Jason William BRYANT

The 55-year-old passed away suddenly on January 9.

Mr Bryant was active within the Port Macquarie-Hastings community – including through his employment within the police force, and as a member of the Tacking Point Surf Life Saving Club.

Tacking Point SLSC president Mick Lang said Mr Bryant was an extreme waterman and arguably one of the best Inflatable Rescue Boat drivers on the Mid North Coast.

Mr Bryant put his rescue skills into action when he was involved in a mass rescue on the Hastings River in 1999.

Mr Bryant, who was a Senior Constable at the time, utilised an inshore rescue boat and with a colleague’s assistance, continually entered the most hazardous section of the bar.

They rescued members of the Port Macquarie Sea Rescue group, who had been thrown from their boat.

As a result of his efforts, he received the New South Wales Police Service‘s most coveted honour, the Peter Stuckey Mitchell Award in 2000.

Mr Bryant met his wife Deborah when he was 18-years-old and they were married for 33 years.

The couple had three children – Joshua, Danielle, and Taylor.

The family enjoyed annual trips to the Gold Coast and spent time at the local beaches and rivers in the Port Macquarie-Hastings.

Mr Bryant served in the NSW Police force for 20 years and he was stationed at Armidale, Byron Bay and Port Macquarie.

After leaving the force, Mr Bryant worked in a number of different roles and also developed his own business Seaside First Aid Training.

Mrs Bryant said her husband loved the ocean but also enjoyed getting out into the bush.

He went camping and on multi day hikes with his family and friends.

Mr Bryant also enjoyed adventure motorbike rides, where he would often stop in the middle of nowhere to take in the scenery and the quiet environment.

Tribute: Port Macquarie’s Jason Bryant remembered | Port Macquarie News | Port Macquarie, NSW

“THE Sea Rescue’s rubber duckie was washed up on North Beach but the fate of Rescue One, worth around $120,000, with all equipment, was still unknown late yesterday.”

That was how the Port Macquarie News reported the May 1999 sea drama that claimed Port Macquarie Sea Rescue’s boat, Rescue One.

On Monday though, 20 months after the boat sank and disappeared, the fate of the six-metre twin hulled Kevlar Cat was finally revealed: on a Queensland beach, some 1400 kms north of where it went down.

The lead-up to the boat’s sinking was one of the most dramatic events ever witnessed on the Hastings, and culminated in bravery awards for eight members of Port Macquarie Sea Rescue and two Port Macquarie policemen.

The drama began on the afternoon of May 24, 1999, when five Sea Rescue members headed across the Hastings River bar in Rescue One in an effort to ferry supplies to two stranded yachts.

Rescue One however lost power in the high seas and overturned, throwing the crew into the water.

Two other Sea Rescue members went to their aid in the group’s rubber duckie but this too was swamped, leaving it up to Senior Constables Tony Long and Jason Bryant who commandeered another rubber duckie and eventually rescued all the crew in a dramatic hour witnessed by hundreds along the shore.

Port Macquarie Sea Rescue’s rubber duckie was eventually washed up but Rescue One was last seen on May 26 1999, 18 miles off the coast south of Forster. Sea Rescue members presumed the boat had eventually been hit and sunk by a ship.

That is until Monday when Bryan Stewart of Oxley Insurance Brokers in Port Macquarie took a call from a Mackay resident who said the hull of a boat – identified as Rescue One by the writing still visible on the side – had been brought in to a Mackay beach by a Queensland survey boat.

The survey boat had been travelling north when the crew noticed the hull of a boat floating out to sea about 110 km south-east of Mackay.

They winched it aboard.

On arriving at their destination near Mackay, they obtained permission to dump it on a harbour wall where it was noticed by a pensioner, keen to salvage what was left.

He then contacted another Mackay resident, who on closer inspection noticed the partial names of “Oxley Insurance Brokers” and “Port Rescue”, the only writing still visible under layers of barnacles.

Using investigative skills that would make any detective proud, the resident rang Telstra to see if there was a listing for an Oxley Insurance Brokers in Port Macquarie and soon found himself talking to Mr Stewart.

“I was just nonplussed when he rang and thought ‘is he for real?’,” said Mr Stewart, who is still amazed the boat has turned up so far away from where it sank.

Mr Stewart is now waiting to hear from the insurance company, which is the boat’s legal owner after paying out on it more than 18 months ago, to see if the pensioner can salvage it.

There is nothing left of the boat above the hull but amazingly the engines are still attached, although the boat itself “smells pretty bad”.

For Port Macquarie Sea Rescue, the boat’s discovery is wonderful news.

“We’re so pleased about it because we had that boat for 13 years and were very attached to it,” said president Ron Isaacs.

“For the people of Port Macquarie it was a lifesaving vessel and to see it maybe rejuvenated makes us very happy.”

Sen. Const. Bryant said he was most honoured to receive the award.

But to work colleagues and the general community the awards signify just praise for deeds which go far beyond those of the normal course of a job.

More than 100 serving and former NSW Police officers, police administration staff, members of the community and family and friends were at the Port Macquarie Police Station for the awards.

It was the last official award ceremony for Port Macquarie Local Area Commander Superintendent Jim Cranna, who is retiring in January.

2000 Peter Stuckey Mitchell Award: Senior Constable Jason Bryant.

National Medal: Inspector Bruce Simons, Sergeant John Carrero, Senior Constable Alan McCulloch, Detective Senior Constable Dean Rutledge.

National Medal Clasp: Superintendent James Cranna (2nd Clasp).

Northern Region Commendations/Awards/Merits: Senior Constable Grant Christensen (Commendation and Award), Senior Constable Philip O’Reilly (Award), Senior Constable Brian Powick (Merit Certificate), Senior Constable Stephen Bate (Merit Certificate).

Mid North Coast Local Area Command – Merit Certificates: Senior Constable John Casey, Senior Constable Michael Prott, Senior Constable Jason Bentley, Senior Constable Craig Hargraves.

Certificate of Service: Former Sergeant Kevin John Tant, former Sergeant Gary Thornton, former Parking Patrol Officer Franziska Thornton.

Mid North Coast Local Area Command – Merit Certificates (Civilian): Benedict Crute Morgan, Matthew John Hollis, Tarmia Jane Burgess.

Mid North Coast Local Area Command – Certificates of Appreciation: Peter Taylor, Anthony Crowe, Glen Blacklock, Geoffrey Salt, Dennis Fawell, Robert Holley, Jamie Vogele, Anthony Blackman, Geoffrey Shelton, Ken Fletcher, Ronald Halling, Sean Sinden.

Mid North Coast Local Area Command – Merit Certificates (Administration Officers): Carolyn Matthews, Gloria Decker.

Volunteers in Policing – Certificate and Badge: Keith Barton, Lynette Watson, Michael Schooley.