Proud chapter ends for Sardinia Bay lifesavers

Services suspended after 44 years with unblemished record

AFTER 44 years of volunteer service, more than 200 rescues and not a single drowning, the Sardinia Bay Lifesaving Club announced the suspension of its services yesterday and that it would join the Summerstrand Club.

In a letter setting out reasons for their decision, veteran lifesavers said they believed the chances of their saving a life at Sardinia Bay had diminished dramatically.

This follows a demolition order for their clubhouse by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality earlier this year.

The clubhouse will be demolished by February.

“The members feel they can no longer carry out their duties in an efficient manner as they have done for the last 44 years,” club secretary Sue Hoffmann said.

“There has not been a single drowning in this period.”

She said the demolition of the helipad at the beach coupled with the absence of a clubhouse where proper first aid could be administered had led to lifesavers concluding that the probability of them saving a life had become very small.

“Members also fear that the distance they would have to carry a trauma patient over the sand dune [to where the helicopter would be able to land] would significantly reduce the patient’s chance of survival,” Hoffmann said.

“The municipality has indicated that the clubhouse will be demolished without any compensation to the club.”

Hoffmann said approved plans only made provision for a future clubhouse in a place where lifesavers would not be able to see the sea, and that nothing had come of a plan to provide lifesavers with towers and two-way radios.

She said the club had reached an agreement with the Summerstrand Lifesaving Club that their remaining members would assist with duties at Pollok Beach.

“We will continue with this arrangement in the hope that the council will see the bigger picture and provide adequate facilities, ensuring the proud reputation of the club and the safety of the public at Sardinia Bay,” Hoffmann said.

The club’s longest-serving member, Grant Breetzke, said it was a very emotional time.

“In 44 years we have done more than 200 rescues. We never lost a single person at that beach. Now the municipality is just throwing us away – after decades of loyal volunteer service,” he said.

“It would cost the municipality about R63 000 a month to use professional lifeguards.

“We offered them highly trained volunteer lifeguards who knew this beach and the sea like the back of their hand and this is what they do to us.”

Municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said the municipality had adequate lifeguards to cover all beaches.

“Twenty-seven lifeguards started in October, 10 more [this month] and another 10 will start in December.”