Lifeguarding is a Lifestyle

The Governor-General has presented the RSA’s prestigious Anzac of the Year Award to New Zealand’s youngest-ever recipients - two cousins who saved a man from drowning.

Will White and Sergio Schuler, both aged 12, have been honoured for their courage and selfless commitment in the rescue of 32-year-old Vincent Shao at Bowentown Beach in Waihi last December.

When Mr Shao lost his footing and became caught in a rip, the boys used their surf lifesaving training, teamwork and sheer bravery to navigate the crisis, showing maturity beyond their years and ultimately risking their own safety to ensure his survival, a statement said.

Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae presented the award at the Waihi Beach Memorial RSA, with the boys’ family and friends, school representatives, members of the Waihi surf lifesaving club, Police and the local RSA present.

“Will and Sergio exemplify how the Anzac spirit, which was showcased nearly a century ago at Gallipoli, is still alive and strong in even our youngest New Zealanders,” Sir Jerry said in his speech notes.

“These boys embody the Anzac spirit of camaraderie, compassion, courage and commitment in looking after their mates.”

RSA National President Don McIver congratulated the boys, saying their ability to keep calm in a crisis was a critical factor in ensuring Mr Shao made it ashore alive.

“It’s inspiring to see such a display of compassion and courage in such young people. It is our great pleasure to honour Will and Sergio’s bravery with this Award. Their families and their community should be very proud of them,” Mr McIver said.

The Anzac of the Year Award was established in 2010 and last year was awarded to members of the Student Volunteer Army for their selfless and compassionate service to the city of Christchurch following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.

Previous recipients of the Award have been ex-military personnel Brigadier (Retd) Dr Brian McMahon in 2011 and the late Lt Col (Retd) John Masters ONZM MC JP in 2010.

Nominations for the award were made by the New Zealand public with the final recipients decided by a panel.

Established in 2010 by the Royal New Zealand RSA, the Anzac of the Year Award recognises the spirit of Anzac evident in New Zealanders today.

It is awarded for a single act or for significant service to New Zealanders or the international community.

The spirit of Anzac is embodied in the 1915 story of New Zealand Gallipoli hero Private Richard Henderson and the donkey where the qualities of comradeship, compassion, courage and commitment were exemplified in his service bringing in wounded men under heavy fire, with total disregard for his own life.

I thought I would share this with you all as I think it portrays the actions of a community and the brave and committed individuals who risk their lives here in New Zealand and around the world on a daily basis.

It is always very sad indeed to lose any life but to lose a life from within our ranks in such a way brings out the lifeguard in all of us. By this I mean the mums who bake to feed the many and the families that come together to assist through to the lifeguards who have the horrible job of searching for and retrieving lost lives.

To you all I say thank you, as a long time clubbie and beach user and I have posted the sincere comments given from within and the wider community to remind us all what the word community means.

Muriwai Bulletin 5th March 2013

The past week has clearly shown us what a wonderful club and community we belong to. No one could’ve prepared us for our first week in our new home. The club became the “Hub” for folks to gather sharing stories and comforting each other during this tragic time.

From the management team a big THANK YOU to everyone who offered support, baked, ran errands, provided relief to the regional guards, manned the beach from dawn to dusk and literally did whatever was asked of them. Muriwai is a special place and we are proud to be part of it.

Most of you will have seen the news reports – Tim did us proud fronting the media. We have also had many an email from all round the world – lots from old friends on their OE, surf clubs in both Australia and NZ sending their condolences as the news broke around the world.

We just thought we would share a few comments that have come in :

“I thought I would just express how proud I am to be a Life member of Muriwai Club after the tragic event that occurred last week. It is obvious from the press reports that the bravery and professionalism of those involved was outstanding.

It is not every day that such graphic details came out on the shark attack and the commitment by the Muriwai Clubbies leaves me in awe of these young men who literally put their life on the line to retrieve the victim of the attack.

Please pass on my remarks to those involved and congratulate them on their outstanding service.”

Ian Hill Life Member

“The life guard team did a great job. If you have the opportunity would you please let them know the people on the beach were very impressed at their prompt actions and professionalism throughout the ordeal.”

Glen Eden Intermediate School Party member

“I am in awe of the actions and extreme bravery of those young lifeguards who risked their lives and went through such a terrifying experience last week. Your club must feel so proud of them and all the other members who assisted in such an outstanding effort.”

