From Rescued to Rescuer
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Valour at sea
Marine Rescue Port Stephens volunteer Laurie Nolan is the first recipient of the prestigious Marine Rescue NSW Medal for Valour, our highest award for bravery in the line of duty.
Mr Nolan was honoured for his outstanding courage in saving the lives of two of his crewmates during the M3 rescue operation in 2016, during which the crew of Port Stephens 40 (Danial Thain) endured a triple knockdown in dark and wild conditions. This is his story, in his own words.
Following my retirement at the end of 2009, I fulfilled my lifelong ambition of moving away from the hustle and bustle of the Big City life and took up residence at the family holiday cottage in Nelson Bay. Port Stephens had always been our family holiday destination as I was growing up and it was also where my wife Deb and I honeymooned 43 years ago.
We had always been a fishing family and had been boating both in Sydney and Port Stephens for as long as I can remember – we always had a boat of some sort.
We always Logged On and it was just a natural progression to join MR Port Stephens as soon as we moved to the area in early 2010. After an intense few months undertaking the necessary training courses, I soon became a Marine Radio Operator by mid-2010 and shortly afterwards was promoted to Watch Officer. I joined the boat crew that same year and have risen to the rank of Leading Crew.
I have been actively involved in many Marine Rescue operations, performing the roles of deck crew, navigator, helmsman, motor engineer and radio operator. Most rescues are relatively straightforward but I have been on board Port Stephens’ rescue vessels during some of the most dramatic operations undertaken by the unit.
Of note are the rescues of the sailing ketch Otama with four persons on board after being washed on to Providence Beach on Broughton Island by a raging Nor-Easter and the rescue of two sailors from the catamaran Reef Dragon when it was washed on to rocks in Fame Cove during a very severe East Coast Low weather system in 2015.
The vessel was hit by two more huge waves and the crew were thrown around like corks. Three other crew members and I on were on the back deck and very lucky not to have been washed overboard.
The Reef Dragon operation was conducted in some of the worst sea conditions I have ever experienced in a lifetime of boating. Although it was on inside waters, PS 40 battled a very sharp 4m swell and 50 knot winds (gusting to 80 knots) in total black-out conditions. Seven crew members and I were awarded both the 2015 Search and Rescue Award by AMSA and the MRNSW Commissioner’s Commendation for Courage for this operation.
We all have a job to do and I believe that we do it very well.
I have now been awarded the inaugural MRNSW Medal for Valour for my part in the operations on January 6 and 7 last year, when five separate Maydays were received. The operations that day involved 21 radio operators and boat crew, all of whom have been recognised with various awards.
I was on board PS 40, attempting to rescue the stricken racing yacht M3, when a huge wall of water struck the side of the rescue vessel, rolling it beyond 90 degrees so that the whole port side and bridge were almost under water. The vessel was hit by two more huge waves and the crew were thrown around like corks. Three other crew members and I on were on the back deck and very lucky not to have been washed overboard. Some of the crew were injured and dazed and tangled up in the rigging, restricting their mobility. I assisted them by untangling their lifelines (cutting one of them to free the crew) and guiding them back into the relative safety of the cabin.
I would like to say that I was part of a team. I was just doing my job. At Port Stephens, our 200 volunteers display a dedication which is infectious. Whether it be maintaining the grounds of our beautiful and historic base on Nelson Head or manning the Inner Light Museum or Gift Shop, or setting up and maintaining the equipment, or working shifts in the radio room or on the boats, we all have a job to do and I believe that we do it very well.
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