Westpac Life Saver’s newest rescue crew member, ex-Lumen Christi student and Tathra resident Mitchel Van der Meulen, was put through his paces during a rescue when he was winched on to a yacht in fading light off Turingal Head.
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The Moruya-based Life Saver 23 responded to a distress call from a yacht adrift east of Wallagoot Lake, after an Epirb was set off and a phone call was received from the yacht.
On board the 7-metre timber yacht were sailing legend, 89-year-old Peter Mounsey and 71-year-old marine artist Ian Hansen. The two men were on Smoky Cape, built in 1973, and were returning from the Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart, Tasmania, and heading towards Sydney.
However on Saturday afternoon, April 15, all was not well, with both men badly affected by food they had eaten on board the yacht. About 3.30pm Eden Water Police and the Westpac Life Saver helicopter were tasked to an area some 15 to 20 nautical miles offshore.
In fading light, 22-year-old Mitchel Van der Meulen was winched to lift Mr Hansen from the yacht.
Highly experienced sailor Mr Mounsey was reluctant to leave the yacht, but was persuaded to join the crew of the Eden Water Police as they towed the yacht back to Eden.
Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter chief executive Stephen Leahy said Mr Van der Meulen’s first job was challenging.
“It was towards the end of the day, so light was fading, he’s several kilometres offshore, he’s being winched on to a moving target,” he said. “His training really kicked in.”
The helicopter flew Mr Hansen to Merimbula Airport where he was met by paramedics who took him to the South East Regional Hospital (SERH), Bega. Mr Mounsey was also taken to SERH after arriving back at Eden with the Water Police about 9.30pm.
Mr Van der Meulen has been at the Moruya base for two months and has since undertaken hours of static, in-flight and theory training.
Putting that training into action was “great”, he said.
“That’s kind of why I wanted to get into this, once you’ve got all this stuff in your head and it comes to the point you need to do it, you just do it, you don’t need to think about it,” he said.
Mr Mounsey and Mr Hansen just had a short stay in hospital before heading off to Sydney.
The service’s two helicopters, based at Moruya and La Perouse, flew 12 search and rescue missions across a five-day period between April 13 and April 17.
Of the 12 callouts, in support of other agencies including police and paramedics, seven were carried out between the Royal National Park, north of Wollongong, and Eden.