Annette Lucas

Many of our members have been connected to this incidence in one way or another – please be aware that if you or you know of anyone that would like to chat to a counsellor then please do get in touch with us and we can certainly put you in touch with someone. Kia Kaha

Mark G

I was fortunate to visit this fantastic facility and have to say that Neil Reid, Tim Jago and the whole team of clubbies at the Murawai surf lifesaving club deserve a huge pat on the back.

I know this is off my normal path of lifesaving thoughts but I think it needs mention that there are many organisations who use and are responsible for this facility including the murawai Surf lifesaving club and it is a credit to them all.

I wrote a small snippet on the survival of community based clubs and how they should work together and this is proof of the concept I spoke of back then.

For those contemplating a venture like this it would be well worth a visit or maybe contacting the team at Murawai as they have thought of almost everything and I am sure they would certainly be forthcoming with there experiences and the outcomes they have achieved.

There is room for corporate retreats through to seminars for groups wanting a day or two at the beach, bunk rooms sleep large numbers and the kitchen and social areas are very adequate for any function, I guess the highlight for me was to see the passion and drive of all those involved in this project every time they spoke of their achievement.

Well done to you all and I will be joining as a social member and who knows rolling my sleeves up to work alongside a very committed and fine group of clubbies.

Mark G

Yep, I have the soap box out and well placed on the sand, as you can see my ponderings have taken me to the rhealm of positive reinforcement.

In my opinion some of us get up each day and think to ourselves, here we go again its just another day closer to the weekend. I on the other hand prefer to ask my self a simple question and it is what am I going to achieve today?

This simple change in thought from perhaps a slightly negative stance to one of positive forward action and the decision to make the best of my day actually sees me quite relaxed at the end of the week.

I can look back with some sense of accomplishment and say I did those things that I set out to do this week.If we as lifeguards both past and present look out why we became lifeguards (no not to chase the guys and girls that appeal to us) I think we would find it was to improve some one elses experience at the beach or maybe even our own?

I know that sometimes we come off the beach thinking why do I do it but you know I think we do it because it gives us a sense of achievement and it reinforces that we are making a difference to the lives of those who visit our beaches each and every day.

Ok for once this post is relatively short but my point is this, if you start your day with a decision to try in whatever it is you want to do then you are halfway there and all you have to do is get on with it!

Later guardians of the beach……….

Mark G

Mark G

Yep, I have been pondering after a winter that has seen rain, hail and snow for many. It has also been incredibly tough financially for families and organisations trying to stay ahead of the ongoing costs and events that a depressed market brings.

I have begun to wonder how we as clubs and organisations can survive in these times of financial insecurity and I think I may have some thoughts on pathways forward. We all belong to a club or group whatever the title you want to hang on it.

As individual organisations we are limited by membership who generally put their hand in their pockets to keep the doors open let alone the time given to maintain the survival of the group. I wonder if it would be common sense to perhaps look at those organisations with similar philosophy’s and roles in the community with the view to combining under one umbrella so to speak?

By combining there would be strength in numbers and belonging by many which would make the overall group strong in unity and provide a common place for the wider public to seek assistance when required. I use the example of my home surf lifesaving club which has a unique building and a reasonable membership, I believe if we combined with other emergency response units and providers we would see a benefit to ourselves but most importantly to our wider community.

Maybe its worth entertaining or even exploring the benefits of a shared focus and service provision to our immediate and wider community? Ok enough of my random ponderings, time to do something positive today……………..catch you all in the white water.

I thought I would give you all a look at my home club and the beach that shaped my life and outlook on all things lifeguarding…………let the lesson begin.

Aim:
The aim of the Waihi Beach Lifeguard Service is to achieve excellence in beach rescue services and surf sports by continually developing the skills of our members and by promoting the role of the club in the community.

History:
The Waihi Beach Lifeguard Service is situated at the Northern end of Waihi Beach. The original Waihi Surf Life Saving Club was founded in 1936 and was situated further to the left than the current building. The club was run by a small group of locals trying to make our beach a safer place for their families and friends. The club membership grew over time and a new building became necessary to operate from and store equipment, this new building – the one we currently operate from – was opened in 1971.Membership continued to grow and in 1986 additions were made to include a wing of accommodation for women and a better tower to patrol from. Despite the wars and times of economic hardship, the service has continually operated throughout the last 70 years. We are currently undertaking a major building project to lifeguard headquarters on the original site at the north end of Waihi Beach to make sure we can continue to provide this service for generations to come.

