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GEORGE NEWS - It was a morning filled with appreciation and respect as the local National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Wilderness Station 23 crew gave thanks to the many who donate and volunteer their time, talent or money to keep them afloat.
On Saturday 19 August station commander Michael Vonk and his team hosted an appreciation morning at their base in Wilderness where they acknowledged the support from the community, their partners, volunteers and loyal supporters.
No one was left out as certificates were handed out to fellow emergency services, the media, lifelong supporters, lifesavers, community members, municipalities and many more.
"The event was a wonderful occasion to bring together and recognise the rescue services operating in the community alongside sponsors, donors and other volunteers, who are all connected to NSRI’s purpose of saving lives through the prevention of drowning. It’s a privilege for our sea rescue volunteers to be part of a such a committed group of people and to appreciate the support we have from the community," said Vonk.
PHOTO GALLERY: NSRI say thanks!
It was also a day to not only recognise the support from the community, but to congratulate two new crew members, Jané Botha (17) who officially qualified as rescue crew and Graham Hughes (68) as shore controller. These two made it through vigorous training and many hours of hard work.
"Jané and Graham are the youngest and oldest volunteers at Station 23, and qualifying on the same day symbolises the strength in diversity within the Sea Rescue team," said Vonk.
Managing editor of Group Editors Ilse Schoonraad with journalist Kristy Kolberg and NSRI Wilderness Station 23 station commander Michael Vonk.
Drowning prevention
During his talk about drowning prevention, NSRI Drowning Prevention Manager, Andrew Ingram, said their pink buoy initiative, which originally started in Wilderness, has saved 152 lives since it's inception in 2017.
Bright pink buoys are placed strategically on signs at selected inland rivers, dams and at beaches - these buoys act as a reminder to be cautious if there are no lifeguards on duty. In the unfortunate event of someone getting into difficulty in the water, the pink buoys can be used as emergency flotation devices until help arrives.
A second drowning prevention initiative is CCTV cameras installed at beaches and a third innovation they are busy rolling out, is called survival swimming centres. A 6m x 2m swimming pool is installed in a 12m shipping container and can be taken anywhere in the country.
"Children who previously had no opportunity to learn to swim, can now have a swimming pool on the school grounds," said Ingram.
Browan Johnson, Marlene Barnard and Dr Michele Gratz accepted the certificate awarded to the George municipality.
Strength through unity
Vonk said one of the strengths of the local rescue services is that they all know each other, which makes working on scenes far more efficient.
"Whether the rescue personnel are from municipal, private or volunteer organisations, everyone works well together to achieve the objective. An event such as this helps to further builds and strengthen relationships, so when under pressure during operations, the team can function optimally," he said.
From the Garden Route District Municipality, head of Disaster Management Gerhard Otto and Emergency Call Centre Supervisor Stella Bouwer, accepted their certificate from Jonathan Britton.
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