by Lisa Ashurst

The International Day for Women in Maritime on Sunday 18 May presented a great opportunity for Marine Rescue Bermagui to invite the community into their Bermagui radio base, where they could see how the base is set up, experience the daily operations first-hand from volunteers working their shifts and sit down for a chat with our local Marine Rescue volunteers about the work they do.

But the day was really about the women who bring their expertise to maritime service organisations and so was mainly focused around recognising and celebrating the contributions women make to the industry, right across the board. Those on the team at Marine Rescue Bermagui saw the day as an excellent opening to talk to other women in the community about the opportunities that an organisation like Marine Rescue can offer them as volunteers.

Marine Rescue provides training across a broad spectrum of roles, from radio operators to those wishing to further their training towards joining the boat crew. The roles offer great opportunities for volunteers to continue to learn and develop new skills while performing a valuable service.

And, for Marine Rescue Bermagui, the day proved to be a success with a number of (mainly) women turning up to have a good look over the base and talk to our volunteers over a cuppa and a tasty selection of snacks. Hopefully, when they left, they did so with a greater understanding of just how much women can bring to the table via volunteering in the maritime industry and the unique skill-sets and training available to them.

Many women have found their niche in the maritime industry and the industry is all the richer for their efforts.

Image: Visitors on the rescue vessel in Bermagui harbour