On 20 July on a brisk and rainy Saturday morning in Port Fairy I had the
pleasure of launching the second search and rescue vessel for the south-west in
eight months. On this occasion it was the Captain John Mills. The Captain John
Mills, named after the deceased founder of the Port Fairy marine rescue service,
will assist in the continued dedication to search and rescue efforts as well as
increasing overall marine safety and reducing response times to marine incidents
in south-west Victoria.
Nearly $52 000 was provided to this project from the 2007-08
boating safety and facilities program. This program, which is in its eighth
year, has invested over $31 million into projects to make boating safer and more
accessible to Victorians. The total project cost was $135 000, which included
funding from the Port Fairy Folk Festival, the Port Fairy police
and Port Fairy businesses. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all
those involved in raising these funds.
On a related matter, in the following Monday’s Warrnambool Standard an article
appeared about the Portland search and rescue vessel which I launched last
December and which has been busy, with 12 rescues to date. I would like to
congratulate Mr Cyril Cram and his team on their marvellous work in and around
Portland, and wish the Portland and Port Fairy search and rescue team well in
making south-western waters even safer.