Events and Activities:
Over the busy summer period we provide many activities for the community to get involved in. In the fourth and first school terms Lifeguards run Beach Education classes for school children, teaching them about safety in the surf and sun. On New Years Day we have the annual children’s sports day – the longest running beach sports day in New Zealand – attracting hundreds of locals and tourists for some family fun. We also run an annual fun run/walk, sandcastle competition, mud to club fun run, and a themed auction and party. All of these events help to promote our service and are a fun way for the community to get involved and help our club with the funding we rely on for our existence.

You can follow Waihi Beach Lifeguards at the following address: http://waihibeachlifeguards.co.nz/

Here is a blog started by one of our very young future lifeguards have a look at this link: http://www.surflifesavingnz.blogspot.com.au/

I think its time I raised a thought that has been bouncing around in that vast space I call my brain. I title it “delivering the message”, as lifeguards we are constantly passing on valuable safety information and tips to beach goers in an effort to keep them safe on our beach.

I am sure that we believe the messages to be right after all we use the same messages year after year. I have realised that the message is always pretty close to what we want to say its just the saying that gets lost. What I mean is the message is right for those that created it and the pen masters that encoded it to books, media and the like.

The critical thing that makes it work is the delivery, I am talking about the person or persons delivering the message and how they get the message across. I remember from days gone bye (to many to count) the best learning I ever had was on the beach and actually taking in the practicality of the learning being imparted.

By this I mean that “when we do we understand and when we understand we can do” so visitors of the white water next time you are sitting in an instructional lesson at the club and you are not getting the message ask the instructor to show you.

If we transferred all of the knowledge required into a practical session for the age groups we are trying to teach we actually give the message meaning. I think that we can make learning much more interesting if we have a large practical content to any lesson because it will show the instructor that the student has learn’t and the student will always want to return to your next session if they are getting valuable learning from you.

Remember to recieve we must first deliver, well I guess its back to my irregular thought patterns and all that is surf lifesaving.

Mark G

As we head into winter I tend to collect my thoughts on what has been and what may be when the summer to come is upon us. Some of you will totally switch off from surf while others like myself will give the odd thought to the summer ahead. It is with this in mind that has me pondering the little noise in my head that asks “who taught the teacher………..? Now before you begin to answer this without reasonable thought and deliberation, let me enlighten you on my rationale.

I have been questioning a variety of things in the last year or so (my 12 therapists say I’m fine) and one of them is the question above. So who taught you and who taught them, well maybe I can shed some light on this in simplistic terms as I am not complicated at all.

When I was a junior life guard I had various role models that I always aspired to be like, yep the iron men and women who won most of the events they went in and were always out training. I thought to myself how did they know to do this and then I realised that it is so simple, they watched and then learn’t from those more experienced.

The next thing they did was to get out and practice what they had seen and heard and then fine tuned it into their own skills and style which improved with practice. I know what you are going to say but alas I believe you to be wrong if you said a coach or a mentor got me to where I am today, although they probably assisted and cant be discounted.

In most cases a coach or mentor can only guide and assist to develop your thought patterns and then structure of your initial routines. I believe it is you who is the student but also the teacher because through practice and repetition we all teach ourselves the skills and processes that make us better and faster in what ever we do.

So………………….”who taught the teacher” well I guess you can answer that now with a little help from my fuzzy logic and experiential knowledge. Remember you have to watch and listen to the experience of others and then you must practice the routines and implement your style to make it work for you.

Mark G

Folks, I dont know about you but I am sick to death of hearing horror stories of near miss drownings and worst still the loss of life in the waters that surround our wonderful country.

Learning to swim and survive is a progression that starts with the development of basic skills. Teaching your child simple skills and providing plenty of opportunities to experience the water and gain in confidence will provide the required foundation for further learning.

ALWAYS remember that active parental involvement (physically being in the water with your child) is essential for a secure and productive learning environment.

HAVE FUN! The more you and your child enjoy the experience together the greater the results will be.

Important Note: Teaching young children can be frustrating if you expect immediate results. All kids are different, don’t push them and allow them to go at own pace. Remember, they have a long time to improve their abilities in the water. Initially the focus must be on enhancing their familiarity and confidence in the water. This process will take time, but the rewards and benefits of swimming will last them a lifetime.

