Marine Rescue's Jervis Bay unit has put together its first ever all-female crew to operate its lead vessel off Huskisson.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It came as Marine Rescue NSW encouraged ,ore women to volunteer at their local bases across the state.
Jervis Bay's all-female crew came together for a patrol and marine drill exercise to mark International Women's Day.
Experienced sailor Jean Cane was master onboard JB 41 with crew members Fran Koster, Janet Boardman, Cheryl Fogarty and Kristy Jones.
Ms Cane has skippered vessels around the world for more than 25 years and began volunteering for Marine Rescue Jervis Bay after relocating from Sydney last year.
"I came down to live at Jervis Bay and saw the Marine Rescue base there," she said.
"I just wanted to help other mariners out there because I've got the skills and I can do so."
Ms Cane said heading up the all-female crew was a great way to showcase the unit's strength, and hoped it would inspire more women to join Marine Rescue.
READ MORE:
"The males in the base, everybody in the base has helped train me as a female on the crew," she said
"People give a lot of time, they get out there at weekends and do extra time at night.
"Both male and female, very supportive bunch of people, you'll always get help when you're going through your training, it's great," Ms Cane said.
Illawarra Zone Duty Operations Manager Stuart Massey was in awe of the women who crewed Jervis Bay 41.
"It's a complex boat, the women handled that without any problems whatsoever and it's always impressive to see a group of women on the water like that volunteering to save lives," he said.
Mr Massey said Marine Rescue offered the same opportunities for all volunteers.
"Whether that be on the boats, whether that be in the radio room or whether that be helping us with fundraising, the more people we have in there the safer the mariners of NSW will be," he said.
"I would encourage women to get involved with Marine Rescue NSW, give them the opportunity to get out on the water, help other people out there if the need arises and even look at an opportunity to progress a maritime career," Mr Massey said.
Just over a quarter of Marine Rescue's 3,296 volunteers across NSW are female, with the agency encouraging more women to get involved in its mission of saving lives on the water.
