Piha Surf Life Saving Club

Piha Surf Life Saving Club Inc.

Piha SLSC Logo
Abbreviation	Piha SLSC
Motto	Committed to Keeping Piha Beach Safe
Formation	January 10, 1934 (1934-01-10)
Type	Not For Profit
Legal status	Incorpoarated Society, Charity
Headquarters	Piha, Auckland, New Zealand
Location	Piha Beach
President	Peter Brown
Affiliations	Surf Life Saving Northern Region (SLSNR)
Website	Piha SLSC Website

Piha Surf Life Saving Club (sometimes called Piha Lifeguard Service) is a surf lifesaving club for the southern section of Piha, on the west coast of Auckland, New Zealand, some 45 km from Auckland City centre. The patrol is featured on the TVNZ reality show Piha Rescue, and is ordinarily broadcast Mondays at 7:30 PM on the channel TV ONE when a season is running.

The club is the best-known of 17 surf lifesaving clubs in the Northern Region of New Zealand, and possibly one of the best-known surf lifesaving clubs^[1] in the entire country. Its high profile is partly being due to its participation in the television series and partly through its location on one of the country's most-popular surfing beaches. The beach is also a regular venue for national surfing championships and the annual "Piha Big Wave Classic", part of the national surf life saving championships.

The club was founded in January 1934 by, Frank Ross, Cliff Holt, Bert Holt, Stan Holt, Laurie Wilson, and as such is the oldest club on Auckland's West Coast. The club colours were chosen as black, red and green. Black for the iron sands of the West Coast, red for the sunsets above the Tasman Sea to the West, and green for the forest clad Waitakere Ranges that separate Piha from Auckland City.

Piha has been the home club of many national champions in surf life saving and other sports, among them former Commonwealth Games swimming gold medallist Dave Gerrard, national boxing champion Jackie Jenkins, and the champion swimmer Buddy Lucas.

Patrolling statistics

The table below give a summary of the Patrol statistics for the Volunteer Lifeguards of Piha SLSC. This table excludes the statistics for the paid Regional Lifeguards who use Piha Surf Life Saving Club's equipment and facilities.

Season	Total Volunteer Hours Worked	Number of People Rescued	Number of First Aids	Number of Searches	Number of Preventative Actions	Number Of People Involved
2013/2014	6,527	40	63	17	1,590	5,179
2012/2013	5,648	37	75	9	1,225	6,390
2011/2012	4,988	29	65	5	862	3,966
2010/2011	5,129	54	56	32	1,160	3,966
2009/2010	5,607	55	56	17	2,759	10,801
2008/2009	5,941	92	73	17	2,257	7,016

Rescue and Bravery Awards

Meritorious Award for Bravery in Bronze, 1963.

Lifeguard: Don (E. D.) Wright ^[2]

On 8 January 1962, following the closing of the beach because of the dangerous seas, a man was spotted waving frantically as he was carried out to sea. Attempts to reach him by line and paddle board failed. Meanwhile, Peter Way of the North Piha club swum from rocks at the end of the beach through waves 20 feet high and succeeded in reaching him, but could not get him back in. Don Wright tried to get out on his ski but was knocked off over and over again. Finally, he slid off his ski as each wave approached, then remounted once the wave was past. Reaching Way, who was supporting the patient, Wright took over and was able to bring the patient back to shore successfully on his ski. Peter Byers of the Piha club finally got his paddle board out to sea and was able to bring Way in. It was judged that had not Wright persevered, the patient and Way would have had little chance of survival. For this rescue, Way received and Meretorious Award in Silver, and Wright, a Meritorious Award in Bronze. The Piha club received a Letter of Commendation.

Wales Bank Outstanding Rescue of the Year Award, 1980.

Lifeguard: Murray Bray

On 21 September 1979, on an overcase day with a strong south-westerly wind and a two-three meter surf, Murray Bray, walking on the beach with his son, noticed three surfers being swept out to sea around the Pakiti rip. Running to the rocks, Bray was able to direct two surfers to safety. He then went out to help the third surfer who was absolutely exhausted. By the time Bray reached him, he was semi-conscious. In cold seas, Bray was unable to get back to shore because of the whirlpool rip, and had to land the patient through heavy surf on the rocks. He was badly cut during the landing and his patient was unable to help in any way. Both Bray and the patient received medical attention.

Meritorious Award for Bravery, 1984.

