From rescuing floundering swimmers to supporting flood-affected homeowners, the Sunshine Coast’s vital emergency services volunteers “are there for you”.
Locals can meet and thank some of the region’s vital volunteers at an Emergency Expo at Lake Kawana on Sunday, to complement National Volunteer Week.
Mayor Mark Jamieson lauded the volunteers for their commitment and crucial assistance.
“On your worst day – be it during a severe storm, house fire, or road accident – our emergency service personnel are there for you,” he said.
The expo will provide a rare chance for the public to learn about what the volunteers do.
Many people volunteer to support their community.
For others, it’s the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals and feel connected.
Ian Hunt is among those who wanted to connect with the community. He joined Coast Guard Mooloolaba after moving to the Sunshine Coast from Canberra.
Now, 21 years later, he is QF6 flotilla commander.
“Volunteering gives me a sense of pride about being a member of the team and the satisfaction of helping boaties in trouble,” he said.
“The best moment I can remember while volunteering was when we were searching for Maike Hohnen, his son Julian and their friend, after their boat sank at Caloundra Wide.
“We found them just in time.”
Meanwhile, Leonie Barnes has just arrived back from Tonga and Fiji where she’s been volunteering for the Australian Red Cross.
Leonie is following in her mother’s and grandmother’s footsteps by volunteering with ARC, but also because of a personal experience she had when she was 10.
“I was evacuated from Darwin to Perth via the Red Cross by plane, after Cyclone Tracy,” she said.
“I can remember being looked after by a Red Cross lady until my grandmother came to get me.
“I vividly remember the whole process of evacuation and that’s a role that I get involved in now.
“Most recently here in Australia, I was involved in responding to the flood event of January 2022 and helped to establish an evacuation centre in Nambour at the showgrounds.
“There were cats and dogs, horses and chickens, old people, young people, rough sleepers, tourists – everyone was affected in some way. It was a privilege to be able to help.
“People are the same the world over, particularly when drawn together by crisis.
“Volunteering, you learn so much about yourself, others and the community and humanitarian principles in general. That’s why it’s a really wonderful commitment to make to yourself and to the community in general.”
For Shane Urban, who joined the lifesaving movement as a nipper at Bribie Island in 1978, volunteering is about sharing his love of the surf and lifesaving with his family and keeping the community safe.
Shane’s most memorable volunteering moment was saving a dad and son who were caught in a rip and swept out to sea at Coolum Beach.
“The look of fear, then gratitude, I saw in the dad’s eyes remains with me to this day and is the intrinsic reason why I and all volunteer lifesavers do what we do,” he said.
“We all like to give back to the community we live in and help raise our families and this is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable memberships you will ever have.”
The expo is presented by Sunshine Coast Council, in partnership with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, Queensland Police Service Sunshine Coast, Queensland Ambulance Service, Unitywater, Energex, State Emergency Service, Surf Life Saving Queensland, Australian Volunteer Coastguard, Marine Safety Queensland, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Red Cross Australia and Volunteering Sunshine Coast.
For more information, visit Sunshine Coast Stadium – Emergency Expo.
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