Hello from the new Marine Rescue Queensland Mackay (MRQ Mackay).
We have now officially transitioned over to the new Queensland Government entity Marine Rescue Queensland, a sub section controlled by the Queensland Police Service (QPS).
We have been keeping our past members up to date with these changes but for the boating community that are not aware please read the following.
This new entity is fully government funded. This negates the requirement for a membership program for waterside assistance as per the past funding structure and charges for waterside assistance.
Moving forward all members of the boat community will be covered by the new entity with no need for membership or recovery costs within the MRQ Mackay region.
As of the 1st July 2024 Mackay and Gladstone are the first of two squads to make the transition as pilot squads with the rest of the Volunteer Marine Rescue squads (VMR's) and Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Squads (AVCG) in Queensland to be staged over the next 2 years.
This is a great outcome for Marine Rescue services in Queensland and will mean that all of the boating community will be covered by this new government funded service. For more information as more regions transition please subscribe to the MRQ newsletter.
The membership program will no longer exist for MRQ Mackay, access to the Member Jungle portal will be turned off with all websites redirected to the new MRQ website in the coming weeks.
Our local radio room will still be operated 7 days a week from 8am to 6pm daily so you can log your voyage for safety assurance.
We still have the same rescue vessel capabilities with our 2 new vessel's still in production set for delivery in the near future that will enhance our capabilities with advanced engineering and technology to improve our marine services.
MRQ Mackay is still a volunteer organisation for front line roles and local management roles. Please continue to support our great cause by volunteering and donating to MRQ.
Our contact details remain the same, phone 07 49 555 448 and VHF 21 North, 22 East, 80 South.
King Regards
MRQ Mackay Management team