Lifeguards: Murray Bray & George Thomson

On 1 July 1984, Don Wright saw a young woman on a paddle board, Jody Reid, being swept around the front of Lion Rock. George Thomson and Murray Bray had just come in from surfing, and Thomson was about to buy a hamburger, when Wright told them what he had seen. Thomson and Bray went to investigate, and Bray signaled back that he needed flippers and rescue tube. By this stage Thomson had dived into the gut on the front of Lion Rock and had taken the women out beyond the surf line. Once Bray got flippers and tube he too swam out but they could not get back in because of the strength of the rip. Instead, they had to swim 200 yards towards Camel Rock before coming in south of Moana Stream. The helicopter arrived just as they reached the shore and the patient was taken to hospital, while Thompson and Bray, who were exhausted after their long struggle in the water - an hour and half for Thomson and three-quarters of an hour for Bray - recovered on the beach. Don Wright called it "the best rescue I have ever seen on our beach".

Piha Lifeguard Service, BP Surf Rescue of the Year, 2001.

Lifeguards: Nick Kinghorn and Graham Valentine.

At 8:30 pm on 1 January 2000, a father, son and daughter lost their footing and were swept into a hole in the centre of the beach, heading towards Lion Rock. The father and son managed to clamber onto Lion Rock, but in fading light and with an outgoing tide, the mother ran up to the clubhoue and told Nick Kinghorn and Graham Valentine that 17-year-old Stacey was in trouble. They launched the IRB and using the moonlight and a searchlight scoured the seas for Stacey, who was now well out and exhausted. Only a chance gleam of moonlight enabled the boat crew to spot Stacey. She was pulled into the boat, brought ashore and stabilized by Anna Schubert, Saara Caldwell and Jonathon Webber, before being taken to hospital by ambulance. Stacey's father and brother also needed medical attention from the Piha guards. The actions of the Piha guards "undoubtedly prevented this family outing from turning into a family tragedy", said the commendation.

Rescue of the Month, March 2008.

Awarded to Piha and United North Piha Life Guards for their combined rescue and advanced scene management.

Life Guards involved: Abbi Manley, Cali Manley, Liz Manley, Vanda Karolczak, Paul Picot, Gary Turton, Ukiah Brown, Tony Featherstone (PC), Paul Downey, Jason Anderson, Merrin O'Brien, Jess Hosking, Jonathon Webber, Geoff Calvert, Hayley Seymour, Leif Neilson, Brent Airey.

After patrol had finished for the day, lifeguards at South Piha were packing up when a member of the public alerted them to a person "being carried away in a current" through large messy surf. After a brief but intense search by lifeguards some distance from the original patrol area, the unconscious patient was returned to shore. The Westpac Rescue helicopter was called while communications were managed and additional resources (stretcher, blankets, extra oxygen and AED) where brought to the scene. Distressed family members were looked after by additional life guards, as statements and other information was recorded. The person was transported from the waters edge to the mid-beach helipad where ambulance officers took over the management. The patient's condition was deteriorating fast and it was hugely important that all information that was collected and recorded by the guards was handed over to the ambulance officers to ensure they had a clear picture of what had happened. As the ambulance officers continued to work on the patient lifeguards kept communications between SurfCom and the ambulance dispatch going and ensured the helipad area remained secure. In poorly lit conditions lifeguards transferred the patient to Helimed, in preparation for transfer to hospital. He remained in a serious state in Auckland City Hospital for three days before being discharged. Throughout the incident lifeguards continually liaised with the family, provided additional help to the patient and documented the incident to ensure an accurate hand-over to the ambulance and Helimed officers. Lifeguards were highly commended on their work by both the ambulance and Helimed teams. It is without doubt that the quick-thinking response from this team and the extremely effective scene management the means for this successful patient rescue and favorable outcome.

Rescue of the Month, November 2009.^[3]

Lifeguards: Duncan Clarke, Geoff Calvert and Rob Wakelin.

