SIMON says: The Herald and journalist Shona Aylward are conducting a political ‘vendetta’ against the Hibiscus Coast Municipality after our story last week about the plight of lifeguards and their facilities.
Once again, Mr April (spokesman for HCM), we assure you that this is not so. We would rather work with you, not against you. If one wants to play the ‘political card’, then what are all the ward councillors (regardless of their political affiliations) doing about this?
After Shona’s investigation and subsequent interviews with many of the lifeguards, there is little doubt that the situation deserves attention. There are surely many sides to the story and the purpose of this column is not to apportion blame, but rather to encourage all role players to turn a negative into a positive.
The public perception of lifeguards is David Hasselhoff and his ‘Babe Watch’ girls (like busty Pamela Anderson) ‘udulating’ down the beach in body hugging costumes to rescue an overweight ‘Vaalie’.
In truth, many of our lifeguards are dressed in rags, poorly equipped and bored to death most of the time.
They are fit young men, six-packs et al (the women only come out from the surf lifesaving clubs in season) and we have no reason to believe that they are not well trained to save lives.
However, put yourself in their holey baggies. Would you be enthusiastic about your job? Twiddling one’s toes in the sand for nine hours a day is hardly a stimulating profession.
A good manager would find something else for them to do in quiet times. Encourage them to help maintain the equipment, paint and repair the towers for starters. If the ‘bosses’ (whoever they many be) have no pride in these facilities and can’t even supply electricity, clean toilets and decent kit, then how can they expect their employees to be more gung ho?
Why not provide books and encourage lifeguards to study something instead of merely staring at the sea when nobody is in it?
How about Ugu South Coast Tourism taking them under their wing and teaching them how to play a public relations role in the busy season?
If bus drivers can be trained to be tour guides in cities like London and Sydney, then lifeguards can certainly point out whales jumping and identify them as humpbacks or southern rights.
In a nutshell, being a lifeguard could become a sought after profession. Those who shine should be worth their weight in gold to all of us who rely on holiday people flocking to our beaches.
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