vessel taking on water about 4 nautical miles west of Garden Island. EPIRB activated. Police Air Wing (helicopter) and vessels from Water Police, Dept of Transport, Marine Rescue Cockburn and Marine Rescue Fremantle deployed. Two people on board. Vessel towed to shore. BOAT FIRE SATURDAY 3:10pm Boat was on fire at Sticks Channel, Mandurah, Western Australia. Five people from the vessel had been removed from the boat by passers-by. Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA and Dept of Transport tried to put out the blaze but the vessel sank.

15.01.2022 Hhhmm - Cocos or Christmas - tough decision!

15.01.2022 We took the opportunity yesterday to have a wander around the fuel reduction burn conducted by DBCA in the Wooditjup National Park back in November/December. ... That burn occurred less than two months ago. Have a look at the emergent re-growth. That's the direct result of a precision low intensity cool burn from DBCA fire crews. They managed a low intensity, slow creeping fire over a few weeks in difficult terrain in diverse forest types. They kept the fire out of the canopy and allowed for animal species to move and hide. It's important to see this stuff and understand how the bush works following a low intensity fire. And appreciate the importance of reducing fuel loads so close to the Margaret River townsite. We found frogs, lizards, kangaroo and red tailed black cockatoos within a few minutes walk. The bush was alive. And loving a big drink of water after 50+mm of rain! Very few, if any, of those animals would have survived a mid-summer wildfire in the same bush. It was a huge effort by DBCA crew to get this fuel reduction work done to help protect Margaret River township from catastrophic summer wildfire and we're here to say a big thanks and double thumbs on behalf of the community

14.01.2022 That was me (Geoff Constantine) about a month ago - let me know how your guy went with a gaff in his foot!!!! Bet he wasn't happy by the time you got him back to shore! I just bit mine out so I didn't damage it and I could use it again!!

14.01.2022 Marine Rescue Bremer Bay along with Great Southern Police were out and about for an exercise yesterday, followed by Sea Survival training. The Exercise went we...ll trialling a Communications plan Utilising the WAERN radio which has the ability for all services and agencies to communicate on the single channel. Thanks to the Marine Rescue Bremer Bay Group for a good day!!

13.01.2022 Now - being in VMR on Cocos Island would be a great gig!

13.01.2022 A very interesting training session was held at the Bunbury Helicopter Rescue base last Saturday. Attendees from Marine Rescue groups in Mandurah, Bunbury, Busselton and Margaret River were trained in Helo Winching, CPR, Wound Care, Defibrillator use and Range and capabilities of the Bell Iraquoi twin engine Rescue Chopper 652, the sister machine to Rescue 651 based further North.

13.01.2022 Now that we have Lucie on board we no longer do this luckily!

11.01.2022 Yes - crutch straps work!

10.01.2022 Marine Rescue had a call from MR Police last night with information that a Jetski was at anchor approximately 500m offshore near an isolated surf break North of Gracetown. Our On Scene Commander tasked a member to the cliffs overlooking the location and three members to Gracetown to prepare our 7.5m Naiad, RV Brems, for a possible launch. A quick check of the boatramp carpark showed no vehicle with ski trailer we had no way to contact the crew or family. As the sun had just ...kissed the horizon and with no confirmation as to whether we had a broken down ski that had been anchored and the crew swum to shore or something more serious, we decided to launch and make our way 10 minutes North to confirm a registration and possible situation. We needed our clifftop spotter to find the ski in the quickly fading light and a quick flyby showed the ski to be securely anchored, the kill switch lanyard removed and the water depth more or less safe for the estimated swell size. As we ascertained no imminent risk of life we left the scene as it was now black and very difficult to see. Our very capable helmsman Kimbo 'Captain Edward Smith' and Jarrod 'Radar' Masotto on the nav system and radio coms guided us home with confidence and ease. 'Major Tom' at Seafari Base kept us under radio surveillance and safe from the Kraken. Please inform local Police if you have to abandon a boat, jetski, surfboard, kite, etc as not everyone knows the situation and it can save a late night callout. Border Protection. 0439976240