Friday November 27, 2009 was clear and warm, the first decent day in a while, and there were plenty of people on the beach and in the water, despite challenging conditions with huge surf and a number of rips. Weekday patrols were not yet in operation, but Piha General Manager Rob Wakelin was working in the club when he received a report of four surfers in trouble at the front of the notorious Lion Rock. Rob dialled 111, and was able to get full and accurate details from the informant  to relay to the operator, Maritime Police and SurfCom. He also alerted the after hours call out squad. Rob then prepared the quad bike, inflatable rescue boat (IRB) and radios in advance of the callout members arriving, saving valuable time. Minutes before the callout squad arrived, one of the surfers came off the beach having been swept right around Lion Rock. He had extensive injuries as a result of the huge surf conditions. He said that two of his companions were out of the water but stranded at the very front of Lion Rock, while the third had made it back to the beach. The third surfer then arrived in a distressed state. Rob and a Police officer who had reached the scene took the informant and two surfers into the clubhouse to confirm reports and to provide comfort and First Aid. The Police officer used a Piha SLSC radio to relay information between Surfcom and the Eagle helicopter which had been dispatched. As the informant had been kept close he was able to give accurate details. As luck would have it the informant was a trained paramedic and he attended to the injured surfer as the callout lifeguards launched an IRB to rescue the remaining two surfers from the front of Lion Rock. Showing tremendous driving skills in huge surf, Duncan manouvred the IRB into the glut where Geoff could exit the IRB with a rescue tube and clamber onto the rocks. Duncan then held the IRB steady so the first surfer could leap (from some height) into the IRB. Having returned him to the beach the lifeguards returned to the front of Lion Rock to retrieve the second surfer, who was also returned safely. The professionalism and expertise this small group of members demonstrated made this nomination a clear winner. These three lifeguards have been involved in Surf Life Saving for many years. They epitomise In it for Life!

Rescue of the Month, February 2010.

Lifeguards involved: Jonathon Webber, Greg Wilson, Anna Schubert, Murray Bray, Mike Wood, Chase Cahalane.

Shortly after midnight on Wednesday 24 February, veteran Piha lifeguard Jonathon Webber was interrupted by a distressed man knocking on his door seeking assistance. The man informed him that two of his friends had fallen from near the top of Lion Rock. Having the presence of mind to radio the incident in to Surfcom, Jonathon then responded to find the two men near the base of Lion Rock in a critical condition. Joined by fellow local lifeguards who had been alerted by Surfcom and the Piha First Response team, the group set about stabilising the men. Not helped by the difficult position on loose materials at the base of Lion Rock, and working in darkness, the team were able to assess that one of the men had critical internal injuries and the other a badly broken leg. Both had impact injuries to their heads and were unconscious. Some of the team went to fetch club ATVs to provide lighting to the area the men were in, joined soon after by the Piha Volunteer Fire Service. The Westpac Rescue Helicopter, which was initially unavailable arrived and an advanced paramedic assisted with the stabilisation of the men and their careful transfer from the beach to the helicopter for airlift to hospital. At one stage there wear fears both men would not pull through, however thanks to the lifeguards and in particular Jonathon's advanced medical knowledge, the men both survived their ordeal.

Rescue of the Month, February 2012.

Regional Lifeguards Involved: Logan Adams, Kris O'Neill, Duncan Buchanan, Tommy Cantrell, Sam Bassett, Aaron Young, Anaru Clarke, Tom Jacka, Sam Jenkins.

