Marine Rescue NSW has held their second annual Empowering Women’s Conference on the South Coast, concluding on August 19. The conference, attended by almost 50 people, offered a selection of guest speakers, including Maureen Cleary OAM, former CEO of Sydney’s Mater Hospital and Nonprofit Governance and Management Centre founder.

The forum theme was ‘Leading by empowerment, not commanding’.  It was co-organised by Lynne Hocking, Deputy Unit Commander Marine Rescue Shoalhaven and Karen Lowry, Sussex Inlet Unit Commander.

“Our people play a vital role in keeping people safe at sea,” Ms Hocking said, adding, “We had women attend ranging from 90-and-a-half-years old to their early 30s.

“In just 12 months, awareness of the conference has grown, and this year we attracted attendees from Marine Rescue NSW units as far south as Narooma, along the South Coast from the Shoalhaven and Illawarra, inland to Moama and north to the Central Coast.

She encourages women of all ages to experience the Marine Rescue culture and remarks, “The training is awesome; the experiences you get are second to none, but most importantly, you are doing something significant for your community.”

Narooma Watch Officer and Radio Operator Gilly Kearney also assisted with delivering the forum and said the two-day event was a significant success.

“One of the best things about it is seeing all the different women across our organisation come together with all their experiences and be so willing to share and empower each other,” she said.

Jervis Bay member Kristy Jones recently began her seventh-year volunteering for Marine Rescue NSW and said the forum was an inspiring experience.

“It's been wonderful that women can come together under this forum and have the platform to speak their voice, to collaborate our ideas and empower each other to be part of an organisation that's out there supporting the community,” Ms Jones said.

Planning for next year’s Marine Rescue NSW Empowering Women’s Forum will begin immediately, with the venue and date to be determined.

Marine Rescue NSW Commissioner Alex Barrell and Acting Deputy Commissioner Mike Hammond are major supporters of the Empowering Women’s Forum, and both took part in the event over the weekend.

Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer-based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.