09.01.2022 Just another training day for our intrepid team - light onshore/ moderate swell - ho hum!

08.01.2022 Well - I may trade in my Apple phone!

06.01.2022 Training/ training/ training!!!

06.01.2022 Also - a special thanks to Shannon Stent for allowing us to use his timely photos!

06.01.2022 Well done to all involved in yesterdays incident. A quick and efficient response by all members helped avert a double tragedy. Up to 10 members on the morning of a national remembrance day mobilised very quickly to help launch our two jet skis in very wild and dangerous conditions with, 1.5m waves breaking right up the jetty.... Members also provided phone and land support and liaison with authorities. Still other members were making ready to launch the RV Brems if needed and plans were being prepared for a prolonged search, as we have done on many occasions. In this case the front line crews made a wise and practical decision to take the conscious victim to the beach at Contos where he was able to receive almost immediate paramedic attention. The second person was also located and brought to shore, alleviating the need to put lives and resources at risk in a search perhaps lasting days. The first victim was interviewed on television last night looking none the worse for wear - but being with him when he was loaded into the ambulance with what appeared to be severe hypothermia - there is no doubt that the timely arrival of our frontline crews on the jetskis helped save a life. Also, thanks to Augusta Marine Rescue who launched and were coming around the corner in terrible conditions to help. Be proud of yourselves everybody - we don't get the serious call outs often but you all stepped up yesterday - again - good job!

06.01.2022 Ivan Parker (DFES District Manager Marine Services) has spent most of last week with us helping organise the 10 year major refit to our primary vessel. Ivan also attended our Management Meeting, coordinated a Basic Navigation Course for around 6 - 8 interested members and took us through an induction course for our primary vessel and all associated equipment. A big thank you to Ivan for his efforts and help in guiding our group through the bureaucracy, training and equipment... necessary to provide the community with a safe and efficient marine rescue service. Below is an excerpt from our secretary's minutes and some photos of our induction day: 'Ivan Parker chaired a vessel refit meeting prior to the Management Meeting. An extensive list of items and points of information (which I have retained in note form) were discussed and tentatively agreed upon. Ivan has undertaken to draft a list of these items and forward to the group in due course. Ivan scheduled a Basic Navigation Course to be conducted on Saturday 04 July at Gracetown, for which a number of members have made nominated themselves to attend. Ivan also made himself available on Sunday 05 July for a vessel induction day focusing on vessel and associated gear, as well as signing off on Darren and Jocks trainers qualifications. He was also to endorse our SMS manuals. Geoff Constantine reported that the induction day was very useful, and informative. It was conducted by Jock and overseen by Ivan. Various issues that were raised during the refit meeting were further discussed onboard and around the vessel where the gear and situation could be closely examined.'

06.01.2022 Yesterday Patricia, Mark, Jock, Darren, Chris, Glen and Geoff went down to Augusta to trial new helmets/ comm's headsets for the jetskis as well as discuss Augusta's imminent boat refit. Early judgment on the helmets is good - even though Jock managed to damage the $1000 kit in 5 minutes on the water! Anyone take photos of the new helmets? - They are bright red/ look cool and have inflating inners to stop head shake and chafing. Have to take the left hand off the steering to ...operate a press button for comm's but seem very practical overall. (and they are red!) Thanks to Anders (IT Specialist) from Fremantle Marine Rescue for spending his Saturday allowing us to trial their helmets. We also discussed the refit - over cold beverages, a warm fire and complimentary prawns and whitebait courtesy of Colourpatch cafe - thanks again for your generous hospitality and thanks to Augusta Marine Rescue for inviting us down - very hard act to follow if we have you up here! If you are heading out for a drive with the family the (not so) new Colourpatch is warm, friendly, great view and food! We will have a debrief on the outcomes for helmets and our boat refit at the next meeting. See more

05.01.2022 Perhaps inappropriate to use this platform for social media - BUT it is a boat and it is on the ocean. Just an update on where one of your intrepid members has been for the past 3 months - flaffing about in the Whitsundays, then up to Thursday Island and across to Darwin. Boat is now in Darwin getting R&R and planning on the next leg up to Raja Ampat off N/W New Guinnea (Irian Jia) Next year down through the Kimberley and back to Perth. Cheers Geoff Constantine

05.01.2022 On the 8th June Sea Soaring Marine's Wayne Baddock took members through a simulated night deployment by masking up the wind screens and relying on instruments for all navigation tasks. It is really quite demanding and also daunting the first couple of nights when the sun goes down and you realise you are out on the ocean in the pitch black with only your instruments and night vision to keep you safe and on course. Night vision is hard to describe or understand - except when you lose it - usually to someone shining their head torch at you by mistake - all vision is diminished for up to 15 minutes - which can be crucial to your safety sometimes! Our members handled it with customary humour and professionalism! Thanks Wayne.

04.01.2022 Marine Rescue Bremer Bay along with Great Southern Police we’re out and about for an exercise yesterday, followed by Sea Survival training. The Exercise went we...ll trialling a Communications plan Utilising the WAERN radio which has the ability for all services and agencies to communicate on the single channel. Thanks to the Marine Rescue Bremer Bay Group for a good day!!