At just after 6pm on 10 February lifeguards Kris O'Neill and Tom Cantrell spotted four young men entering the water just south of Lion Rock. With the surf being large and rough, they were concerned. Kris jumped on the ATV and headed towards the men to advise them of the dangerous conditions. While en route, the four individuals stepped off into a hole. The hole was feeding a very fast moving rip and the men found themselves stuck in the current. Realising their predicament, they raised their hands for assistance. Kris quickly responded with a tube and fins. From the Operations Room Patrol Captain Logan Adams radioed Tom advising him to respond. Tom headed with a paddleboard to assist. At the same time Logan notified Duncan Buchanan and Sam Basset and they launched an IRB. Kris reached three of the men, one being completely underwater, and pulled him up to the surface. He appeared unconscious. Securing the patient with a tube, Kris supported the two other patients as best he could. Meanwhile Tom paddled out and helped stabilise the men while the IRB raced to pick up the patients. A local surfer also offered his board as a floatation device. On their way out, Duncan and Sam located the fourth distressed swimmer and pulled the conscious but exhausted man into the IRB. Upon reaching Kris, Tom, and the patients, Duncan and Sam tried to pull the semiconscious patient who was holding on to Tom's paddleboard into the IRB. With a set fast approaching and the patient unwilling to let go of the board, the IRB had to move out past the break to ensure the safety of all involved. Kris managed to swim his patient out past the break while Duncan and Sam were able to pull a conscious patient into the boat safely. Meanwhile Tom and his semiconscious patient along with the surfer and his conscious patient were forced to brace for the oncoming waves. Tom and the surfer were able to secure their patients and use the leverage of their boards to push them closer to shore, and once the set passed, to stand and begin walking them out of the water. At this point Tom's semi-conscious patient became very week and needed assistance walking. The semi-conscious patient then informed Tom that he had gone unconscious a few times and had swallowed a fair amount of water. Tom immediately signalled for additional assistance. Having spoken to Tom, Kris ran to the ATV to retrieve the oxygen and resuscitation pack. Tom, Kris, Duncan, and Sam administered oxygen, treated the patient for shock, minor hypothermia, and monitored vitals while Logan notified Surfcom of the situation. Surfcom dispatched an ambulance. The patient became nauseated and started throwing up, thus classifying him as a status two patient. As a result, Tom, Kris, and Duncan lifted the patient into the IRB and trailer for rapid transport off the beach. Once at the club, Tom, along with surf lifeguards Aaron Young and Tom Jacka carried the patient into the first aid room. Surfcom and the RLS supervisor then requested Westpac to respond as they were concerned that the patient could deteriorate. Once the patient was placed in the first aid bed, Tom Cantrell checked lung sounds and vitals. Tom was unable  to hear any water in the lungs. The patient was still cold, nauseated, pale, and had a rapid pulse with shallow but fast respirations. At this point St John First Response arrived on scene and joined in on administering care. Due to the great work already done by the lifeguards and speedy response by the Piha first response it was decided Westpac was not needed. Within 15 minutes of being placed in the first aid room the patient started showing signs of improvement. His pulse rate returned to a normal rating and his skin colour and skin temperature returned to a normal state. The patient was in good spirit and smiling once the ambulance  arrived on scene. They administered further advance care and transported the patient to the hospital for a more in depth check of the condition of his lungs and for any water that may still be present. Due to the rapid response, extensive knowledge of the beach conditions, and thorough medical training the lifeguards involved had. An otherwise  certain fatality was prevented.

Rescue of the Month, October 2012.

Lifeguards involved: Paul Picot, Alice Segar, Paul Downey, Jason Anderson, Tony Featherstone, Tony Adams, Olivia Adams, Christian Robertson, Vonda Karolczak, Mikaela Ryan, Anna Karolczak Young, Roger Wallis, Jordan Pope, Eric Morighan and Ukiah Brown.

On the 22nd of October 2012, from the deck of the Piha Surf Life Saving Club, Lifeguards could see two male fisherman in a spot that would soon be battered by large surf and would eventually be underwater, as it wasn’t far off high tide. At midday Paul Picot and Christian Robertson dispatched an IRB to go and warn the two fishermen. Upon arrival, only one of the gentlemen could speak very broken English but Paul and Christian warned them as best they could what was about to happen to their fishing spot. The  fisherman declined any assistance saying they would wait six hours until the tide was low enough to walk from their fishing spot. Paul radioed his findings back to the patrol deck and the IRB returned to shore. Lifeguards kept watch on them for the rest of the patrol. With two hours until high tide, the swell was building as the tide was coming in and the Lifeguards didn’t want to leave the two fisherman on the rocks as they could foresee them getting trapped. Visibility was fading fast and they didn’t have any torches or warm clothing with them - it was a recipe for disaster. At 3pm Paul and Roger Wallis dispatched yet another IRB to go and try to talk to them again but it was difficult to communicate the danger they were in. The surf was  battering both the IRB and the  fisherman but they still didn’t understand the danger. Paul and Roger returned to shore. Tony Featherstone informed Surf Com of the situation and at 3.30pm they decided that they needed to get a Lifeguard onto the rocks to talk to them face-to-face about the growing danger they were in. They dispatched two IRBs, one with Paul and Alice Sagar and the other with Roger, Jason Anderson and Eric Morighan. They took two extra lifejackets for the fishermen. Roger entered the water with a rescue tube and fins and did a rock landing in challenging conditions to get to the fishermen. After some  discussion, the fishermen realized the danger they were in. Roger then got both of them into life jackets to prepare them for the extraction from the rocks. He then coaxed both fishermen around the rocks until he found a safe place to get an IRB in for collection. Every step of the way they radioed through to the patrol deck to inform them what was going on. Jason and Eric did the first extraction off the rocks while Paul and Alice did  the second extraction. Both fishermen were wet and cold at this stage and Paul radioed the patrol deck to send a quad with blankets to meet both IRBs and patients on the beach. Upon arrival Christian Robertson, Jordan Pope and Tony Adams were there with warm blankets to wrap around and comfort both fishermen who were cold and rather shaken after the whole experience. Tony and Jordan took both fishermen up to the first aid room where Vonda Karoloczak, Mikaela Ryan, Anna Karolczak and Olivia Adams warmed them up while watching for signs of shock and hypothermia. Vonda was also recording details for the incident report form. When both fishermen had warmed up and were in good spirits and the Lifeguards were happy they were ok, the fisherman left. Due to the quick response, good knowledge of the beach and water conditions and good medical training, the Lifeguards managed to avoid a night search and rescue of the two fishermen.

