This image belongs in a collection that  includes many images of members and vessels operated by the Volunteer Coastal Patrol (VCP) in the 1940s. It is believed most of the photographs were taken by the professional photographer and patrol member Peter Luke. Luke's yacht WAYFARER served with the Volunteer Coastal Patrol on Sydney Harbour and along the NSW coast until the war ended in 1945. In 1944 Peter Luke was one of the co-founders of the Cruising Yacht Club and the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. <br><p>The Volunteer Coastal Patrol, the oldest voluntary sea rescue organisation in Australia, was established on 27 March 1937. <br>
When World War II was declared in 1939, members of the Patrol affirmed their desire to serve their country as a volunteer service by patrolling Australia's waterways. In 1940 the Patrol had some 500 vessels and 2,000 members on its register.<br>
The VCP continued to operate in the post-war period in a purely voluntary capacity, constituting an important element in national security. Its objectives were rewritten to make the organisation of value to the country in times of emergency as well as peace. In 1974 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth bestowed the 'Royal' prefix to the Volunteer Coastal Patrol. <br>
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Object number 00049309
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