03.01.2022 Lives were saved on the water today as the skipper of a vessel had a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) attached to his life jacket when their fishing boat capsized.... The PLB notified authorities and the men were located by a local charter vessel and assisted by Marine Rescue #fb This update came from the Jurien Bay Police on Twitter

03.01.2022 Taken at the Emergency Services Sundowner held by Surfing WA on the 2nd June. Our most deserving member, Lucie Barthe, received this years award for her incredible enthusiasm and dedication to our group. Certainly an inspiration who puts her hand up tirelessly for rosters, training, maintenance and intergroup exercises. Well done Lucie!

03.01.2022 Late morning conferlink callout from our fearless Commander found Daring Darren, Jolly Jeff, Dastardly Dan and Jovial Jock preparing to crew The Black Pearl.... err RV Brems to assist a broken down jetski foundering on rocks North of Gracetown Bay. With the assistance of Indomitable Inger, A Team Andy and Timbo on the phone we launched in good time and shot around to the North to find the ski high out of the water on the rocks and her crew of 2 safely awaiting assistance. Dar...ing Darren entered the water with a double back belly flop in pike position and swam the tow rope in 50m through a gnarly little shorebreak onto the boulders where the ski was waiting. Jolly Jeff and Daring Dan practiced the 'if you can't tie knots, tie lots' part of cub scouts that we all missed and snelled another length of tow line on so we could clear the inshore reefs and get some clear water to pull the ski off. A couple of squirts of the big 150hp Yamaha's and the ski popped off the rocks like the top off a King Brown on a hot day. Daring Darren escorted the stricken ski crew out to the waiting boat, crew and ski secured safely we made our way back to base incident free where the Indomitable A Team were waiting to load us which they did in record time. Amazeballs! Thanks to the Marine Rescue boat crew and land spotters for a great, safe operation. Border Protection. 0439976240 See more

02.01.2022 We have take-off! We are so excited with today's announcement that Jetstar Australia will be commencing a Melbourne - Busselton service from 25 March 2020. Y...es, you heard correctly! As of March next year, you'll be able to fly directly from Melbourne into The Margaret River Region. To celebrate, Jetstar Australia are offering some special airfares from just $89*. What are you waiting for? Come visit this beautiful part of Western Australia. #MelbsToMargs #margaretriver #AustraliasSouthWest #thisisWA #JetstarAustralia #busseltonmargaretriverairport #busselton *conditions apply, see the Jetstar website for full details. https://www.jetstar.com//melbourne-busselton-margaret-river?

01.01.2022 HAPPY STRAYA' DAY EVERYBODY - I hope it was safe, fun and full of lamingtons and pavlova: Fran Temby of MR Rotary and Bill Ivory Grants Officer of MRMR Fran is Community Director of Margaret River Rotary. Margaret River Rotary have been generous supporters of Margaret River Marine Rescue ,captured here at the MR Lions Australia Day Breakfast.

01.01.2022 It's awhile ago now - but thanks to Mark Ivers from Redgate Building and his team of local trades for a complete make over of the Cowaramup shed - all new sheeting and roof as well as internal improvements - good job. We are also in the process of applying for an extension to this shed to enable safer access to current cramped areas and also increase vessel and towing vehicle sizes to take our group forward for the next 10 years. Thanks everybody!

01.01.2022 Mayday - We're Sinking This was the first call picked up by our Radio Operators yesterday afternoon. On replying and asking for a position, all the vessel was ...able to say was 26 degrees 39 minutes, before the radio went dead. Our Blue Sunday Crew was at the Base and so were directed to get underway ASAP and head out on that Latitude to search for survivors. After heading out past Pt Cartwright the crew, with skippers Ray Rahn and Steve Doulgeris aboard, received a call from the Water Police that an EPIRB had been activated and so the full position was now known. We had a vessel on our Radio Log that had indicated they were going to approximately the EPIRB position to fish and so it was possible that this vessel was the one that had sunk. On arriving at the location, a search was commenced and the two men, wearing inflatable lifejackets and clinging to an esky, were spotted by the crew and retrieved from the water. They were given dry clothes and blankets and brought back to Mooloolaba and checked by the paramedics. As it turned out, this was the boat that we had on our Log and he had actually joined as a Marine Assist Supporter and logged on that morning, so now we knew there were only two people on board. As far as we know, both are feeling better today and appreciated our help so much that the skipper came in this afternoon and made a donation to QF6 and left some beer for the crew. It's great to be appreciated, so thanks a lot. A great result for everyone involved and a fantastic effort by our crew.