Rescue of the Month, September 2013.

Lifeguards involved: Duncan Clarke, Aramis Goodwin and Geoff Calvert.^[4]

While working on various jobs at Piha in the late afternoon of Friday September 13, the after-hours team at Piha was alerted to four surfers caught in a rip off Lion Rock. Duncan Clarke and Aramis Goodwin responded to find five surfers had been swept around Lion Rock in the most atrocious conditions. A four-to-five meter Northwest storm swell was making any attempt at a rescue extremely dangerous. Having unlocked the clubhouse and retrieved the IRB and Rino, they were confronted with a locked chain across the access way to the beach. Duncan grabbed his key to the other council (fishing club) ramp and they made their way to the southernmost end of the beach. After a rapid launch, they were quickly blasting north along the beach and into the surf trying to locate the surfers in distress around the front of Lion Rock. Two-to-three meter white water was making the search even harder. With a quick sweep of the area, the help of the Police helicopter Eagle, three of the surfers were spotted in the "Glut" in the front of Lion Rock, stranded up on the rocks getting pounded by huge white water. The other two had made it all the way around rocks to the beach by themselves. Duncan then radioed Surfcom to get further help with attempting the rescue but it was not available. So after a talk with Arimis, they decided to drive the IRB into the "glut" and try and coax the surfers back into the water so they could be picked up. At this time, a local surf coach swum fully clothed across the "Glut" to the stranded surfers and helped to get them into the boat, one by one, which involved Arimis watching out for surf while Duncan manoeuvered the IRB up to the rock face. The surfers jumped straight into the boat. They were then returned to the beach and the whole process repeated until all three were safely back on the beach. The five foreign students were new to surfing with only two having tried it before. All five were taken to the clubhouse for assessment of their cuts and scrapes where it was noted that one had mild hypothermia and another was suffering from shock. Senior lifeguard Geoff Calvert and the First Response team from St John had turned up and they helped treat the patients and monitor them for about an hour until the body temperature on the male patient had returned to normal and the female patient had recovered from her shock. They were released under strict instructions to seek medical help if their condition changed. They all agreed that surfing in these conditions, especially since there were no other surfers in the water, was not wise. The surf coach was duly thanked and left the beach with his hire boards back in his car. There could have been at least one fatality if not more that day if it wasn't for the quick response and skills of the lifeguards involved.

Reel Line and Belt^[5]

The reel line and belt method of surf rescue was developed by clubbies at Bondi Beach, Australia. The first belts were fitted with cork floats that limited the swimmers ability to dive under approaching waves. The Ross Safety Belt which had a pin that could be pulled in an emergency to release the swimmer was introduced to Piha in 1947.

During a rescue, the swimmer quickly donned the belt and headed into the surf, the reel was carried to near the waters edge and the reel-man and the lines-men paid out the line as the swimmer headed towards the patient. The best swimmers in the club were used as belt-men, as towing the line was like swimming whilst towing a bucket on a rope. If there was a sideways rip and too much line was paid out the swim became very arduous. Once the patient had been reached and secured the belt-man raised his arm to signal that he was ready to be pulled in. The linesmen hauled hand over hand on the line as the reel man wound in the line.

Surf Boats

Piha Surf Life Saving Club pioneered the use of surf rescue boats in New Zealand, with the country's first surf boat, launched in 1936. On 9 April 1939 the first ever surf boat race held in New Zealand took place at Piha Beach with Piha winning against Wainui Club. In 1940 a Piha crew comprising; Tom Pearce, Haden Way, Max Cleary, Jack Rae and Tiger O'Brien rowing in a randomly allocated boat were the inaugural winners of the National Surf Boat Championship Series, held at Wellington's Lyall Bay.

