01/09/2026
An historical but sad moment for AVCGA last week as the first Queensland flotilla transitioned to MRQ ! see media release below.
MEDIA RELEASE
QF7 Redland Bay, The First AVCGA Flotilla to Begin Its Next Chapter with Marine Rescue Queensland
27th August 2026
The Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Association (AVCGA) is very proud to announce that QF7 Redland Bay will be the first Queensland Coast Guard flotilla to transition to Marine Rescue Queensland (MRQ).
It is a big moment for QF7, for AVCGA and, most importantly, for the volunteers who have spent so many years looking after Queensland’s boating community.
For more than 60 years, the yellow vessels and dedicated volunteers of the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard have been part of Queensland’s waterways.
Thousands of volunteers have given their time over those years, answering radios, crewing rescue vessels, heading out at all hours to help boaties in trouble, training
new volunteers, fundraising, maintaining vessels and bases, and doing all the work behind the scenes that keeps a volunteer marine rescue service going.
QF7 Redland Bay and its volunteers are a very proud part of that history.
AVCGA National Commodore Matthew Semmens said seeing the first Queensland flotilla make the move to MRQ was a significant moment.
“There is a lot of history tied up in the Coast Guard name in Queensland, but when you really look at that history, it is about the people,” Mr Semmens said.
“It is about the volunteers who have turned up week after week, year after year, because they care about their community and they want people to come home safely from a day on the water.
“QF7 being the first of our Queensland flotillas to transition to MRQ is a big milestone, and I am incredibly proud of them.
“They may be putting on a different uniform, but they are still the same volunteers, with the same skills, friendships and commitment to their community. They are taking all of that Coast Guard experience and history with them into MRQ.”
A great team at QF7
AVCGA particularly acknowledges QF7 Flotilla Commander David Bell and his team of volunteers, who have worked their way through what has been a significant period of change for everyone.
Being the first flotilla to transition was always going to come with a few extra challenges, and David, his Flotilla Executive and the QF7 volunteers have worked together to get to this point while continuing to do what they do best, looking after their members and serving the boating public.
Mr Semmens said David and his team deserved recognition for getting QF7 to this historic day.
“Being first is never easy, and David and his team have taken on that challenge and worked their way through it together,” he said.
“I want to thank David for his leadership and every single QF7 volunteer for the part they have played.
“AVCGA is incredibly proud of them. We want them to enjoy this moment, be proud of everything they have achieved as Coast Guard volunteers and be excited about
what comes next.”
So, what is Marine Rescue Queensland?
Marine Rescue Queensland is Queensland’s new statewide volunteer marine rescue
service, bringing together the volunteers, experience and proud histories of the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard and Volunteer Marine Rescue into one service.
MRQ was established in 2024 and operates as part of the Queensland Police Service, with the support of the Queensland Government.
For the QF7 volunteers, however, the heart of what they do really doesn’t change. They will still be volunteers helping people on the water.
They will continue responding to marine incidents, conducting search and rescue, assisting vessels and boaties in trouble, promoting boating safety and supporting their local community, now as part of a statewide MRQ network.
MRQ represents the future of volunteer marine rescue in Queensland, with a
statewide structure, greater government support and investment in the people, vessels, equipment and facilities needed to provide marine rescue services into the future.
For the boating public, particularly those around Redland Bay and Moreton Bay, the message is also simple:
The volunteers you know will still be there when you need them.
The uniforms will change. The vessels will gradually look different. The signs on the buildings will change.
But behind all of that will still be volunteers giving their time to help someone else. And that is something AVCGA and MRQ very much have in common.
Thank you, QF7
AVCGA also wants to recognise all the people who have been part of QF7 over the years, past and present volunteers, families, supporters, local businesses and members of the community.
Volunteer organisations simply don't survive for decades without a community standing behind them, and QF7 has been fortunate to have that support.
There will understandably be some mixed emotions as the Coast Guard chapter at Redland Bay comes to an end, but there is also plenty to celebrate.
This is not the end of marine rescue at Redland Bay.
It is the beginning of its next chapter.
AVCGA congratulates Flotilla Commander David Bell and the entire QF7 Redland Bay team on being the first Queensland Coast Guard flotilla to make the move to Marine Rescue Queensland.
We are proud of what you have achieved, grateful for everything you have given to AVCGA and genuinely excited to see what comes next for you as part of MRQ.
Thank you QF7, enjoy the moment, be proud of your Coast Guard history, and take that history with you into your future with Marine Rescue Queensland.
About the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Association
For more than 60 years, the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Association has proudly served boating communities through volunteer marine rescue, boating safety
and community service.
As our Queensland flotillas progressively transition to Marine Rescue Queensland, AVCGA will continue its proud volunteer marine rescue tradition through our members and operations in Victoria and South Australia.
National Board
Australian Volunteer Coast Guard
