When she joined a local marine search and rescue group in 2018, Grimsby, Ont., resident Danielle Mackie had barely driven a boat.

Today, the 30-year-old is a flight paramedic serving remote northern Ontario communities, and in August, she was one of two Canadians at an international training for women in search and rescue in Sydney, Australia.

Mackie is a member of GAMRU South Shore Search And Rescue, which responds to emergencies on the water, ranging from broken-down boats to swimmers on inflatable unicorns swept out by high winds.

She said she volunteered for the team in her final year studying geographical information science and anthropology at University of Toronto because she wanted to do something physical, exciting and outdoors. “I also wanted to help people,” Mackie told CBC H

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