Coast Guard receives grant funding

Shellharbour Coast Guard volunteers (l to r) Peter Kleft, Jacki Wiles and Bob Munkman, showing off the PFD life jackets to funded by a grant from the Australian Government

THE Shellharbour flotilla of the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard has shared in $1.85 million of Australian Government funding under Round 2 of the Governments Recreational Fishing Community Grants Programme.

Under Round 2 of the grants programme, the Shellharbour Volunteer Cost Guard will receive up to $3488 to purchase and install an eight-person inflatable life raft and a 406Mhz EPIRB (Emergency Positioning Indicator Radio Beacon) to act as safety equipment on their primary response vessel, plus two additional inflatable life jackets (PFDs) with personal 406Mhz EPIRBs for the crew members.

The Shellharbour Coast Guard grant was one of 59 projects funded by the programme across the country in this latest round of grants.

Australian Fisheries and Conservation Minister Senator Eric Abetz said that the programme is about making one of Australias favourite pastimes more accessible, more enjoyable and safer for all who participate.

Its about improving the local fishing spots, increasing participation rates and making fishing safer for all, said Sen Abetz.

According to the Shellharbour Volunteer Coast Guard the life raft and EPIRBs will make high risk search and rescue operations much safer for their crew who often put their lives at risk in heavy seas to recover boats in trouble and their crew.

We are very grateful to the Department of Fisheries and Forestry for looking favourably on our application for funding, said the Volunteer Coast Guards Paul Barker.

According to the Media Officer, Peter Kleft the Volunteer Coast Guard is a completely self funded volunteer group.

Because of our structure, we are restricted in our ability to raise funds directly through the more traditional channels of corporate sponsorship, said Mr Kleft.

Shellharbour Workers Club has been a terrific supporter, but apart from that, largely we have to rely on donations, our collection boxes in clubs and local businesses and our annual raffle in conjunction with Rotary.

We dont even seem to be able to gain any funding support from Shellharbour City Council.

We operate on extremely limited funds, so this grant is a real god-send and the additional safety it will provide will be greatly appreciated by our crew members.

The Shellharbour Volunteer Coast Guard has approximately 16 active volunteer members. It operates out of a demountable facility at Shellharbour boat harbour. Members are on call 24 hours, 7 days a week, all year round and respond to approximately 50 marine search and rescue operations each year.

According to Paul Barker, a significant number of these are fishermen and their boats who have got into trouble, usually in adverse weather and sea conditions.

Senator Abetz said that the third round of funding under the Recreational Fishing Community Grants Programme was now open for submission and would close on July 28, 2006.

Further information on how to apply, as well as information on the programme itself is available at www.daff.gov.au/recfishinggrants or by emailing fishinggrants@daff.gov.au.