For more than 25 years Brent Malcolm has been an active member of Marine Rescue Central Coast.
Since joining MRCC (then known as the Royal Volunteer Coast Patrol) at the age of 16, he has gained experience and a wide range of qualifications and these days he works as a ferry master with Sydney Ferries.
“I’d always had an interest in boating and I wanted to do a bit of community service with Marine Rescue and it went on from there,” he said.
Malcolm has urged other Coasties to volunteer with Marine Rescue which is on the lookout for more help.
He has completed training and qualifications with MRCC over the years, from sea survival to marine radio operations and first aid.
Malcom said the biggest benefit of volunteering with the organisation was gaining knowledge and experience.
“Volunteering at MRCC is a good stepping stone for people wanting to step into the maritime industry – it leads you on a good path,” he said.
“And they’re a great bunch of people from all kinds of backgrounds.
“All of us- from young people to retirees – have the same common interests of helping out.”
Malcolm’s career has included delivering mail along the Hawkesbury River between Dangar Island and Marlow Creek near Spencer.
“Nowadays I do everything from safely navigating a vessel around Sydney Harbour to transporting people on the Parramatta River to Manly and anything in between,” he said.
“I’ve trained on just about everything in the ferry fleet – from Parramatta rivercats to the large Manly ferries.
“There’s always something changing on the harbour – from shipping movements and cruise ships coming in, to all kinds of recreational boats on the weekend.
“It certainly keeps you on your toes.
“The sunrises and sunsets on the water are incredible.”
Marine Rescue Central Coast’s hardworking team of volunteers works tirelessly and enthusiastically to save lives on the water – whether that’s on the Brisbane Water, the Hawkesbury River mouth/Broken Bay or wherever a rescue mission takes them, says Unit Commander Ian Morrow.
“We’ve seen the numbers go full throttle since COVID-19 restrictions ended and the number of operations we did in 2023 doubled,” Morrow said.
Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch applauded the efforts of Marine Rescue Central Coast, which is based out of Point Clare and manned by volunteers who are drawn together by their mission to save lives on the water.
“Thank you for the great work you do in all kinds of weather – from hair-raising, white-knuckle rescues in choppy seas to keeping locals and visitors safe on our beautiful Central Coast waterways,” she said.
“I encourage people to give volunteering for Marine Rescue a go – you never know what you could learn or experience; there are all manner of intangible benefits to be had from getting out and about and serving the community.”
Morrow said volunteers performed a myriad of tasks from manning the radio to fundraising.
“There’s no one skillset we’re after – our crew ranges from people as young as 16 to more senior members of our community and some of the most experienced boaties with decades on the water,” he said.
“The range of situations the group is called on to tackle means it is always on the lookout for volunteers.
“Our team of volunteers receive all the training they need to fill the required roles – from aspects of first aid to fire fighting and sea survival for vessel operators, to radio training for radio operators.
“Any experience that volunteers bring is valuable.
“Our business is as reliant on computer skills and life skills as most commercial businesses these days.
“Of course, on water or radio experience is desirable but we provide all necessary training for a new member to be able to fulfil an operational role and they can expect to be in training for at least six months.”
More information on how to become a volunteer can be found on the Marine Rescue Central Coast Facebook page.