The good old days saw swim progammes in schools and every child had to learn basic water safety which included learning to swim. I have to ask what went wrong, why did this valuable programme stop?

I think we have to get back to swim education and so my suggestion is if you as parents cant swim then make it a family challenge that you all go to the pool and learn! We have to stop our people drowning and the only way to assist in this is to educate everyone on the benefits of water safety and awareness.

As lifeguards on our beaches I think we owe it to ourselves to understand how we can further assist in saving lives. It would be interesting to ask a selsction of adult beach goers next time you are on patrol this simple question, “Can you swim?

If mum and dad are with their children ask the kids if they can swim? The reason for my stance on this is simple and common sense  in my way of thinking. We all come to the beach for something and ultimately it is for a swim, now my fuzzy logic tells me that if you as lifeguards are here to protect beach goers, who come to swim and dont know how then your risk on the beach is huge.

I think your starting to get the picture, it doesnt take alot of brain energy to understand that we have to educate to make our jobs easier each and every day at the beach. I will leave you with my thoughts on learning to swim and ask that you dont just read it and say to yourself that “its common sense”,do something about it!

So whats your plan to assist, maybe I can help so let me know your thoughts as I to am very committed to educating those that love water like I do.

“In it for life”

Mark G

Well folks I have to say that my holiday at my favourite beach was sadly disrupted early in the New Year. About 80km to the South of Waihi Beach is a very beautiful reef that was a magnet for divers and lovers of marine life. In October the container ship  “Rena” ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef which is situated off Mt Maunganui. 

The Rena has since broken up in the new year with the stern section sinking and falling off the edge of the reef. The containers she was carrying have floated off or sank and are still a danger to everyone from pleasure craft, shipping and even swimmers.

There is debris being washed ashore which includes timber, bags of Rice and milk powder along with globs of heavy engine oil from her fuel tanks and surrounding compartments. I have to say its a very sad site to see a beach you enjoy year after year being littered with debris that could have been avoided.

Commerce is something our world relies on for survival and part of that commerce process is transportation of which shipping is a large part of. I believe we tend to block out a lot of what happens on a daily basis because it doesn’t affect our daily routines until it creates a problem for us as individuals.

The powers that be have been focusing on the salvage and clean-up efforts and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission will eventually be investigating the grounding and I guess we can expect them to make recommendations required on matters to improve shipping safety 

The thing that really annoys the hell out of me is that we are talking about the worst ever marine environmental disaster in New Zealand which is likely to cost $300 million or more. I believe if we had a warning device on the “Astrolab reef “in the first place and regulations that had fines for those companies breaking exclusion areas around these prime locations we would at least have a something in place to deter bad practice.

I look at our other natural disaster and the folk suffering in Christchurch through earthquake after earthquake and have to ask, why the hell are we wasting $300 million or so cleaning up something that could have been prevented in the first place?

I know I am on my soap box again but stay with me lifeguards of the world. Do you actually know what crosses the horizon of the beach you protect season after season? Have you got a response to deal with situations like this and have you identified what potential risk management could be put in place to alert those transporting hazardous cargo of the risks around your beach? 

I know that nothing will ever stop accidents occuring and we deal with these as they occur but if we know that things are not right with those vessels transporting cargo then we should do something about it right? In regards to the Rena there were early indicators early last year that all was not right with the ship when it was impounded in Australia , partially due to mechanical faults.

The ships management were also warned about the Rena’s safety record less than two weeks before the grounding which is an indicator that all was not well with the Rena. The Rena had safety concerns raised about it in China, in Australia and then in Bluff so at what point did we do something about it?

At least 32 containers on board the Rena contained dangerous goods although the ship’s official manifest, released soon after the grounding, listed 11 containers of goods classified as hazardous despite  requirements of the International Dangerous Goods Code to declare all cargo of this nature.

I guess at the end of the day it is all about risk management and the fact that if we know about it we can deal with it in the best way possible and with the latest technology at our disposal. All I ask is that you question what is and will be your sphere of responsibility as a lifeguard and make yourself aware of the risks that may occur in and around your beach.

We are here to protect beach dwellers and ensure their experience at our beach is both safe and pleasant and I am pretty sure we dont come to the beach to clean up debris that didnt need to be there in the first place.

Ok so that was my last few weeks, how has your day been?

Mark G