During the ‘Blessing of the Fleet’ held at Hervey Bay Marina this evening, the newly named, ‘Hyne Timber Rescue’ took pride of place in the sail past of the vessels. The traditional sail past and blessing is a centuries old Mediterranean tradition adopted in Hervey Bay for the safe passage of the whale watching and rescue vessels, their crew, visitors and the whales themselves.
With Hyne Timbers recent commitment to a three year sponsorship agreement, ‘Hyne Timber Rescue’ is Hervey Bay’s Volunteer Marine Rescue primary response vessel. It is 8 metres in length, built in 2012 and can hold up to 8 people.
Jon Kleinschmidt, CEO of Hyne Timber said enjoying the region’s waterways is a popular recreational activity for both locals and visitors and having a skilled rescue team on hand is an essential service, “The hard working and dedicated team safely return hundreds of boats and people every year in addition to providing a medical transfer service from the islands as required. I look forward to Hyne Timber Rescue now forming a part of this dedicated team.”
“Safety is a key Value of ours at Hyne Timber so the opportunity to support this volunteer organisation to help keep people safe on our water is a volunteer initiative we are proud to align ourselves with and fully support. I was very honoured to have had the opportunity to join the crew this evening during the vessels blessing.” Mr Kleinschmidt said.
Kevin Heitmann, Commodore of Hervey Bay Volunteer Marine Rescue said the operation cannot exist without the substantial support from the business sector. “Volunteer Marine Rescue relies on corporate support such as the recent sponsorship agreement with Hyne Timber in order to keep membership costs down and run an adequate service in order to meet the region’s marine rescue requirements.
“It was a pleasure to have Jon on board the newly named ‘Hyne Timber Rescue’ vessel during its blessing and may it have a successful year ahead, keeping people safe on the water and ensuring everyone enjoys what this region has to offer safely.” Mr Heitmann concluded.
Membership with Volunteer Marine Rescue Hervey Bay is very reasonable considering you can have the premium SOS membership which entitles the boat owner to two free tows per year among other benefits for just $75.
The volunteers also run free radio courses for their members ahead of taking the Office of Maritime Communications examination which costs everyone $80. This is essential in order to hold a licence for a VHF Radio.
Their next courses will be run on 1 August and 31 October 2015. For the full range of services, membership options or further details, visit vmrherveybay.com.au / find them on Facebook ‘Marine Rescue Hervey Bay’, or contact their friendly team of volunteers at the office at Hervey bay Marina / 07 4128 9666.
Picture: Hyne Timber Rescue in Hervey Bay Marina Preparing for the Blessing. Photo credit: Hyne Timber