Graeme Drew
Bremer Bay
Sea rescuer and educator
A professional fisherman operating from the small town of Bremer Bay, Graeme Drew is the co-founder of the Bremer Bay SES and involved with the Sea Rescue. He and his boat have always been available in times of need. He has searched for lost or disabled vessels, and retrieved the bodies of those drowned while fishing, donating his time and equipment long after official searches have been called off. Graeme has campaigned for numerous causes. One example is that there was no safe anchorage between Esperance and Albany, a distance of 600 kilometres, and Graeme was instrumental in lobbying the government and the local shire council to build a land-backed wharf at Bremer Bay, thus providing safe mooring for boats. In 2003, after Graeme's nephew died tragically after falling into a dangerous rip that carried him out to sea, he established a trust in his memory. This trust has purchased self-inflating buoyancy vests that are hired out from bait shops, installed warning signs on dangerous sections of coast, promoted ocean fishing safety, educated school groups on ocean safety, and built the prototype of a system called the Silent Sentry that has already been instrumental in saving two lives. Graeme loves and respects the ocean and wants to ensure that the community are able to safely enjoy it.
