Volunteer opportunities with Coast Guard

The Coast Guard is a RTO and train volunteers in radio, critical missions in search and rescue from the age of 18

The Coast Guard is a RTO and train volunteers in radio, critical missions in search and rescue from the age of 18

This month, your local Coast Guard would like to talk to you about volunteer membership.

Our operations form part of the Emergency Services network that serves to keep the community safe, in our case assisting people while on the water. Unlike some of our partner organisations, we are staffed entirely by volunteers.

You can join the Coast Guard as a volunteer member from the age of 18 and stay for life if you wish. Our members, while mostly retired, are from all age groups, and have a wide range of life experiences.

You may be interested in boating, or maybe just wanting to help your community. There are many ways Coast Guard can use your talents and offer a wide range of activities that will give you the rich reward of self-satisfaction.

Our base station in Tin Can Bay is open 12 hours a day, every day of the year, and while open, operates a radio listening watch for vessels while at sea.

You can become a trained radio operator with no previous boating experience or knowledge, with all your training undertaken at the base at no cost to you.

Once qualified, you can be allocated a morning or afternoon radio shift, talking to local and travelling boaties who may log on with us or merely request local or weather information.

Alternately, you may want to train as rescue boat crew. Providing you can swim, you can start with lifelong boating knowledge, or none at all.

As a Registered Training Organisation, you can gain recognised qualifications and undertake critical missions in search and rescue operations. Over the years, many people have been saved by our service.

New volunteers might also want to help in other ways, such as fundraising, administration or maintenance. These jobs are vital to our existence.

If you are looking to do some worthwhile volunteering in your community, we would love to talk to you about joining us. Please call the base on 5486 4290 or email fao.qf17@coastguard.com.au

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