The Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Association Inc.
An Article By Commodore John Pearson
The Strength of the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Association lies in its being a truly National Body with a National Executive and a National Constitution.
Although its role differs from sate to State - it can nevertheless work and operate as a body and any move to water down or lessen the importance of a National Executive and Board may well signal its demise.
Because some State Governments are contributing funds to Flotillas, they feel able to dictate conditions of operation and administration which has necessitated a further bureaucracy being set up to control this as in the case of Queensland. There is no doubt that smaller Flotillas could not raise the necessary funds to operate unless this were so.
This Bureaucracy or State Council made necessary on Government edict is causing some concern at all levels - [particularly at National and Flotilla Levels. Flotillas and particularly the small Flotillas are finding it difficult to find people to do all the paper work. No doubt ,Squadron Officers are being inundated with this sort of work as well.
Because a State will have to rationalize operations in areas where other organisations are operating alongside A.V.C.G.A. operation - questions arise as to vessels, equipment and other facilities being shifted from one organisation to another.
This has already occurred in Queensland.
The worrying situation concerning the Southern Queensland Squadron's flotillas and rationalization is yet to be dealt with and considering the long standing enmity that exists in these areas it wont have an easy solution. That it will take place there is no doubt.
I was amazed to hear recently an officer say that in his estimation, the Flotilla got more from the State Council in Queensland than it did from National Board. Maybe that was an off the cuff remark said without much consideration but it alerted me to the problems that could arise if this became a widely held opinion.
Much has been written and spoken in Australia about the need for us to divorce ourselves from the Monarchy and become a Republic. I believe it to be not a case of if this occurs, but WHEN. If one examines carefully the repercussions of such a move and so far this hasn't been spelt out to us. I see no chance of Australia simply altering some parts of its constitution simply to accommodate this change. I am sure the change to out Constitution will be far reaching. Already the Commonwealth Government has taken over from the States, such matters as Education, Taxation and many other responsibilities over the years and it will be an ideal opportunity to reconstruct many others. Taking as examples conditions relation to Sea Rescue in other parts of the world - and those of you who have been to a Conference of the Worlds Life Boat Institution, would be well aware of this - Australia could well follow their example and it could become a National responsibility.
The A.V.C.G.A. because it is a national organisation is therefore in a sound position. To splinter before hand could place us at the bottom of the ladder and this must be recognized.
Another matter which has interested me since my return to the National Board is the Queensland induced Competency Based Training Methods. It cannot be disputed that seamanship cannot be learned merely in the school room. It requires an even greater commitment to practical exercise and sea time. This I fear has not been persued as it should have been and Coxswains in general are not as skilled as they should be and this shows up in their boat handling. I found as a Squadron Training Officer that Flotillas had a number of members who had boats of their own and could handle them quite well although not as competently as they themselves thought they could. These members wanted more than anything else to learn Navigation which was important enough but not to the detriment of their boar handling skills and seamanship.
As a Marine Board of Queensland Proficiency Testing Officer for nearly 30 years. This is now showing up in the people I tested for their Board Licences. The older and more experienced have all got licences and applicants now are a lot less experienced. The time has come for a lot of them to be failed for this reason. As for Coast Guard, a standardized process must be installed and these skills will have to be monitored by people individually skilled in Boat Handling and indeed other training needs. For standards sake, the fewer the better. When Officer Training for the Merchant Service operated in the past, there was a BOT office in each state - sea time and a Captains good report on that Officer was essential to his future postings.
Government recognition so far as Coast Guard is concerned, could very well become much tighter.
I personally would like to see in a Squadron Training Report an account of the number of hours spent on Sea Training and Boat Handling quite separate from the number of hours spent on missions by the Flotilla. This would give the National Training Officer and the National Board a much better perspective of the competency Training of the sea going personnel in all States.
There is another aspect which could well expect a benefit from sea going training and that could be an improvement in our recruitment of younger personnel. They are attracted to the practical and not inclined to too much more schooling. This may overcome this psychological barrier.
In my absence from the National scene for some years, there has been much change, a lot for the good and some of which I would have doubts about. Please do not hold that against me. I realize I an not young and indeed, some may consider me old. And as to the other appellation which I'm sure some of you have used. I am told its better to have been born of a passionate although illicit love than be the product of dull monotony.
Signed:
C'dor J.B. PEARSON
NATIONAL BOARD ADVISER.