Past and present Albany Sea Rescue Squad members celebrate 50 years of assisting those in need on the water

Albany Sea Rescue Squad members gathered on Saturday afternoon to celebrate 50 years of the group operating in Albany waters, with plenty of stories told of rescues over the years.

The squad’s Emu Point headquarters were full to the brim as the group recognised the impressive milestone and reflected on the challenges and highlights of the last five decades.

Colin Bairstow, a past president of the squad who joined in 1974, said members who had been involved with the ASRS for a number of years had seen big changes in their time.

He said the changes that have made the biggest impacts have been upgrades to equipment and technology, including new vessels like the $600,000 Rescue 1 craft the team have been operating since 2016.

Mr Bairstow said with the smaller vessels the squad used to operate, a trip out to Salmon Holes could take more than an hour, but with the new high-powered boat, the squad’s response time had been cut down to less than 20 minutes.

Noel Francis, who has been a member since 1994, said there was more work going on behind the scenes than people realised in coordinating a rescue, from radio operators to on-land coordinators making sure those out on the water were in the right place at the right time.

“They are probably the first port of call, and without those people who are here, listening to what’s going on and helping us, I can think of a number of rescues that would have been a lot more serious without their help,” he said.

“They’re invaluable.”

Mr Francis recalled hearing members of the community recounting the squad’s rescues in the local pub, and said hearing locals tell tales of a rescue and their gratitude for the volunteers, who went out to help them, had always made him proud to be part of the team.

“We’ve had some exciting times, and some pretty scary times over the years,” he said.

“It’s much better now with these newer boats that can deal with all kinds of conditions, it’s much safer.

“A lot of the time, we’re going out when everyone else is coming back in, and they’re coming back in for good reason, so it’s good to know you’re in a boat that can handle the conditions.”

ASRS president David Waldron said it was special to see past and present members of the squad come together to celebrate the milestone of 50 years.

“For me, I’ve been an active member here for nearly eight years, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s a privilege to be part of this group,” he said.

“We’ve got so many good people that just give their time freely and without question when there’s a problem on the ocean, and no matter how much equipment we have and everything else, we can’t do it without those people.

“It’s just a great group to be part of, and it’s fantastic to see people here to celebrate 50 years who have been here for much longer than I have and are still coming along and being part of it.”