A case of the flu stopped Graeme McCrudden from accepting his Emergency Services Volunteer Officer of the Year award at the Rotary Pride of the Illawarra event on Friday night.
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But his hard work as the Deputy Unit Commander of Marine Rescue Port Kembla was again acknowledged on Tuesday when Marine Rescue NSW Commissioner Stacey Tannos came by to offer his congratulations.
Mr McCrudden has volunteered for the service for the past six years, quickly finding a passion for the administrative side of the organisation as well as being out on the water.
In addition to his deputy role, he holds the positions of unit treasurer and sector leader for inshore operations on Lake Illawarra.
He said the award was recognition for the hard work he and the Marine Rescue team put in each day.
"I get to work with a bunch of pretty great people and the thing that really gets me is I still enjoy going out on the boat and picking up someone who is in difficulty and seeing the look on their face when we hook up to them and bring them back," he said.
"Winning the award was very satisfying for me personally because I put a lot of time into the Marine Rescue and to be recognised is a feather in the cap for the whole team."
It was the first time a Marine Rescue NSW volunteer had taken out the award since Pride of the Illawarra began.