Pukehina Beach Surf Rescue chairman Andrew McDowell (right), pictured with Rob Hewitt, was named NZ Lottery Grants Board Volunteer of the Year at the Surf Life Saving New Zealand awards.
Pukehina Beach Surf Rescue chairman Andrew McDowell (right), pictured with Rob Hewitt, was named NZ Lottery Grants Board Volunteer of the Year at the Surf Life Saving New Zealand awards.
Andrew McDowell gave an uncharacteristic fist pump when he heard he had been named volunteer of the year at the Surf Life Saving New Zealand National Awards of Excellence.
The Pukehina Beach Surf Rescue chairman was at the awards in Christchurch and is about to start his 13th season at Pukehina.
“I’m not really in it for these kinds of accolades and I’m not very good at receiving them, but it was lovely and acknowledgment’s nice,” he says.
“I was like, ‘wow’ and I actually fist-pumped the air which is a bit unlike me.”
He says he thinks the award highlights the strength of the club and the way the Bay of Plenty region operates, which was also demonstrated when Maketū Surf Lifesaving Club’s Brad Hopping won the DHL Patrol Support of the Year.
Andrew says the award will give him a chance to advocate for volunteers.
“It gives me an opportunity to now talk at a high level to Surf Life Saving New Zealand about volunteer burnout and all the horrible things volunteers face like the stresses and so forth that we come across in our daily efforts because if volunteers aren’t happy, they find other things to do.”
Andrew has held several roles at the club over the years, including heading up the committee that has overseen the clubhouse rebuild and lifeguard co-ordinator.
“I just like being involved, I love hanging out with the kids and just seeing smiles on faces.
Before moving to the beach, Andrew lived on Lake Taupō and while not involved in surf lifesaving, did volunteer work in football and mountain biking.
“So being in the ocean was quite foreign to me. Lifegurding’s quite a different fish because it’s not only a sport, it’s also a first responder and rescue service, so there’s quite a bit going on.
“Lifeguarding in general is quite fluid, you have to be flexible and you have to be able to be reactive and that’s what keeps me amused and interested in it. There’s never a dull day at Pukehina Surf Rescue.”
He says being involved in surf lifesaving has had quite a profound impact on his life.
Brad Hopping, of Maketū Surf Life Saving Club, won the DHL Patrol Support of the Year at the Surf Life Saving New Zealand awards. He is pictured with DHL area support manager Saara Koster.
Brad, a 15-year-old Te Puke High School student, was also at the ceremony to receive his award.
It is the second year in a row the award has gone to Maketū Surf Life Saving Club — Wade Meads receiving it last year.
“With patrol support, you do everything like a lifeguard would, but you’re not doing the rescues,” he says. “You are first aid trained, you’ve got your CPR, radio [training] all that stuff, you’re just not in the water.”
He is gunning for this lifeguard qualification in the summer.
“I chose to be patrol support first just to see what it was all about and see if I wanted to continue.”
“I joined as an orange cap, which is one up from a nipper.
“Mum and Dad wanted me to get involved in a community sport and we just had the big dangerous rip so Mum and Dad also wanted me to learn about that and make sure I knew what the hazards were of that.”
He says he has “just got along with the club”.
“It’s fun and they made it enjoyable and you learn, got a bit of water, got a bit of physical activity in and love it.”
He says he was already someone who loved being in the water.
Brad won the same award at the Bay of Plenty Excellence Awards this year that put him in the running for the national award
“There’s always competition, but I had belief.”
Nevertheless, he froze briefly when his name was called out.
“I just sat there and went ‘oop, that’s me’. Then I went to pick up the award, which was quite cool”.
He says he is looking forward to the summer and being part of the club’s weekend patrols.
The Surf Life Saving National Awards of Excellence recognise the outstanding dedication and commitment of surf lifeguards and club members throughout Aotearoa. SLSNZ chief executive Steve Fisher praises the unwavering resolve of lifeguards and club members nationwide who yet again rose to the challenges of tides, weather events and other serious incidents.
“I’d like to give a heartfelt thanks to the thousands of members who devote their time to keeping beachgoers safe, training and educating our lifeguards, and organising and participating in sports events that help hone our lifeguards’ skills. The spirit, dedication and generosity of these volunteers is something Surf Life Saving New Zealand is hugely grateful for,” he says.
“The National Awards of Excellence is a fantastic opportunity to acknowledge, honour and celebrate the exceptional achievements of lifeguards, officials, coaches, organisers, athletes and more.
“Andrew McDowell of Pukehina SR is the worthy winner of the NZ Lottery Grants Board Volunteer of the Year. McDowell goes above and beyond to help others in the movement and to help keep our beaches safe.”
Other local ward winners include TSB Surf Official of the Year, Jo Miller, of Pāpāmoa SLSC, and Maketū SLSC’s John Campbell-Gibson who was presented with his 50-Year Badge.
