The Cessnock District Rescue Squad is sending out a challenge to all Vineyards and Businesses in the Kurri Kurri and surrounding areas to match the support shown by their Cessnock counterparts.
The Cessnock District Rescue Squad’s Business Sponsorship scheme has entered its third year, however throughout this entire time businesses from the Cessnock area have drastically outnumbered those from the Kurri Kurri area and also the Vineyards.
“Fourteen businesses came on board initially with that number rising to thirty currently and whilst that is encouraging the fact remains that Cessnock Businesses have made up the vast majority of that number since the Business Sponsorship schemes inception” said the Squad’s PR Officer Jason Sattler.
“At the start two businesses from the Kurri Kurri area and three Vineyards came on board, since then however one of the Kurri Kurri businesses and two of the Vineyards have withdrawn.” Mr Sattler said. “Two business with premises in both Cessnock and Kurri Kurri have since joined resulting in three Kurri Kurri businesses out of thirty, however of that three, two of them are businesses with representation in both Cessnock and Kurri Kurri leaving only one business, Abrasive Blasting Coastwide, solely representing the Kurri Kurri area” Mr Sattler said. “Vignerons also have very low representation with Wollombi Wines being the sole Business Sponsor from the Vineyards” Mr Sattler added.
The Cessnock District Rescue Squad is the primary accredited Rescue Unit for the vast majority of the Cessnock City Council area, with Greta, Branxton and North Rothbury the only exclusions to this. The squad has bases in both Cessnock and Kurri Kurri housing two rescue vehicles at each and a total of twenty seven personnel with eight of those currently residing in the Kurri Kurri area.
The squad is on call twenty four hours a day, every day of the year with all members being volunteers and receiving absolutely no payment for their service. Apart from attending call outs and weekly training the members are also responsible for raising the majority of funding required to keep the squad operational.
“Although it is true that the majority of calls that the squad responds to are between Neath and Bellbird and therefore in the Cessnock area, throughout its thirty five years of service the squad has attended hundreds of calls around the Vineyards and also the Kurri Kurri area” Mr Sattler stated.
“Cessnock and Kurri Kurri have a fierce rivalry on the football field with each area hating to be outplayed, well at the moment Cessnock is definitely outplaying Kurri Kurri when it comes to supporting the local Volunteer Rescue Squad” Mr Sattler said. “Just look at the main streets, in Vincent Street Cessnock there are eight Business Sponsors, however in Lang Street Kurri Kurri there are none” Mr Sattler added.
“I understand that times are tough at the moment but the Rescue Squad is an essential service that relies very heavily upon community support and apart from the reward of supporting the Rescue Squad and therefore helping to save lives, Business Sponsors also receive many other benefits such as free quarterly advertising of your business details in The Advertiser” said Mr Sattler.
“The support shown by businesses in the Cessnock area is outstanding and of course any other Cessnock business is more than welcome to come on board, however it would be great to see the level of representation from the Vineyards and Kurri Kurri area rise to a number that more accurately reflects their portion of the district” said Mr Sattler.
The next Business Sponsorship advertisement is due for print around the end of March; therefore any business interested in becoming a Business Sponsor has around six weeks to get their details in that advertisement.
For further information regarding The Cessnock District Rescue Squad Business Sponsorship scheme The Squad can be contacted on – cessnock@vrarescue.org or phone – (02) 49912444