Sydney beaches and coastline from Botany to Bondi will continue to be patrolled by Surf Rescue 30’s new offshore rescue boat, with the launch of the City of Randwick IV on 10 February.
The Hon Matt Thistlethwaite, Member for Kingsford Smith, joined more than 80 of SR30’s friends and supporters and the President of SLSNSW Peter Agnew ESM to christen the new vessel. It was celebrated by crew past and present, including founding member of the jet boat operation at Malabar in 1968, Andy Tuite, who built the original shed where the base still stands today.
Surf Rescue 30 has transformed the base into the Sydney Branch Support Operations hub, centralising operations with two SLSNSW Support Operations jetskis, Duty Officers and the original Surf Rescue 30 Offshore Rescue Boat.
The new vessel is a 2400 Series Fibreglass Noosa Cat with twin 150hp Yamaha Engines and has a cruising operational range of more than 10 hours. It normally operates with a coxswain, driver and one or two rescue swimmers.
The vessel is owned by primary sponsor Randwick City Council, in an arrangement which is now 30 years old and has supplied the previous three offshore rescue boats. The callsign “Surf Rescue 30” dates back to the summer of 1969, when a group of volunteer lifesavers saw the need for a specialised, stable craft that could operate around the rocky coastline and deep coastal bays in the Randwick area.
The new vessel is equipped with the latest radar and search and rescue imaging and mapping systems, safety gear and radio communications capability. It carries a variety of retrieval and paramedical lifesaving equipment including oxygen, defibs, trauma first aid and rescue gear.
The crew are all highly experienced and trained surf lifesavers and between them, the SR30 skippers have given almost 300 years of service to Surf Life Saving.
President of SLSNSW Peter Agnew said he was pleased that the members of SR30 would continue to keep people safe along Sydney’s coastline.
“After an incredible 55 years, it’s great to see the community and council support for the service is still strong and that these dedicated volunteers have a new, highly capable and well-equipped vessel from which to operate.”
Surf Rescue 30 Skippers
Brad Taylor ESM
Jake McDonald
Jedd Goggins
Doug Lucas
Steven Chesher
Tresne Chesher ESM
Karl Solomonson OAM
Richard Lissenden ESM
Clive Stiff
Wednesday 14 February 2024
