Raglan Volunteer Coastguard President Wally Hawken had invited me down to meet the Coastguard team on a Wednesday to catch-up with Dave Harding and Adam Daniel, two awesome humans that make up part of the Raglan Volunteer Coastguard team.
However, the call came early for my reporting on this day: a boat had flipped on the harbour bar and Adam sent me a message saying, “There is a call-out, head down now”. So I did.
The technical skill, calm demeanour, organisation, and bravery of our Raglan Coastguard is exceptional; with members of our community walking away from their paid jobs, in the middle of the working week, in the middle of the day, to come to the rescue and solve a problem on the water.
I loved hearing from April Orleans who instigated the female locker room, and observing Jason Carter on comms, plus the arrival of more crew, a sunset-handover of team members, and the logistics of the Rylock Waikato Rescue Jet-Ski’s and the Gallagher Rescue Vessel working in tandem out on the water.
After the event, Adam and Dave kindly reported back to me with some details about their experiences working on the water as part of this volunteer team.
Q: What is your role with Raglan Coastguard?
Adam: I’m a skipper on our Rylock Waikato Rescue Jet-Ski’s capability, senior crew member and I assist with training.
Dave: I’m a qualified crew, my main role is on-board our main rescue vessel Gallagher Rescue. I take on the roles of deckhand, helmsman, or navigation.
Q: How long have you volunteered with Raglan Coastguard?
Adam: I have been a member for just over a decade now.
Dave: I have been in Raglan Coastguard for over 6 years.
Q: What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced?
Adam: I think our greatest nemesis is Papanui Point where we believe over 20 people have lost their lives. My heart drops every time we get sent there because it’s a brutal and dangerous spot to search, with closeout waves crashing into boulders and cliffs. I have personally looked for six people around that area and never brought anyone home. We often see people continuing to fish without life jackets during our searches for fishers that have just been swept off the rocks.
Dave: One of the main challenges when I was new to the unit was coming up to the standard of the existing members.
Q: How have you overcome these challenges?
Adam: Luckily most of our rescues have good outcomes and I enjoy working as part of a team to help people on the water.
Dave: Overcoming my challenge was only achieved by putting in the hard work training, and sitting some 35 modules both theory and practical.
Q: What is your Coastguard superpower, what do you bring to the team?
Adam: I have spent a good chunk of my life as a freshwater ecologist spotting equipment in the water or snorkelling rivers counting fish. These skills are very handy when I’m looking for people in the surf or spotting things from the boat.
Dave: Super powers are reliability, common sense, working as part of a team.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to say about volunteering with Raglan Coastguard?
Adam: The Raglan unit is very unique with over half of us being immigrants. The team has become the slightly dysfunctional, multicultural family I have always wanted. We don’t always agree on everything but our President Wally Hawken and unofficial unit Admiral Kevin Dreaver keep us in line and have created a well oiled machine.
Dave: Without the support of the public and our sponsor the unit would not be able to operate.
THANK YOU to everyone that welcomed me into the building and took the time to explain the process of the call-out and the decisions being made by the team. It was incredible to observe you in action. Absolute heroes, all of you. Gallagher Group located on Kahikatea Drive, and Rylock Waikato Aluminium in Ellis Street Hamilton, are the main sponsors, and without their financial support our Coastguard would not be out there saving lives at sea. If this article has inspired you to take action or donate then please get in touch with Raglan Coastguard.
By Katie Lowes
