Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie will soon have new state of the art headquarters.  

Construction has started on the $1.7 million communications centre, which will provide the service with a world-class emergency operations base for its work to save lives on the water.

Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie Unit Commander Mal Wardrop said the new facility would improve its operations and increase its capacity to train volunteers.

“Our current base has served us well, but it was not built to cater to the modern, professional emergency response and management needs of our members,” he said.

“This new centre will enhance our operations and provide our members with a safe, secure working environment.

“We are confident that first-rate facilities such as this will also encourage new members to join the unit.

“At the moment we can only train one person at a time but, with the new facility, we will be able to train more people.”

The new landmark base is set to replace the unit’s existing facility on Swansea Heads and will be equipped with the latest generation marine communications technology.

It has been purpose-designed to provide dedicated command and control facilities for planning, managing and coordinating extended and multi-agency search and rescue operations.

The two-storey building will also incorporate training and meeting spaces, storage for essential rescue equipment, offices, amenities and kitchen facilities, a viewing platform and a lift to improve access for volunteers with a disability.

As the busiest marine rescue unit in NSW, Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper said the facility was an important investment in the safety of the region’s large boating community.

“This new facility has been called for by Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie for some years,” he said.

“Our volunteers, there are about 150 of them, work in less than ideal space.

“The old headquarters on Swansea Head were built [about] 40 years ago and it’s just not suitable for the demand of the service.

“The volunteers have been operating in outdated and cramped conditions for a long time and I was very pleased to see the State Government announce funding to provide this facility as part of a $37.6 million, four-year funding boost to Marine Rescue NSW.”

The new base was designed by TorrenBell Building Design. It is being built by Cowyn Building Group, which has a base at Charmhaven.

Weather permitting, the building is scheduled for completion by the end of the year.