Saving lives for the past 50 years
This past Saturday, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) celebrated its 50 years of existence in South Africa, and for Station 12 in Knysna it was the perfect opportunity to open their doors to the public.
From 10:00 to 13:00, people were encouraged to take a tour of the station down at The Heads, near East Heads Cafe and see what NSRI Knysna is all about. Apart from the very informative tour, guided by NSRI members on hand, kids could get their faces painted, one could grab a bite to eat, and you could also get involved with assisting the NSRI Knysna to fulfil a wish list that would enable them to serve the community better. Station commander Jerome Simonis said Station 12 itself is 48 years old this year. “We thought today would be the ideal opportunity to open the base to the public in order for them to see what we are about and what we work with, as we don’t appear in the public eye or media very often. We also had about 60 of our old crew members come through to see how the station has grown over the past 48 years,” said Simonis.
These old crew members, said Simonis, had not yet seen the boats that Station 12 is currently using and later that day they were all taken out for a spin.
“What is so nice about having them here is that every single one of them has been instrumental in building up the base to what it is today,” he said.
Simonis said that the progress the base has made over the years is “unbelievable”.
Get involved
Due to the NSRI being a volunteer organisation that relies solely on the donations from the public and corporate sector, and fundraising events, this day was also used to make residents aware of what Station 12 needs to serve the community better.
“On our wish list we have identified a couple of things we need: it is imperative that the crew has the correct safety equipment when they go out. These include items like waterproof torches and binoculars, swimming fins and masks, an iPhone to use as a communication tool, a GoPro that will assist with our training and preparations for future rescues, and lastly a WaveRunner (a Yamaha personal watercraft),” said Simonis.
Station 12 has been running a fundraising drive throughout the year, he added, which has brought them halfway to buying the WaveRunner which, he said, will make rescues in certain situations much quicker and easier.
* Would you like to get involved with the NSRI or help out with their wish list? Contact Jerome Simonis on 082 990 5956.