Jetty will ease burden for Manukau coastguard

William Reid (left) and Peter van Rooyen are part of a team of 23 volunteers. Photo / Paul Estcourt

A jetty will make work just that little bit easier for the Manukau Volunteer Coast Guard and open up a beautiful coastal area for summers to come.

Based at French Bay in Titirangi, the coastguard has patrolled the Manukau Harbour for 40 years.

The team of 23 active volunteers is the first response unit for any incident at Auckland Airport, in the Manukau Harbour and over the Manukau Bar.

The charity will use its $10,000 from the 12 Days of Christmas to build a new boatshed, a 2m concrete apron around the reserve area and a 15m jetty to serve the French Bay Yacht Club, the coastguard and the community.

President Peter van Rooyen said the number of incidents the team attends had dropped considerably over the past five to six years.

"We used to get between 120 and 130 callouts a year, but with coastguard's education policy the number of callouts we've had had reduced to around 25 a year."

Since the education programme began, he said, people were buying better equipment and servicing motors more often.

"The majority of the rescues are electrical or fuel-related - just unforeseen things. Cars break down and so do boats."

He estimates 85 per cent of the work is in the inner harbour, 10 per cent outside the bar and the remainder further afield.

The coastguard's main vessel, Trust Rescue, was now moored just out from the bay as there was nowhere to store or tie up the boat.

The development will make it safer to get people on and off the boat, opening it up for new education programmes.

"This a project to attract people to French Bay to make them aware of what the coastguard is doing."

William Reid came up with the idea for the jetty mainly for the coastguard but also to give boaties somewhere to tie up to while they park trailers.

The development will be named Otitori Bay Jetty to reflect the history of the area.

Mr van Rooyen said the project would include better lighting and benches and tables for the public, and should be finished by by April.

"People are putting their hands up to help drill the holes, move the spoil - it just shows that the volunteer spirit is alive and well in New Zealand."

KEEP THE CHANGE
* This Christmas, the New Zealand Herald is featuring 12 hard-working charities which have been selected for a $10,000 donation from Auckland International Airport.
* The winners were chosen by an independent group of advisers for the company, which collected the $120,000 from change given by travellers this year.