In 1967 Sir Jack Butland of Butland Industries provided the surf boat Piha built by Bailey Bros of Sydney to the club. In 1971 Sir Jack provided the club with Miss Chesdale. Another boat Ches'n' Dale was dedicated in 1979. More Ches'n'Dale boats followed, with numbers three and four donated in 1985.

Piha won the gruelling Tuakua Sands River Race - from Tuakau to Port Waikato in 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986. In various competitions during 1987 Piha accumulated 33 wins and 2 seconds. In 1985 at Mount Maunganui a Piha crew comprising Steve Booten, Mike MacDonald, Peter Digan, Mark McCarthny and Mike Zainey as sweep became the first New Zealand "Test" Crew to beat Australia.

The first attempt at rowing a surf boat from Onehunga to Piha over the unpredictable and treacherous Manukau Heads Bar was made in April 1971. It was decided to negotiate the north channel as the safer south channel used by shipping would have added another seven kilometers to the row. As the crew comprising Andy Sekula, Mike Zainey, Ray Markham, Brian Sullivan and Alan Foubister rowed down the narrow northern channel with big dumping surf on either side, huge swells came up and the channel petered out leaving the boat in the suf zone. There was no route to get through the surf line leaving no option but to wait for a lull and head for the beach on a wave. The boat hit the beach with such force that the keel was split in half and all the ribs in the boat were broken. Despite the boat being a write off, sposorship for the row and publicity gained about $2,000 for the club. The feat of getting all the way to Piha was not fully accomplished until 1992 with a crew comprising George Thompson, Brett Sullivan, Martin Wienk, Johan Broekhuizen, Duane Rice and Geoff Calvert rowing Lend Lease all the way to Piha. The trip took over five hours in high swells and stiff winds. At one stage in this row George Thomson was thrown overboard after the surf boat hit a three meter high swell.

The first Piha Big Wave Classic (Day of the Giants) was held at Piha Beach in April 2005 with 12 crews on the beach and Piha coming in second in the open men's race. These races, held annually are part of the national surf life saving championship surf boat series. In 2007 three crews came from Australia (Bronte, Jan Juc and Austinmer) to compete in these races. In 2014 Piha became the first club to win the trifecta at Piha - Open Men's, Open Women's and Under 23 Men. The big wave classic will be held at Piha on February 21, 2015.

In 2008 Piha crews comprising James Dallinger, Brad Mytton, Hayden Smith, Craig Knox, Matt Kirke, Mark Bournevill and Bruce O'Brien won the European Open Surf Boat Championships (also known as the World Surf Rowing Championships) at Biarritz, France. In 2012 Piha A crew won the Battle of the Ditch Surfboat Race (New Zealand versus Australia) and became the first crew to win the Australian Surf Life Saving mens open Australian Surf Rowers League title.

In 2013 Piha became the first club to win 5 Golds at a New Zealand National Surf Life Saving Championships (Open Men long and short courses, Under 23 Men long and short courses and under 19 Men long course).

At the 2014 New Zealand Nationals Phia A became the first crew to win 8 New Zealand titles in 5 consecuative seasons. The 2014 Piha A crew was Paul Gerritsen, Scott Lissington, Benjamin Richards, Ben Scott and sweep Mark Bourneville. The under 23 crew also scored a first - the first to win 5 New Zealand National titles in the under 23 division. The club also became the first to win 4 of the 6 divisional New Zealand Surf Boat Series titles - Men's Open, Women's Open, Under 23 Men's and Under 19 Women.

The current Piha surf boats, sponsored by Burger Fuel and Trillion Trust, are named after previous Piha great boaties:- Tom Pearce, E D Wright, Buddy Lucas and Tiger O'Brien.

Piha "Tear-Drop" Surf Rescue Ski

Piha Surf Life Saving club acquired a surf ski from Australia during the summer of 1936 and used it for several rescues that season. However these narrow, 12-foot-long skis made from mahogany and plywood did not stand up to the tough Piha surf conditions. E D "Don" Wright, who joined the club in 1940, by trial and error developed the Piha Tear-Drop Surf Rescue Ski. These skis designed for carrying a patient in the surf at Piha were wider than the Australian ones, about 12 feet long, half-circle-shaped at the front and taped to "nothing" at the tail. These skis were used by the club until the 1970s.

