For over 50 years, the Pickering Auxiliary Rescue Association has served the local Durham Region boating community. From Pickering to Ajax to Whitby we have always answered the call, a call for help, no matter the time, no matter the weather, no matter the complexity. It’s the passion to serve that beats in all of us, drives us to hone our skills and wakes us up in the middle of the night, refreshed and ready to go, when that call comes. All of our members, from the newest recruits to the grizzled veterans are proud of our unit, proud of who we are and proud of what we do. This pride is never more evident than when you see our members display the PARA logo. Whether it be on hats, t-shirts or even winter jackets, its our logo that radiates for all our members the pride and passion we feel to serve others.
Of course, our pride isn’t just about our own membership and our mission, its about our local communities. Whether supporting these communities on the water or on land during numerous events, we are proud to bring Pickering, Ajax and Whitby citizens safely back to shore.
Its this passion for our local community partners that has given us a moment to pause and reflect on if our current brand accurately reflects all whom we serve. Historically known by many names and with many logos, we unanimously felt that our current name of Pickering Auxiliary Rescue Association no longer seems to be true reflection of our mission.
We wanted a brand that truly reflected what we do and whom we serve. Something that would capture the essence of service to the people most impacted. But we wanted to do this in a way that did not ignore our heritage, something which is central to the pride we all feel. What we truly wanted was a way to balance our past with an accurate reflection of all those we serve.
It was time for a change and after months of careful reflection and consideration, we are happy to announce our new brand. Moving forward we will no longer be known as Pickering Auxiliary Rescue Association. We have kept “PARA” as a way to reflect this history but no longer use it as an acronym. Instead we will be known as PARA Marine Search and Rescue (www.paramarinesar.ca), a way to balance the past but clearly depict our mission. In addition, through our new logo we will pay homage to the communities that we serve, Pickering, Ajax and Whitby.
It is through this new look we hope to reflect to the whole community the sense of pride, the passion, and the commitment we have to keep all boaters safe and to continue to serve, with honour all the citizens of Pickering, Ajax, and Whitby.
