Official naming of Marine Rescue vessel the Shirley Clark

The official naming of Port Stephens Marine Rescue's latest vessel after club legend Shirley Clark.

Transcript

00:00 But we are here for a very special event, which is of course to welcome Port Stephens 30.

00:07 And it's a world-class, state-of-the-art, purpose-built vessel,

00:15 much like the person it's named after.

00:19 (LAUGHTER)

00:21 World-class, purpose-built, state-of-the-art.

00:24 (LAUGHTER)

00:26 Shirley Clark.

00:28 An absolute inspiration,

00:31 who has been serving our community for almost half a century,

00:37 doing everything that we all aspire to be doing

00:42 through any age of our lives,

00:44 and continuing to serve our community now,

00:48 and has done so in various guises in marine rescue,

00:51 and so she's now one of the longest-serving marine rescue volunteers in the state.

00:56 I mean, we have got a champion in our midst.

01:00 This particular vessel is a significant improvement on the former boat that we had,

01:06 as loyally as it's served us for over 10 years.

01:09 It's improved handling and manoeuvrability,

01:12 and much greater volunteer comfort,

01:14 and that allows our crews to operate more safely for longer out at sea.

01:18 And the boating season's coming up,

01:20 and that number will increase significantly by month.

01:23 I'm also pleased that from today, the vessel will be officially named the Shirley Clark,

01:28 in a fitting tribute to a much-respected member.

01:32 Shirley has been a volunteer with Port Stephens Unit for more than 40 years,

01:36 from the days it was a Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol,

01:39 through to the transitions of Marine Rescue New South Wales.

01:43 She remains a popular and very highly respected member of Port Stephens community,

01:48 and we are fortunate to have her as part of our team.

01:51 [background chatter]

02:02 And watch and wait, and they're out there, you know, throwing their lives around,

02:07 and I'm sitting at home in the comfort of a lounge chair,

02:10 and I get to have this great honour.

02:12 So, if you can understand just how emotional it is for me, how lucky I am,

02:18 and I'll just never, ever forget it.

02:21 I'm very grateful to Marine Rescue Port Stephens for giving me the opportunity.

02:26 Thanks, guys. I really do appreciate it.