NSRI Station 15: 50 years of selfless service

Gallery Video

MOSSEL BAY NEWS AND VIDEO - At the NSRI Station 15 50th birthday celebrations and launch of the Golden Jubilee Book, Pastor Basil Brown said it was great to know that when some run the other way, NSRI crew members go into the deep, risking their lives to save others.

The celebration was in the Dias Museum on Saturday, 1 May.

The birth of the NSRI in South Africa in 1967 followed the tragic death at sea of 17 fishermen in Still Bay on 14 April 1966.

In Mossel Bay, lobbying and planning to establish an NSRI station started in 1969, with Station 15 becoming operational on 1 May 1971.

Current station commander André Fraser said historical records showed that as early as 1734, the community of Mossel Bay had a heart for sea rescue. He said the golden thread that connected those early altruistic attempts governed the current values of the NSRI.

Photo gallery: NSRI Station 15 celebrates golden jubilee

"If an organisation manages to survive for 50 years, it must have done something right," Fraser said. It's success was based on life skills learnt. "First you become a better person, then you do sea rescue." He attributed this lesson to his mentor, Ian Hamilton, lauded at the event for being the crew member with the longest association with the NSRI nationwide.

Hamilton, after whom Station 15's boathouse was named, has been involved with the NSRI since 1969, before Station 15 was formally established. At the celebration, Hamilton was given the last numbered copy, number 50, of the Golden Jubilee Book, to thank him for his years of service.

"I am overwhelmed and grateful for the privilege of being part of the NSRI family. Believe me, it is a family," Hamilton said.

Watch a video below:

You can also watch a video of the event on the NSRI Mossel Bay Facebook page here.

Book is a cherished dream
Fraser said that since 2010 the book had been a much-cherished dream. Following the death of several old crew members, Fraser lamented the fact that their stories had been lost.

It was only on meeting Dr Jopie Coetzee, a new volunteer at Station 15 in 2014, that this dream became a reality.

An editorial team of seven locals committed the past four years of their lives to compiling the book, which was printed in 2020. They are Dr Jopie Coetzee, André Fraser, Keith Carey, Erna Maritz, Luzette Jacobs, Anneldi Morkel and Glenda Maritz.

Local photographer Danie Pretorius' captivating photograph of the rescue mission to save the Mandi in 2009 graces the cover of the book.

Coetzee praised his co-writers for having the complete skill set for the task. "We decided from the onset that this was not going to be a boring, old coffee table book. The voices of the volunteers can truly be heard in the stories told." The editorial team members set themselves the challenge of making the book a family heirloom "to read and re-read. This book is going to become Africana."

CEO of the NSRI, Dr Cleeve Robertson, commended Station 15 on the "fantastic book. Too much of our NSRI history is oral, therefore it is lost."

Robertson thanked two groups for the selfless sustainability of the NSRI's services – the scores of volunteers over the years and those who continually contribute to the operation in any other way.

Robertson said that apart from stations along the coast, the NSRI lifesaving, as well as the inland drowning prevention programmes were thriving.

Singer Michael Lindt led the NSRI Staion 15 crew in singing Home From The Sea, which they dedicated to André Fraser. Fraser has served in the NSRI for 31 years.

For more information on the book, contact André Fraser (082 990 5472).

A photograph taken by Danie Pretorius (pictured), of a dramatic rescue, graces the cover of the Golden Jubilee Book. Photo: Elizabeth Nicholson