Sydney's Volunteer Coastguards, The Australian

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John Stapleton
AS volunteer coastguards, Bob Foster and Harry Parsons have dedicated thousands of hours over many years to work at the old signal station at Sydney's South Head, helping to rescue any boats that get in trouble off the NSW coast by providing 24 hour radio contact.

Now, after being sacked from their unpaid positions, they are excluded from the atmospheric signal station they loved so much. The station is believed to have been continuously manned since 1820.

Almost a third of the Australian Volunteer Coastguard in Sydney who keep up the tradition, a group of 60 old sea salts, are threatening to resign in sympathy over what they regard as high-handed treatment by their bosses.

The unseemly stoush centres on the purchase of two new Honda outboard engines, which the old sailors regarded as far more reliable than other models. While the engines cost more than rival brands as far as the members are concerned they are worth every cent. After four engines blew up in six weeks, they decided to go for Honda, breaching the organisations expenditure bylaws.

One of those sacked, Bob Foster, 74, who has spent the last 12 years doing shifts for free, said they were only complying with the service's motto ``safety by all means''. Much of the money used on the engines had been raised by him personally. ``We did it for safety,'' he said. ``We had to get something more reliable before there was an accident. We had to fulfill our obligations to provide a safe and reliable working environment. I have no regrets whatsoever. We did the best thing for the Coastguard.''

Commander of the Port Jackson flotilla, which made the decision to buy the Honda engines, Harry Parsons, said they had been treated ``like errant adolescents''. ``It's made us all feel pretty bloody lousy. The members are a terrific group of people, they have put in an enormous amount of time and effort. We pay a $33 dollar a year membership fee for the privilege of giving up our time as volunteers, and we get treated like this!''

National Commodore for the Australian Volunteer Coastguard Chris Gillett said he regretted the incident and no one denied the contribution Foster and Parsons had made. Although the organisation preferred Yamaha engines ``because we have a deal with them'' he denied the brand of engines had anything to do with the sacking.

``These individuals decided to ignore the guidelines and the procedures, they broke specific bylaws of the association in relation to expenditure limits,'' he said. ``That is why they faced the penalty imposed on them. They knew what the rules were. They chose to break the rules.''

 The Australian Volunteer Coastguard was formed in 1961, has 147 bases, 95 rescue boats and four fixed wing aircraft around Australia. It has been instrumental in saving numerous lives. Their website is www.coastguard.com.au

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