LETTERS

THE SOUTHEASTERLY wind outside my new office in Milnerton tells me the equinox has passed, the 10˚C water in the tidal pool is confirmation, and the blooming trees and hay fever are sure signs that summer is here. Hopefully the miserable winter of the Covid-19 pandemic is over and we can get on with our lives again. Fingers and toes crossed!

Over one recent weekend we saved 20 lives in a number of incidents along the coast and inland: a yacht running into a pipe at Langebaan, seals biting spearfishermen, fishermen slipping on dolosse, cars driving into dams… All ops normal in the NSRI – it just doesn’t stop. We often think winter is a quiet time, but incidents occur all year round. What has changed with Covid-19 is there seems to be a far more energetic drive to get outdoors – we’re going to have our work cut out for us!

Our new vessels are emerging from their moulds and will be delivered by the summer season. Unfortunately the blockages in the global supply chain have slowed down our ORC programme deliveries, and Hermanus may have to wait a while longer as we wait for gearbox parts.

The volunteer community trained continuously through winter and our lifeguard units are prepared. You get the sense of passionate anticipation of the season to come. They love it – it’s what they do!

The head-office personnel have moved into a new volunteer support centre in Milnerton that will eventually accommodate management, training, supply chain, fundraising, marketing and, in January 2022, the call-centre members, who will join us after many years of operating from leased premises in Milnerton Mall. Bringing everyone home to a single facility will create the opportunity for greater innovation, communication and service to the operational rescue volunteers. The move will also introduce new technology and digital solutions to a previously manual system. Drowning-prevention initiatives, water safety education, survival swimming and water safety advocacy have continued through the year, and Jill Fortuin has brought new skills to the efforts to address research into drowning, the findings of which will inform our strategy. We are a lead agency in drowning prevention in South Africa: we spend more than R20m on prevention (Pink Rescue Buoys, water safety, survival swimming, advocacy and more), and can be given at least some credit for the fact that the fatal drowning rate has decreased to a rate of 2.6 per 100 000. Every save is not only a life saved, but many livelihoods are preserved – a very important economic issue for every family protected from the impact of a family member, a breadwinner, dying. I can never say enough about our donor, staff and volunteer culture and the energy that drives the NSRI. You rock and, as you can hear, you have a real impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.

I’m looking forward to a safe summer filled with adventures. See you on the water. Enjoy!

DR CLEEVE ROBERTSON, CEO

CAPE TOWN: NSRI, 4 Longclaw Drive, Milnerton, Cape Town, 7441; PO Box 154, Green Point 8051 Tel: +27 21 434 4011 Fax: +27 21 434 1661 Email: info@searescue.org.za Web: www.nsri.org.za

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WINNING LETTER

Thank you, Hedley, for sending us your story. Your prize is on its way.

As a youngster growing up in Durban, I had a friend at school who had joined Station 5 at Vetch’s Pier. I was a boarder at Glenwood High School, so it wasn’t as easy to get out as it could have been (possibly a good thing too).

I went down to the station on a Sunday morning to see what it was all about. Given that was 1978-ish, I am not able to recall all the names of the team. However, the one ‘taskmaster’ I will never forget was the late Dave Sievwright, who was a coxswain at the time and worked for the navy in Durban. Dave took me under his watch and drilled me in so many aspects not only of Sea Rescue but life as well. Dave lived not too far from the hostel in Glenwood and I would often go to his home to do training on navigation, radio or engine maintenance among other things. I remember writing tests there as well.

My training at Station 5 back then was also in the sea, with swimming training, rope handling, seamanship, maintenance and of course refuelling, which in those days was done with a manual hand pump (funnily enough, gallon by gallon). As a (junior) trainee, I always cleaned the boat after it had been at sea – thoroughly flushed the deck, the hull, the motors, ensured the safety gear was hung up to dry, and that the gear was ready for the next call-out. Also, once the boat had been launched, the boat house had to be cleaned and swept out (the wind would force sand under the door continuously). Then, of course, the control room had to be spic and span as well or, as was always the term, ‘shipshape’. I learnt about preparedness, discipline and dedication to tasks. Clearly, as a junior member, I was never out on a full rescue at the time, yet it was always a highlight to be rewarded with being included in a training session on the boat, the Natal Nomad. During school holidays and every other opportunity possible, I was at the station. On one occasion during a school holiday I was given a pager to carry (a method of emergency communication long before cellphones). Well, the pager went off one morning and I hopped onto my 50cc Yamaha and sped off to the station, only to be stopped by a traffic officer, who asked what the hurry was. After I explained where I was off to, he escorted me on his 750cc Honda all the way to Station 5. I remember Dave was super-cross with me about it for some reason, but that also blew over.

The real lasting value for me as a youngster from this experience was the fact that, many years later, with my own fishing boats and