Whanganui Surf Lifeguard Service has around 120 members currently, and they were able to give 10 juniors their lifeguard award in 2023.
“Compared to other clubs we’re quite small, so to train 10 lifeguards takes a lot of time and effort,” Comp said.
The number of lifeguards who passed was also important for Comp and his other instructors because at least four lifeguards need to pass for instructors to gain their instructors’ awards.
“To have 10 lifeguards go across is really awesome,” he said.
Ten extra lifeguards mean the club now has around 29 people fully qualified to patrol both Castlecliff and Mowhanau Beaches.
The trophy comes after the club also took part in the Central Region Pool Rescue Championships in Feilding, getting the fourth-largest number of medals for the day with 28.
Of those medals, seven were gold, 12 were silver and nine were bronze.
Comp said this was especially impressive considering it was the first year the club engaged in pool rescues and their second competition ever, as the club was using it as a way to keep guards sharp and fit over the winter months.
“We thought we’d give it a go, and the kids absolutely loved it,” he said.
“Our numbers have just grown, and what it does is, it keeps our club close together over winter time, and it’s also teaching all those other skills for pool rescue - but also it can cross over into surf life-saving.”
With it being their first year, the club didn’t have some of the equipment they needed, and volunteers had to employ some DIY tactics regarding some of the gear, but next year this won’t be a problem thanks to a grant of more than $5000 from Sport Whanganui.
Comp said they would return to pool rescues over the colder months of 2024, as this year showed how beneficial it can be.
Seven of the club lifeguards were also taking part in a youth development camp on Mototapu Island, off the coast of Auckland, to better their skills.
“That’s a big achievement - that’s also a first for Whanganui.”
Now, the club was beginning the process of training this year’s new lot of lifeguards for the upcoming summer, although Comp said they were mostly ready for the season already thanks to their time in the pool.
To earn their lifeguard award, they will undergo a full-day exam where they’ll be tested on their theory and practical skills in rescue, both in the pool and out in the surf.
Summer in Whanganui proved especially difficult for the club, as they had to patrol both Castlecliff Beach and Mowhanau Beach, whereas other similar-sized clubs had to patrol just one.
“When we try to source funding from anywhere, we need to source double the equipment and double the gear,” Comp said.
To account for this, the club had a succession plan in place to train people up across their childhood.
“They start at 5 and a half years old right up to the rookie guard [13 years old], so we’ve got a chain of lifeguards coming through, and that keeps our beaches safe.”
Of the 10 lifeguards who came through this year, seven of them came through the junior programmes.
Overall, he said, the club was moving in the right direction, as winning the trophy proved, and they would look to keep the positive momentum going in the years to come.
Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.