Rescue Helicopter Service

The Auckland Rescue Helicopter Service^[6] was started by the Auckland Surf Life Saving Association leasing a Hiller 12E helicopter from Alexander Helicopters Ltd for six summer weekends of 1970/1971. The helicopter flown by George Sobiecke was based on the hill behind the Piha Surf Life Saving Club. From 1971 on, the rescue helicopter service operated during the surf life saving club patrolling season from Labour Weekend to Easter. A Rescue Helicopter Squad of 32 specially trained lifeguards from the various clubs affiliated to the Auckland Surf Life Saving Association was formed. Pilot George Sobieke departed in 1972 to be replaced by Sam Anderson. Surf reports were radioed from the helicopter for live broadcast over Radio Hauraki.

In January 1973 the Hiller 12E was replaced by a jet engine powered Hiller FH1100. Apart from weekends this helicopter was also used during the summer school holidays and had one of the Helicopter Squad Members working as a Paid Helicopter Lifeguard for this period. Money raised from surf reports provided by the duty Helicopter Lifeguards was used to purchase and redecorate a batch opposite the toilet block on the middle beach at Piha. This became the summer base for the rescue helicopter crew with a landing pad to the north of the Piha Middle Beach toilet block.

In 1977 Keith McKenzie replaced Sam as the pilot. On 8 January 1977 the then prime minister, the Right Honourable Rob Muldoon, who was at Piha for the re-opening of the Piha Surf Life Saving club house after the Project 40 rebuild, joined the helicopter lifeguards to jump into the surf and be lifted out of the water and be transported back to the beach slung under the helicopter using the rescue strop connected into the cargo hook.^[7]

Jet Rescue Boats

The first jet rescue boat stationed at Piha the Sir John Logan Campbell was dedicated by Sir Dove Meyer Robinson on 2 December 1974 to coincide with the clubs fortieth anniversary. The boat was launched into deeper water beside the Pakiti rocks at the Southern end of the beach. The second boat Lady Cambell was added a few years later. Both boats were powered by three stage Hamilton jet units which enabled them to manoeuvre in shallow water and around swimmers without any of the risks of conventional propellers.

Inflatable Rescue Boats (or IRBs)^[2]

Club member Don "Bluey" Wright was the New Zealand Powercraft Officer from 1976 to 1979. Development and operation of Jet Rescue Boats had been pushed as far as they could go and needed highly qualified crew, were expensive to maintain & operate and sometimes had problems during launch and retrieval.

The Schwepps Powercraft Congress was held at Piha in 1976 and introduced many clubs in New Zealand to the value and capabilities of IRBs. Don and the Speights family worked together to develop the Arancia Inflatable Rescue Boat with the Mk I Arancia IRB being tested at Piha in November 1978. During this test the first ever rescue of a swimmer washed up on rocks occurred. Don knew how boats worked and with others such as; Rob Ferguson, Murray Wood, Basil Vertongen, Loius Jordian, John Hosiaux spent a lot of time getting the engines and hulls right and promoting their use. Bluey Wright introduced qualifications for drivers and crew. Out-of-season IRB Rescue Competitions started at Piha. In 1981 Bluey and his son Tony won two of three events at the first Europa IRB Nationals which were held at Piha.

By 1981 50% of all surf rescues in New Zealand were performed by IRBs. IRBs feature in the TV series Piha Rescue.

Piha Juniors - Nipper Life Guards

Piha Juniors under the instruction of Ron "Snooper" Cooper way back in the early 50's were called the young un's. These Juniors were soon to be the front line guards due to work commitments of the Senior Guards. Don "Bluey" Wright 1955–1956 took the Juniors. Buddy Lucas from 1971. Gordon Barker helped by Ken Morris 1975–1983. This was the start of the Nipper movement.^[8] July 1994 saw twenty three Juniors off to train at Huntington Beach, Los Angeles, California.

Sponsors^[9]

Piha Surf Life Saving Club is proudly supported by:

Major Sponsors: Burger Fuel, Trillian Trust Inc, Coverstaff Recruitment, NZCT Sport, Blue Sky Community Trust, Portage Licensing Trust, Waitakere Licensing Trust, Huffer, TAB, Sir John Logan Campbell Residuary Estate, Kelliher Charitable Trust, Yamaha New Zealand, ASB Community Trust, The Trust Community Foundation (TTCF), Infinity Foundation Ltd, Isuzu, J M Butland.

