New boats, people, rescues and a fire - all part of Marine Rescue Ulladulla's history

The group recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with a well attended event at the Ulladulla Civic Centre.

Today we look back at how it all got started ......

Like many others, the Ulladulla Unit originated as a Division of the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol (RVCP).

While the patrol was first formed in 1937, it first appeared in Ulladulla in 1974, originally peopled and resourced by the local game-fishing club.

Following several initial attempts to formalise its links with RVCP, it was not until 1979 that it became a fully-fledged Division of the Patrol, largely due to the efforts of Commander Fred Edmunds, previously a member of the Sydney Division.

Commander Edmunds' achievements during his period in Ulladulla were many.

The group's first vessel, Kyli, a half-cabin runabout, bought second-hand from the Royal Australian Navy was commissioned and our radio base was funded (thanks to his financial and administrative skills) and built in 1984.

During his time one more small vessel, Kyli II was purchased (again second hand) and restored by members, and importantly the financial foundations were laid for the unit's first twin screw blue-water rescue vessel (Warden), and its first twin engine rapid response aluminium-constructed vessel, (Kyli III of course).

Until 1985 the radio base operated from Fred's home.

Warden was an ex-NSW Police vessel, the Colin J Delaney which was purchased in poor condition in 1989. Of timber construction and with twin diesel engines she was stripped and restored by members, to be formally commissioned in October of that year.

Such an outstanding job was done that the unit was awarded the Annual Proficiency Award, presented by NSW Water Police in November 1993 "for excellence in boat restoration carried out on the Police Rescue Boat Colin J Delaney, now renamed the RVCP Rescue vessel Warden".

From then until its replacement in 1999 Warden had a proud history of maritime rescues, at least 102 of them during that 10-year period, and to this day remains a favourite with several of the unit's longer-standing members. She is particularly remembered for her role in rescuing many of the Sydney Hobart yachts in the 1993 race, in probably the worst race time sea conditions up to that time. Warden also took pride of place on Australia Day 1994 when she was chosen to lead the flotilla in the Royal Escort "sail past" in Sydney Harbour for the visit of HRH Prince Charles, Patron of the RVCP.

As a footnote, the group recently received correspondence from a private owner who is restoring Warden in accordance with plans, photographs and information gained from the Police and from our members. The unit have been promised that she will one day visit Ulladulla again.

By 1999 the value of having both types of vessels, one for rapid response and the other, with the capacity to operate under heavier conditions was well established, and in that year the Strathallan replaced Warden in the latter role.

Strathallan was one of 6 Waveney class, purpose-built rescue vessels purchased by our Head Office from the RNLI in Great Britain. She was steel hulled and useful in heavy seas but in truth, was slow, uncomfortable, and expensive to maintain.

The RNLI got rid of them for a reason! Nevertheless, with skilled engineering help and constant maintenance she did the job until 2006 when she was replaced by another ex-RNLI vessel, Encounter.

Strathallan performed many rescues during its time but is best remembered for one, involving a trawler in extreme winter weather conditions, locally known as the "San Giuseppe Star incident". As a result, the Division was awarded the inaugural Maritime Safety Medal (by NSW Maritime), and crew members were awarded Meritorious Service certificates for their part in the rescue.

Also, during that time Kyli III was replaced by an ex-Queensland Fisheries Shark Cat (like all the others, second-hand and restored by members), as our rapid response and training vessel. She was named Lewis Dunn (after two local boys who lost their lives in the Bali bombing incident), to be replaced by our new category 2 rigid inflatable Rex Pymble (or UL20) in 2017.

Encounter was an Arun class purpose-built rescue vessel which had done service with the RNLI as the Elizabeth Anne in Cornwall. She was gifted to our Division by our Head Office following the San Giuseppe Star incident, and arrived in modest condition in October 2006. Built of fibre-glass and aluminium and powered by two heavy caterpillar engines she was perfectly suited to the conditions so often encountered off the NSW South Coast.

Encounter could manage almost any sea conditions and was ideally built for searches, she conducted many of its rescues in heavy seas which she obviously enjoyed.

In 2007 the division received its third Water Police Award "for the most improved lifeboat during the year".

Encounter did a sterling job while in Ulladulla, firstly in orange RVCP livery, and after 2009 in the white of Marine Rescue NSW, by which time the Division was renamed the Ulladulla Unit of Marine Rescue NSW.

In 2009 Encounter was replaced by the group's first brand new rescue vessel, a fibreglass Steber 38, known formally as Warden II in honour of our first vessel of that name, but operationally as UL30. She serves the group well to this day.

Also in 2009, as the result of a government review of rescue services in the State, our current organisation, Marine Rescue NSW was formed.

This new organisation absorbed three sea rescue organisations which operated along the NSW coast including RVCP.

The new arrangements included a professional state-wide management under the control of a Sydney based Commissioner and offered units like ours many advantages in terms of funding, radio operations, vessel renewal and training and is now the sole volunteer maritime rescue body in the State.

In October of 2013 the Unit was shocked by the total destruction of its base on the shores of Ulladulla Harbour.

Apparently thanks to the efforts of some visiting young vandals the group lost all of the administration, radio, training and garage facilities - nothing was left.

Particularly disappointing was the loss of all of the awards mentioned here, and the memorabilia that had accumulated over the years. Fortunately, however the group's boats were not touched and it was possible to maintain our services to the boating public seamlessly.

The following year was difficult, the group operated out of a site shed near the harbour with minimal facilities and equipment while issues like insurance, development approvals, architects and builders were agreed.

With much help from our local community, Council and Parliamentary representatives, Marine Rescue Head Office staff and our members we were able to move into our new, state of the art Base only 18 months later.

While the group's members were shocked and sorry to see the old base go, we are delighted with the amazing new base that has emerged from the ashes.

It is now 2024, the unit's history spans 50 years from its very simple and crude beginning to the modern, well equipped and competent asset we have grown into.

Inevitably the history has been defined here by its vessels but it should also be noted that the developments on the water have been paralleled by the increasingly comprehensive training programs, the ever-increasing technical knowledge and skills of both crew and radio operators, and of the support staff and services that we rely on to achieve.

From that first Kyli and the radio room in the Commander's home we now have a a state-of-the-art base, the latest in communications, computer and other SAR-related equipment, a fully equipped training room three new or near new vessels (the fleet was joined by UL10 for work on our nearby lakes in 2018), all fitted out with the most modern electronics, and manned by the most highly trained crews in our history.

"We feel that we have indeed arrived," the group said in a statement.