Queenscliff Coast Guard is celebrating 50 years of volunteer marine rescue with a free community open day.
Community members will be able to tour the coast guard’s headquarters, explore a community market and meet the region’s emergency services on Sunday 18 January.
Commander Chris Smith said there would be something for everyone during the family-friendly event, including kids’ activities such as face painting, roaming entertainers and a treasure hunt.
“We’ll have our boats down at the marina so people can board those and have a look, and…our headquarters will be open to the public as well,” he said.
“We’re still on call, so if there’s a major emergency in the bay or out in Bass Strait, one of our vessels may have to take off for that, so we’re going to do this event while remaining operational.”
Mr Smith said the event was also a chance for the community to hear about what emergency services do across the region.
“Our thoughts are with everyone experiencing hard times due to the current fires in Victoria, and a big shout out to all the emergency service teams and volunteers for their great work,” he said.
“The most important thing to come out of the open day is to see the community get together to rally around and support one another while seeing what’s there to support them in their time of need.”
The 50th Anniversary Open Day and Community Market will run from 10am to 4pm at 1a Hesse Street in Queenscliff.
