Peter Ritchens lives about 200 kilometres from the ocean, so he’s used to people being taken aback when he says he is the commander of a coast guard flotilla.
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“Nine times out of 10 the reaction is – ‘you’re a long way from the coast aren’t you mate?’” he said.
By their own admission they are Bendigo’s “most unknown emergency service”.
In fact, until last year they weren’t even officially recognised as being part of those services.
Commander Ritchens heads a team of more than 20 volunteers from Bendigo and surrounds from their headquarters in Axedale.
His crew range in age from early 20s to well-and-truly retired. They are men and women, a geologist, police officers and public servants.
But they all come from the heartland of central Victoria. So why join the coast guard?
“You wouldn’t ask that if you got a bit lost exploring Lake Eppalock and your boat broke down, your missus and kids were on board and it was getting dark,” Mr Ritchens said.
And it’s not just Lake Eppalock they help keep safe, the team is called out to emergencies across inland waterways in central Victoria.
Just last month they spent five days patrolling Australia’s most iconic river for the Murray Marathon.
The Bendigo Volunteer Coast Guard dates back to the mid 1980s and every year the organisation is becoming more professional.
In fact they’ve now outgrown their boat shed and need support to keep improving their vital public service.
And with boating enthusiasts flocking to a full capacity Lake Eppalock, the Bendigo Volunteer Coast Guard are set to be in higher demand this summer.