16/08/2026
👉 MEET THE SQUAD 👈
Name: Bob Cave
Occupation (day job): Mostly retired, do some water meter reading, part time
BACKGROUND: Worked in Sydney for a lot of years moved to Melbourne in 2019 and then to Narooma in 2016. Mostly worked inside, now keen to get out into the outdoors for work and recreation.
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THE NAROOMA RESCUE SQUAD?: Attended a combined training session between RFS and VRA
HAVE YOU DONE VOLUNTEER WORK BEFORE?: Member of RFS as well. Spent time with BlazeAid Fencing mainly around Cobargo but have also done some fencing in Qullpie. Volunteer at some of the local music festivals as well
HOW OFTEN DO YOU VOLUNTEER WITH THE SQUAD?: Try and attend weekly however some weeks other things come up. Change of training night to Monday has made it a little harder to attend. Getting qualifications has taken time so limited what actual things I can do.
WHAT SORT OF TRAINING DO YOU DO?: Lots a hands on with the different tools , as well as focussing on safety and looking out for each other.
WHO ARE THE TYPES OF PEOPLE RESCUE LOOKS FOR?: people who can work as a team to get the job done safely
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE NAROOMA RESCUE SQUAD – WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO JOIN?: I have been on the squad now for over 12 months. I joined as I wanted to get some hands-on with the tools that are used, to learn new skills and to assist others.
WHAT PART OF RESCUE TRAINING DO YOU LIKE MOST AND WHY?: Learning new ways to do things, to develop new skills and competencies. The training is interesting and varied with lots of practical examples.
WHY DID YOU JOIN VRA RESCUE NSW – HAVE YOU DONE SOMETHING LIKE THIS BEFORE?: To help provide rescue to people, the work here is different to anything that I have done before
WHAT’S THE MOST REWARDING THING ABOUT BEING IN VRA RESCUE NSW?: Being able to work in a team of people who want to do what they can to provide assistance to others.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO SAYS, “I COULDN’T JOIN BECAUSE I DON’T HAVE AN EMERGENCY SERVICE BACKGROND”?: .Neither do I, skills are learnt as you go along, you are not expected to know everything immediately,
IS IT JUST RESCUE WORK, OR DO YOU DO OTHER THINGS/DUTIES AS PART OF THE SQUAD? At this stage I am still learning so do very little actual rescue work, there are opportunities to assist with fund raising, public awareness of VRA and other social events.
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO BECOME AN ACCREDITED RESCUE OPERATOR (WHAT LEVEL ARE YOU CURRENTLY AT)? My current level is trying to understand all the acronyms that are used. Not accredited as yet Started the joining process in Jan 2025, Here near end of August 2026 I have made it to PiaRO qualification.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT IN THE RESCUE TRUCK? The mule, its used to rescue people from difficult terrain.