Sponsors: Brown Cleaning Solutions, Ross Mullins - Sound developments, Jagermeistter, Wynns, f5, Tomizone, Wimson green, Fulton Hogan, Remuera Lions, BFG Bourneville Furniture Group,

500 Club Members: Arancia Inflatables, Babich Wines Ltd, Demon Graphics, KAAR Automotive Repairs, Industrial Sands Ltd, Keola Homes, Space Studio, Tomizone, Vendor Sales Ltd

Project 80 Partners: Hulena Architects Ltd, Campbell Brown Planning Ltd, Harrison Grierson, Operating Partners Ltd, Piha SLSC Fund Trust.

Piha Surf Life Saving Club Honours Board^[9]

Piha SLSC Honours Holders ia available in Google Drive via the External Link below.

Piha Surf Life Saving Club Office Holders

A list of Office Holders of Piha SLSC is available in Google Drive via the External Link below ^[10]

New Zealand Honours

• Sir Alex McKenzie
• Jim T Wakelin MNZM
• Dennis F Black ONZM

New Zealand National Surf Life Saving Championships

Piha SLSC has various wins, placings and gained medals at the New Zealand National Surf Lifesaving Championships ^[11] as listed in Google Drive via the External Link below.

Piha Big Wave Classic Surf Boat Races

Piha SLSC has various wins, placings at the Piha Big Wave Classic, as listed in Google Documents via the link below

New Zealand National Surf Boat Series

Piha SLSC has various wins, placings and gained medals in the New Zealand National Surf Boat Series as listed in Google Drive via the External Link below

New Zealand National Surf Life Saving Pool Championships

Piha SLSC has various wins, placings and gained medals at the New Zealand National Pool Championships ^[12] as listed in Google Drive via the External Link below.

Australian Surf Life Saving Championships

Piha SLSC has won various medals at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships. Some of these are:

• 2012 - Gold, Piha A Crew, Battle of the Ditch Surfboat Race^[12] - New Zealand versus Australia (Ben Scott, Matt Kirke, Paul Gerritsen, Chris Morris, Sweep: Mark Bourneville)
• 2012 - Gold, Piha A Crew, Australian Surf Rowers League (ASRL) Open Surfboat Race (Ben Scott, Matt Kirke, Paul Gerritsen, Scott Lissington, Sweep: Mark Bourneville)

World & European Surf Life Saving Championships

Piha SLSC has won various medals at World Surf Lifesaving Championships. Some of these are:

• 2008 - Gold, European Open Surf Boat Champions, Biarritz, France (James Dallinger, Brad Mytton, Hayden Smith, Craig Knox, Matt Kirke, Bruce O'Brien, Sweep: Mark Bourneville)^[13]
• 2012 - Gold, Piha 140 Masters Crew, Surfboat Race^[9] (Craig Knox, Bruce O’Brien, Matt Kirke, Wayne Simeon, Sweep: Mark Bourneville )
• 2012 - Gold, Piha Reserve Crew, Surfboat Race (Craig Knox, Bruce O’Brien, Scott Lissington, Chris Eade, Sweep: Mark Bourneville )
• 2012 - Silver, Piha Pistols, Under 23 Crew, Surfboat Race (Ludovik Bourneville, Cedric Bourneville, Ben Richards, Jean Paul Smit, Oliver Sawbridge, Sweep: Mark Bourneville )
• 2012 - Silver, Piha Crews, World Club Champions
• 2014 - Gold, Under 23 Women's Surfboat Race, Piha Coladas (Nicole Hogarth, Claudia Goff, Audrey-lise Bourneville, Grace Monteith, Mark Bourneville)^[14]
• 2014 - Silver, Under 23 Men Surfboat Race, Piha Pistols (Ludovick Bourneville, Cameron Sweetman, Benjamin Kieley, Cedrick Bourneville, Mark Bourneville)
• 2014 - Silver, Masters 120+ Surfboat Race, Piha Pearls (Maria Haitsma, Annelies Visser, Joanna Fyfe, Lauren Kavanagh, Mark Bouirneville)

See also

• Sandra Coney, Piha: a history in images. Keyhole Press, 1997. ISBN 0-473-04883-3

References

External links

• Piha Surf Life Saving Club web site
• Piha Surf Life Saving Club Honours Holders
• Piha Surf Life Saving Club Office Holders
• Piha Surf Life Saving Club - New Zealand National Surf Lifesaving Championships Results
• Piha Surf Life Saving Club - New Zealand National Surf Lifesaving Pool Championships Results
• Piha Surf Life Saving Club - New Zealand National Surf Boat Series
• Piha Surf Life Saving Club - Piha Big Wave Classic Surf Boat Races