The building we call home is in urgent need of repair. Sand erosion from recent storms has combined with natural subsidence to undermine the Unit Commander’s office, training area, and electrical room. These areas are currently cordoned off and remain unusable until we can negotiate structural repairs with our landlords. Whilst we expect the NSW government to cover the bulk of cost, we must still raise the funds to pay for engineering assessments and other preliminary activities which runs to several thousands of dollars.

10/10/15 Update: We have lodged the REF for the base repair projects with NSW Roads & Maritime Services.

In 2014 we received financial support from head office to purchase a pontoon berth for MH30, an essential safety requirement to enable level access for transferring casualties ashore regardless of the level of the tide. In 2015 we must complete this project by replacing the remains of the original jetty as the original timber has deteriorated to the point where it is becoming unsafe.

The Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) has become an essential part of our on-board first aid inventory, and is the single most important piece of equipment for the emergency treatment of patients suffering from cardiac arrest. Considering the volume of pedestrians and vehicular traffic outside our front door, the off-the-beach sailing and paddling at our back door, and the sometimes strenuous in-water training our members undertake off our pontoon, we are currently seeking a grant to obtain another AED to be kept on the base at the Spit.

We are entertaining an offer to replace the now obsolete C-Series multi-function displays on Middle Harbour 30 with up-to-date E-Series units. The multi-function displays are the lynchpin of Middle Harbour 30’s navigation and SAR systems as they provide the user interface for electronic charts, GPS position, depth sounder, RADAR, AIS, and FLIR (infra-red camera). The streamlined and intuitive menu systems and facility to import search pattern coordinates provided by the police make the E-Series a much more suitable choice for our operations. Raymarine has offered a generous upgrade price, and we now seek funding to purchase the replacement and cover the installation costs.

In 2014 we replaced part of our old failing jetty with a a pontoon berth for MH30, an essential safety requirement to enable level access for transferring casualties ashore regardless of the level of the tide. We left most of the piles and walkway of the old jetty in place as we simply didn’t have the funds to remove them, and as we only had a single operational rescue vessel, there was no urgency to remove the failing structure. Now that the new MH20 has arrived, we must reprioritise the removal of the old structure to make room for an enlarged sea-pen which will berth the new boat. (The sea-pen is a type of “dry dock” for storing small boats out of the water to prevent corrosion and marine growth). We are seeking support to remove the old timber piles and walkway that run parallel to the shoreline in front of our base. Please contribute or contact us if you would like to assist.