The announcement of funding for the Marine Rescue Shoalhaven ‘Pilot House’ will be welcomed from the beaches of the Kiama region, right down to the Crookhaven Bar and Shoalhaven Bight.

The NSW Government announced this week that $2,068,884 will be allocated from the Regional Development Trust to build a new base for the Marine Rescue Shoalhaven at Culburra Beach.

“We are proud to support groups like the Volunteer Marine Rescue in their important work keeping our communities safe, and it’s pleasing to see that the new facility will be one for whole of community use,” Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said.

Marine Rescue NSW Acting Commissioner Todd Andrews explained the Shoalhaven has a significant amount of demand, especially from the spring to autumn months.

“I know year-to-date so far the Shoalhaven units have performed 87 rescues and brought home over 200 people safely back to shore,” Andrews said.

Explaining the many functions of the new base, Andrews said the excitement of the announcement would provide a tonic for the volunteers.

“We’ve been in that building now for many, many decades,” he said.

“They’ll [volunteers] be buoyed by the announcement for the new funding for the development.

“I think they’ll have a spring in their step, all of our volunteers down at Shoalhaven, and they’ll be really looking forward to getting this summer done and out of the way so that we can build our new building into the future.”

Andrews said the base would include a state-of-the-art radio room, crew and training areas, garaging for vessels storage facilities and community meeting spaces.

“Currently, they are working out of a very small radio room. They’ve almost got to climb over each other to get out of the room – this is going to provide ample space for them,” he said.

South Coast MP Liza Butler and newly sworn in Kiama MP Katelin McInerney said this funding and development would provide the necessary support for Marine Rescue NSW and the wide reach it has within the community.

“This funding delivers practical support for the volunteers, workers and innovators who keep our regional communities thriving,” McInerney said.

Butler added: “The new base will serve as a vital hub for emergency services, significantly improving response times to maritime incidents in the region and providing safer experiences for visitors.

“It’s great to see the NSW government backing projects that help young people get skilled, support tourism and build stronger connections across our community.”

The new facility will be located at the Crookhaven Heads where vessels routinely check in with volunteers to log on as they head out to sea and log off when they return.

Marine Rescue NSW receives the majority of its funding from the NSW government with just over 4 per cent of revenue from donations.

The building development will also be designed for a broader community, with the capacity to host meetings, workshops and local events.