Today in our series for NSW Seniors Festival, meet Marine Rescue Tuross Moruya volunteer, Geoff Clarke.
In 2017 Geoff Clarke retired from Wagga Wagga to the South Coast, moving to the small town of Tuross Head at the mouth of the Moruya River.
A keen sailor, over many years he and a mate had sailed his beloved 40 foot yacht ‘Blue Lady’ as far as Cairns to the north and Tasmania to the south. Finding it harder to get family and friends to crew her, he decided it was time to say farewell, and put his yacht up for sale.
Not long after Geoff saw several Marine Rescue Tuross volunteers selling raffle tickets outside the local supermarket. He struck up a conversation joking that buying a ticket was the nearest he’d get to being on the water now he’d sold his yacht, which led to an invitation to drop in to the unit’s base, and from there he decided to join.
Geoff soon gained his Crew qualification, swapping sail for engine powered running on the water. It was, for Geoff, a very different experience.
“Powered running in a rescue vessel was a new thing for me,” Geoff said.
“It took a bit of time to get used to how our rescue vessels handled, and that they could go to places that I’d have kept well away from on my yacht.”
When Geoff joined the unit, it had relatively few members, and he soon found himself taking on all sorts of roles to help out, and although the unit has since doubled in size, he still fulfils an impressive range of responsibilities.
“As well as gaining my Crew qualification,” says Geoff, “I help out with the community markets, run the community noticeboard, prepare the grant applications, and help out the Training Officer where I can.”
“I’m also working towards getting my Leading Crew rating by the end of the year, so I’m keeping myself pretty busy!”
Over his three years as a volunteer, 77 year old Geoff has seen plenty of action, from ‘NRMA runs’ helping boaters with flat batteries or engine problems, to multi-agency searches for missing persons.
One that stands out for Geoff was the search for a missing woman, whose belongings were found on a local beach and who was presumed to have entered the water and swept away.
“That search was notable for me,” said Geoff, “for how close we skimmed along the shore near the surf zone looking for her. It was much closer to the shore than I’d have ventured aboard a yacht.”
“Recently we encountered a woman snorkelling. She raised her hand and we went over to investigate.”
“She was exhausted, and so we gave her a lift back to the ramp. It’s a great feeling when you can help someone out like that.”
For other seniors, Geoff thoroughly recommends giving Marine Rescue a try.
“There is plenty for everyone. If you are interested, you can do the active stuff and head out on a boat, but if that’s beyond you, there’s lots else you can do to help out such as radio, fundraising, administration and maintenance.”
“I have really enjoyed my time with Marine Rescue, and recommend it to any senior wanting to keep themselves busy and help out their local community.”
A record 7,687 people were returned to shore after being assisted by Marine Rescue NSW volunteers during the 2024/25 boating season, which commenced on 1 October last year and concluded on ANZAC Day...
A volunteer crew from Marine Rescue Lemon Tree Passage spent almost seven hours on the water yesterday during a marathon mission to assist two stranded boaters on Boolambayte Lake. Image: Tracking of...
