How Bundaberg’s vital volunteer rescue service will use $10k in funding

“Any vessel that’s overdue or any major search and rescue is a life and death situation”. Bundaberg VMR President shares importance of service, funding.

Bundaberg MP Tom Smith and Bundaberg VMR president Erwin Hoffman are excited about the local VMR receiving $10,000 in funding from the State Government.

For those in distress on the water, the team of volunteers at Bundaberg VMR are a saving grace.

On Friday, the local marine heroes received $10,000 from the Queensland Government to help keep them afloat.

Bundaberg MP Tom Smith said the funding was part of the Blue Water Review results which would see more than $470,000 spread across the state.

He said this was fantastic for the team of great volunteers in Bundaberg who dedicated their time to making our waterways safer.

“This $10,000 is going to go towards making sure that they can put some money into upgrading their radio systems, upgrading their GPS and navigation systems as well; which is going to be fantastic because if you're out there, on the water and you need help, you know that the VMR team are going to be there for you,” he said.

Bundaberg VMR president Erwin Hoffman said they welcomed any funding from the government or community organisations.

“We’re a full volunteer organisation and this funding will be a relief for us as we’ve been unable to hold out Family Fishing Classic, which is our major fundraiser for the last two years,” he said.

“That normally brings us in $80,000 which funds our vessel as well as a number of other items; but we’ll certainly be welcoming that $10,000.”

Mr Hoffman said they were in the process of upgrading their radio communications equipment and have a damaged equipment repaired and the money would help offset the repair costs.

The Bundaberg VMR patch extends beyond Lady Elliot and Lady Musgrave and around to Indian Head on the eastern side of Fraser Island, Mr Hoffman said the area was about 4000 square km.

Bundaberg MP Tom Smith and Bundaberg VMR president Erwin Hoffman are excited about the local VMR receiving $10,000 in funding from the State Government.

He said they provided a search and rescue platform in a very large waterway, while also providing a service for their members for engine failure or when they run out of fuel.

“Any vessel that’s overdue or any major search and rescue is a life and death situation,” he said.

“We certainly have attended a number of tragic events even in recent times where people have gone overboard on vessels and they have not been found, or they’ve been found deceased.”

Mr Hoffman said over the course of a year, the Bundaberg VMR averaged about one rescue/mission per week.

“That’s not to say that we go out on the water every single week; some weeks we might have four rescues in one week and then we don’t do anything for the (next) four weeks,” he said.

“We train consistently every week.”

Mr Smith said coming from a boating family, he knew how important VMR was.

“My dad used to run a houseboat company and he would always talk about that need to have VMR out there, so when people are stuck on sandbanks and they need that extra hand, he would always tell me about how wonderful it was to know that VMR was there,” he said.

“So not only are they supporting your recreational boaties, but your commercial industries as well.”

For anyone interested in joining the Bundaberg VMR team, contact the radio base between 6am and 6pm on any day.

For those seeking to join the crew on the vessel, VMR provide national standard training.