Re-enactment of historic IRB landing at Hawks Nest Beach Myall Coast Myall Coast - popup ad Myall Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - September 10, 2024 The original 1974 crew ready to depart Sydney Harbour. VISITORS re-enacting a historic ‘Sydney to Coolangatta’ coastline journey landed at Hawks Nest beach at the end of their journey’s first day on Monday 2 September. Two inflatable rescue boats (IRBs) were launched from Sydney Harbour, with an Australian Federal Police escort, at 7am that same morning, and after stopping at Umina, Soldiers Beach – where most of the crew hail from – then Fingal Bay, they rounded Yacaaba to land on the Hawks Nest shore. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au “This is a recreation of a trip that occurred 50 years ago, to demonstrate how useful and durable IRBs could be used for life-saving, and actually resulted in introducing them across Australia,” Kate Keys from Soldiers Bay Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) told NOTA. “The original 1974 journey was from Sydney to Coolangatta, approximately 750 kilometres (km), and this year they will even pick up some original 1974 crew members in Coolangatta, nicely coinciding with the Lifesaving World Championships being held up there at the moment. “We have ten IRB drivers, swapping them out over seventeen legs, and they do 30 nautical miles per leg.” The locals at Tea Gardens Hawks Nest Surf Life Saving Club (TGHNSLSC) were on hand to warmly welcome the IRB crews and provide them with a well-deserved hot meal at the end of day one of their massive journey. The IRB crews were thoroughly exhausted at the end of the first day, proclaiming the last leg, from Fingal to Hawks Nest, to be the toughest so far. “We were pounded by strong ‘wind tunnels’ at every estuary and inlet, like between Tomaree and Yacaaba, and 40 knot winds along Stockton,” crew member Simon Falconer, President of Soldiers Bay SLSC, told NOTA. “I don’t know how they did it in 1974, with only one boat, taking four days, and their conditions were more brutal. “They later even braved Cyclone Tracey’s tail to rescue people further north, and could showcase the IRBs’ speed and versatility.” After the last leg, where crew members discovered all kinds of muscle groups they had never used before, locals and visitors helped to push the tractor carrying the IRBs up the hill to get it started back to the SLSC shed. “The local SLSC members just wanted to be a part of it, show some hospitality on this big anniversary, and offer them some safe shelter from the wind,” said TGHNSLSC Secretary Kerrie Moore. By Thomas O’KEEFE The two re-enactment IRBs come in from around Yacaaba. Surf Life Saving Club members help the landed visitors get their vessels out of the water. Everyone pitched in to help the IRB trailer get up the beach’s incline. The landing team and support crew enjoying their first real rest upon Hawks Nest beach.
