NSRI opens base to visitors for 50th birthday

Sea Rescue Station 19 celebrates five decades in style

Dave Savides

July 20, 2017

Bernard Minaar and Luke Rautenbach want one day to exchange their toy boat for a real one, and become NSRI crew members like Juan Slabbert

CELEBRATING the 50th year since the founding of the National Sea Rescue Institute, Station 19 at Richards Bay held a most successful open day on Saturday.

In welcoming the visitors, Sea Rescue Station 19 Commander Dorian Robertson outlined the history of NSRI national and the Richards Bay base
Photos: Dave Savides

The base was filled with crew, trainees, past members and plenty of well-wishers from the public
Besides a tour of the base, there were plenty of scheduled activities for the more than 150 people who arrived to enjoy themselves in perfect weather.

Meditrax gave demonstrations of basic CPR at the open day (from left) David Schouten, Adam Brading, Benjamin Schouten, Dorian Robertson, Nazreen Abrahams, paramedic Richard Schouten and Stuart Kleinsnakenberg

This included a jumping castle for the kids, free CPR lessons from Meditrax, a short capsize and tow demo by the NSRI crew, items on sale and boat rides on The Spirit of Round Table and The Spirit of Richards Bay – for which guests were prepared to wait in the sun for two hours.

Ruth Classen has her face painted in NSRI colours by Charné Skiba

The NSRI expressed thanks to all their crews, their families and sponsors great and small ‘because without them running our station as effectively as we do would not be possible’.

NSRI’s national Director: Operations and a former Station 19 Commander, Mark Hughes, travelled from Cape Town to join the festivities and make a special presentation

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