History of NSRI

Video

MOSSEL BAY NEWS AND VIDEO - The establishment of the NSRI was born from a storm that claimed the lives of 17 fishermen off Stilbaai in 1966.

Simon's Town teacher Patti Price was so moved that there was no help for them that she began an impassioned letter-writing campaign to various media, stating her case for a sea rescue service.

Four fishing vessels went out to sea and only one returned. Price's was no stranger to the terror of being out at sea in distress, having been rescued as a child from a wrecked ship in the English Channel by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Price wanted an organisation similar to the RNLI for South Africa. Her pen proved mightily indeed and her efforts were acknowledged by the Society of Master Mariners of South Africa, who started the South African In shore Rescue Service (SAISRS) in 1967, which later became the NSRI, as we know it today.

The people

Our people are the foundation of the NSRI service and the cornerstone of its mandate to save lives, change lives and create futures in South Africa.

The NSRI's rescue stations are manned by more than 1 350 unpaid volunteers who are on call 24/7, ready to respond to water-related emergencies.

The NSRI has a core staff, operating from its head office in Cape Town and a number of full- and part-time water-safety educators, marketers, lifeguards and call centre staff working off-site.

Governance

The NSRI is committed to excellence in corporate governance, with a board that reflects the appropriate mix of knowledge, skills, experience, independence and an evolving representation across race and gender.

Its governance structure consists of non-executive directors (independent and appointed), executive directors, a volunteer company secretary and honorary life governors.