Search and Rescue members bowled over by town’s donation

By Mark Squibb

The Town of Conception Bay South on November 28, presented members of Central Avalon Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) with an early Christmas present – a cheque for $10,000.

“The general public probably doesn’t have a really good handle on how close we came to a very, very devastating scenario,” said Mayor Darrin Bent. “But through all of that, the Central Avalon Ground Search and Rescue were there. You were at Holyrood, and CBS, and Paddy’s Pond, and Kingston. You were in the background doing absolutely essential work.”

Bent said folks sleep better at night because of organizations like Central Avalon GSAR, and council was happy to select the volunteer group as the recipient of the funds raised during the Town’s 2025 Ribfest.
GSAR volunteer Mabel Tilley said it was “absolutely wonderful” to receive the donation, which is the highest fundraising donation the group has ever received.

“This is a humungous donation for our group,” said Tilley. “We are a small group of less than 40 volunteers. We do have support for our everyday costs coming from the provincial government. But this donation today will get us some new winter tires for our truck. There are simple things that I think a lot of people take for granted that we are provided, but we are not. This will help us be able to be a little more efficient in the winter months.”

Despite the challenges posed by wind and snow, the winter months tend to be a little slower than other months for members of Central Avalon GSAR – knock on wood.

“That being said, two years ago we were called out between Christmas and New Year’s for a search that lasted us three days,” said Tilley. “So, you never know. We’ve been called out on Christmas Day. It’s kind of a roll of the dice.”

Tilley said many of the calls GSAR responds to are mental health calls. Those may increase around the holidays.

Tilley added the organization is always looking for new members, and those who join get trained to a national standard.

“Last summer we had a search on Random Island for a missing child, and we had hundreds of volunteers that showed up,” said Tilley. “And we want to let people know that we have an educated way that we search. We are trained to a standard that goes right across the country. That being said, if you love being in the woods, you like walking in the rain, adult hide-and-go-seek, you like helping people, contact info@nlsar.ca, and they can provide you with the team closest to your geographical area. There’re thirty teams across the province, from Nain to Paradise, and they’re always looking for new volunteers.”

The child on Random Island was located safely.