East End surf lifesavers honour late team-mate
A group of Taranaki surf lifesavers say their win at the national inflatable rescue boat titles was in memory of their former teammate and manager Reece Ball.
On Saturday, members of the East End Surf Lifesaving Club were adding the newly engraved trophy to their cabinet.
Reece died suddenly in June 2019. That year, the team had been runners-up at the BP Surf Rescue New Zealand IRB Championships and were looking for redemption in 2020.
‘‘That was his goal, to win the title,’’ club president John Dent said.
‘‘Then the rest of the team decided they were going to win the title for him.’’
They trained as hard as they could for 12 months, but Covid-19 put a stop to any chance of them competing as the competition was cancelled. It was then announced that the event would go ahead in April 2021 at Ruaka¯ka¯ Beach in Northland.
East End Surf Lifesaving Club was up against 24 other clubs.
To take the title, their Under 23 men’s, Under 23 women’s, Under 19 men’s and Under 19 women’s teams had to compete in five disciplines – a single rescue, mass rescue, tube rescue, assembly rescue and a team race to earn as many points as they could.
‘‘This year they went all out,’’ Dent said.
‘‘I live up the road and I could hear them training every day, even when it was dark or pouring with rain.’’
And the hard work paid off, with the team scoring 111 points to
take the championship, with Reece’s widow, Regina, and two daughters, Samia, 10, and Ziella, 12, there to watch it all unfold.
‘‘It was emotional. We were proud of the team. They worked really hard,’’ Regina said.
‘‘Reece was always committed to the surf club.
‘‘This was his extra family.’’ Samia describer her dad as ‘‘fun and caring’’, and said he had inspired both of them to join the club.
‘‘They’re both water babies, so it’s meant to be,’’ Regina said.