V-Sheet December 2012 | Page 2

President’s Report President Ken Gibbs W ell I thought I had achieved all I was going to after 13 years service in the organisation. I have been a Duty Skipper for quite a number of years firstly in Green Crew and then Black Crew as well as previously spending 3 years as the Unit Training Co-ordinator. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to be spending this much time in the organisation nor becoming President. Hard to believe but initially I just joined to learn how to cross coastal bars. Where do all those years go, why am I still here? It’s purely and simply because I am very passionate about the organisation and what it stands for and the community service it provides. I often look at members during frequent visits to the Seaway Tower or the Base Radio Room or Crewies on duty or training on a Tuesday night and wonder why they turn up week after week. Many have different reasons for joining up but the one constant is that they want to help in any way they can and to be able to make a difference. I see it as my roll to ensure each and every one of them be looked after in regards to making their tasks easier and ensuring the facilities they use are of a high standard. When I first joined VMR Southport I already had all my commercial Certificates of Competency, but I preferred to complete all of the assessments so as to have a sense of what a member walking off the street had to go through. Since those early days we have progressed leaps and bounds in the training front. Whilst it may take a little bit longer for Active Members to progress through the ranks, at the end of it all members receive a qualification that can be used throughout Australia and members of the public also receive the benefits of that higher standard of training during rescues and assists. This was recently bought to the forefront when our training system was used to represent VMRAQ in a Maritime Safety Queensland audit to retain our Registered Training Organisation Authority. It was audited by two Senior Maritime Safety Officers from Southport and we were successful in having the authority extended for a further 3 years with no non-compliances recorded. It is a credit to Robert Brock, the VMRAQ Training Officer, for having produced the computer based training system we use and our own members from the UTC Dave MacDonald to the team of trainers delivering the package on Tuesday nights and weekends. Since coming into office approximately a month ago I have been taking my time to have a look at all facets of the organisation and it would be remiss of me not to thank Steve Modra and the past Management Committee for leaving the organisation in the good position it is in. I look forward to progressing on with modernising the way we do things. This is not a process that happens overnight especially for a volunteer organisation and it is one that may have its teething problems. But I ask members to bear with us as there is a light at the end of the tunnel and the end result is to make operations easier for all. I do encourage those that encounter problems to let myself or members of the Management Committee know (as some have already done) so that these can be looked at. By working together we can only progress to ensure our future looks bright. As a very proud member and President of VMR Southport I look forward to the future challenges that face us in the upcoming year. Good Luck and Safe Boating Ken Gibbs PRESIDENT 2012 - 2013 MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 2012 - 2013 PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT Volunteer Marine Rescue SOUTHPORT - SURFERS PARADISE Assoc. Inc. PO Box 866 Southport Qld 4215 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone] E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.vmrsouthport.com.au SECRETARY TREASURER Ken Gibbs Dave Macdonald Steve Pomas Joanna Schon Glenn Norris Steve Pomas Bob Murray David Thomas John Lang Helen Stanfield OPERATIONS SEARCH & RESCUE COMMUNICATIONS RADIO OPERATORS COMMITTEE COMMITTEE DISCLAIMER Vsheet Editor: John Stanfield [email protected] Advertising: John Lang [email protected] Graphics: Mike Oram [email protected] Articles: Diana Gibson [email protected] Gold Coast Seaway Tower Hours: 0515 - 2200 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone] The opinions expressed by the authors and contributors of articles in the Vsheet are not necessarily those of Volunteer Marine Rescue Southport - Surfers Paradise Assoc. Inc. (VMR) nor does VMR guarantee the accuracy of statements made by contributors or advertisers or accept any responsibility for any product or service statement made herein. 2 Volunteer Marine Rescue