Local Volunteers Awarded For Their Service to Coastguard

A number of Coastguard volunteers were presented with long service awards at Coastguard North Kaipara’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday evening.

Michael Andrews, Allan Crabb, Gordon Murray, Dorothy Quaife and Ralph Williams were awarded 20 year service awards while Stephan Gent was awarded a 15 year service award and Bob Morris a 10 year service award.

Walter Smith, President of the unit, reported that the unit was in good health with new recruits and radio operators on board to help with the work load.

“A huge achievement of the year has been the work done with the training matrix, seeing the unit now consist of a variety of trainee, operational and senior volunteer crew. It’s great to be able to award some of our hardworking volunteers for their contribution,” he says.

David Tommas, CEO of Coastguard Northern Region, was also in attendance to acknowledge the work of the unit and the long service of some of its volunteers.

“I commend the unit for their ongoing passion for the organisation, its mission of saving lives at sea and their dedication to the local community that they serve. Our volunteers are local people but national heroes who in the last year helped contribute to 4,615 people being brought back to safety around the country,” says Mr Tommas.

The awards form part of Coastguard’s ‘People First Strategy’, an ongoing commitment by the organisation to recognise the many New Zealanders who donate their time and energy to keeping people safe on the water.

“Our community promise is to save lives at sea and this can only be achieved with the help of our Coastguard volunteers and the local community support they receive. We look forward to presenting many more long service awards in the years to come,” says Mr Tommas.

With Volunteer Awareness week coming up the awards have proved timely as Coastguard work to recognise volunteers throughout the country for similar achievements.

ENDS

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