A WOMBAT mascot that honours the “father” of police rescue in NSW will be a drawcard for this weekend’s Albury and Border Rescue Squad open day.
Tyson is making his first appearance on the Border after being named the mascot for the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association last year.
Albury VRA branch secretary Paul Marshall said Tyson honoured the work of NSW Police Rescue officer Sgt Ray Tyson who died in 2005.
“He was the father of rescue and he helped establish the Volunteer Rescue Association and more so just streamlined our training and got everything in place for us,” Mr Marshall said.
“He was a very influential figure in the Volunteer Rescue Association.
“His term of endearment for everybody was to call them a wombat.
“There would be a roomful of trainees and he would say ‘come on wombats, let’s go’.”
The open day on Saturday marks 50 years since the Albury squad began.
It will run from 11am to 4pm at the unit’s Kiewa Street rooms with SES and firefighters also on hand.
Email a friend