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Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Wednesday <strong>October</strong> <strong>13</strong> <strong>2021</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> <strong>Harbour</strong> News NEWS 7 ‘I often saw the odd shark or two out there’ • From page 1 Fortunately, the other boat went under Roger’s boat and all aboard were safe. For the former businessman, to be awarded a 50-year badge at the recent Surf Lifesaving New Zealand national awards of excellence, was a humbling experience. “I was surprised to be named as a recipient, I’m not finished yet as I still think I have much to offer the sport,” he said. Since he was a teenager Smith (now 67) has been heavily involved in both surf lifesaving and rugby. A former past president at both the North Beach Surf Lifesaving Club and the Shirley Rugby Club, Smith said he still helps out where he can on both club committees. “I love working behind the scenes, and do what I can for the good of the clubs. I feel it’s good for any sporting club to have a few old heads in the mix bringing their experience to the club.” Smith was 18 when he trained for his first season as a lifeguard at North Beach. “It was a magnificent time back then, a wonderful way to be part of something that helped the community. “Back then it was the amateur era and membership at surf clubs was very strong. “There were surf carnivals everywhere and we used to travel far and wide to get to the whole day affairs.” He recalls many great trips, as all the clubs seem to always be on the same ferries at the same time, so there were many stories he said he could tell, but they wouldn’t be suitable for readers. However, he did recall one trip to the nationals aboard the TEV Maori interisland ferry: “Some members partied too hard on the day sailing to Wellington so they decided to sleep it off in their car but woke the next morning to find they were back at Lyttelton, wharfies had left their car aboard and they had done a round trip overnight. “North Beach was a wonderful place to spend every weekend during the summer, my family grew up around me on those beaches.” His sons Dan and Ryan followed him into the sport. “In those days we did a lot a fundraising every weekend in the Brighton Mall, and we felt we had ownership of the club.” In the 1970s all rescues were undertaken by four-man belt and line teams, they also used surf skis, canoes and big heavy surf boats. “You would be rostered on a patrol team of five to six members and on days when the beaches were crowded you not SKILLS: Roger Smith, second from left, loves the camaraderie of surf lifesaving, only watched what was happening between the flags but also around the edges.” He said patrolling is more about preventative actions rather than actual rescues. “You had to concentrate, look for the telltale signs that swimmers were starting to get into trouble by drifting outside the flags, or out of their depth in the waves, and then go and help them out. “We tried to stop things happening before they got worse.” Rips were the cause of many callouts and he still remembers his first big rescue. “One day a rip just developed out of nowhere, one minute the surf was okay then suddenly seven to eight people were being whisked away, everybody jumped in to help out and we quickly got everyone out safely.” He said it’s only natural that people panic when a rip grabs. “They should remember that all the sea is doing is going out along a ditch, just as quickly as it appears and drags you out it also quickly deposits you on a sandbank behind the breakers, but sadly people panic and panic kills.” His advice – just float with the rip and hold your hand up. “Usually we would only swim about 100 to 200m out beyond the surf but on the boats, I often saw the odd shark or two out there. “People would be surprised that there is more wildlife than they think out there beyond the surf.” Smith experienced the many different technological changes the sport went through, from the introduction of the inflatable rescue boat which revolutionised the speed of rescues and capabilities of clubs, to handheld radios aiding the communication between crews and shore. He said the recent crop of reality surf programmes have helped raise awareness of water safety, but he reminds people to always swim between the flags and watch the surf conditions. Claim Southern Response compensation now Deadline to opt out of the Ross Class Action: 20 December <strong>2021</strong> If you are one of 3,000 Southern Response earthquake claimants who settled before 1 <strong>October</strong> 2014, you are likely to be entitled to compensation. The average compensation is approximately $100,000. Anthony Harper has set up a dedicated website to provide access to independent legal advice on your compensation, and importantly, how to opt out of the Ross Class Action before the court-appointed deadline of 20 December <strong>2021</strong>. Fixed fee of $2500 + GST for legal advice, of which Southern Response reimburses $2000. Apply online at www.SouthernResponsePayment.co.nz The website is provided by Anthony Harper. Anthony Harper is not part of the Ross Class Action. Further information about Anthony Harper can be found at www.anthonyharper.co.nz
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