Far North Surf Rescue Club wins Rescue of the Year

The Surf Life Saving Northern Region Rescue of the Year is celebrated by Jacob Rennie, Connor Mackereth and Kyran Gillespie, Chris Stark, team leader and Distinguished Service Award winner Dave Ross and Mark Gordon.

Isolation and a large coastline has forced Far North Surf Rescue to be second-to-none.

The Ahipara-based club scooped the Rescue of the Year award at the Surf Life Saving Northern Region Awards of Excellence on Saturday night. This is the second year in a row the club has won the premier award.

Chairman Dave Ross, who also won a Distinguished Service Award, said the club was the most isolated in the country, one of the smallest and most travelled.

Club members were forced to punch above their weight, executing challenging rescues outside the club's patrol hours and patrol areas, he said.

Based in Ahipara, the club performed rescues up to Cape Reinga, Hokianga, Paihia and Whangaroa.

The rescue the club was cited for involved helping police locate a missing diver near Cape Reinga last September.

It was a team effort involving Mr Ross and Thom Anderson from Far North, Jacob Rennie from Mairangi Bay, Mark Gordon from United North Piha, and Connor Mackereth and Kyran Gillespie from Ruakaka, who brought extra skills and equipment for the rescue.

Setting up communications with police, the team initiated a search in the chilly water. The deceased diver was recovered with cultural sensitivity and returned to his family.

The police commended the professionalism of those involved, with the event seeding future collaboration between police and Surf Life Saving Northern Region.

Mr Ross was also recognised for his 47-year involvement with surf life saving, during which time he has led surf clubs in Kariotahi on Auckland's south-west coast, Baylys Beach near Dargaville and Far North.

His involvement with Far North Surf Rescue has been pivotal to growth and advancement of the club, supporting and leading some of the most complex rescue operations in Northland to date, his citation said.

"There are many in Northland who know they made it back from the beach thanks to Dave's contribution to this movement."

Mr Ross said the award was a "pretty cool" recognition for his years of work.

Three members of Waipu's Stolwerk family were also recognised in the Awards of Excellence.

Fourteen-year-old Emily Stolwerk, from Waipu Cove Surf Life Saving Club, won the Rookie Lifeguard of the Year Award while her father Rick and mother Angela were honoured with a Distinguished Service Award and a Service Award respectively.

Mr Stolwerk was recognised as a board member of Waipu for more than 30 years, helping in all areas of club management and lifeguard development, including building the junior surf programme to over 100 members.

A total of 36 awards were presented to 11 different clubs and their members at the Toyota Financial Services Surf Life Saving Northern Region Awards of Excellence. The region serves beaches from North Cape to Raglan and Auckland.