......it's plain to see that there's something down here;
More than palm trees and sand......
the evidence is overwhelming........
It started in 1929 with a few young adventurers, some wooden planks and a surf reel and line rescue.... for more than 75 years the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service has been a loyal part of the Tauranga City Community.
It was a very different beach environment when the first 'beach boys' donned their costumes in 1930 and lined up with their plywood surfboards under the pohutukawa trees at the main beach's northern corner.
Initially, as the Mount Maunganui members of the Royal Life Saving Service, the association of volunteers patrolled the ocean beaches over the peak holiday periods. They operated from a prefab hut, appropriated from the east coast railway, close to the site that the Lifeguard Service occupies today. When a veranda was added to the hut it became the control centre for rescue patrols and adventures in early wooden surfboard building.
With only a single reel and a heavy wooden surf ski, members of the club saved many lives when crowds flocked to the beach over summer. As membership grew 'surf carnivals' were staged at the main beach for senior members and 'midgets' alike. Mounties (as they were known) regularly journeyed to Waihi Beach and Auckland's west and east coast beaches to compete successfully against other clubs in surf and beach competitions.
The wreck of the fishing launch 'Ranui' in the harbour entrance 28th December 1950, resulted in the loss of 22 lives. This created the rationale to expand the Surf Lifesaving Service. The dedication of club members in assisting in the grim task of body recovery was international news that cemented the partnership between the 'club' and the professional civic services of the Tauranga City.
The call for a larger rescue base was generously replied to by local businesses, the public and hammer wielding volunteers. The basic form, for what is the present building, was erected to provide a home for the service as it matured into the organisation it is today.
The lifeguarding skills of the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service have always been considered to be of a very high standard. Over the years Mount Maunganui beaches attracted more and more visitors and the club grew quickly to meet the demands of changes in sporting habits and beach usage. The Service became a founding member of the New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Association and earned renown as a leader in the development in all facets of Surf Life Saving.
When the surfing craze dawned on the main beach of Mount Maunganui, the Service was called upon to perform an ever widening range of actions. The lifeguards rescued many 'surfies' from rips along the coast and many surfers became respected and long serving active members of the Service.
Innovations demonstrated by the Service since the 1960's have been adopted by national and international Surf Life Saving Association members and organisations.
Notable achievements include:
- the first fully operational dedicated beach patrol vehicle,
- the implementation of an all year round 24 hour rescue call out squad,
- the implementation of a patrolling rescue boat,
- the first club to install a 'can buoy' rescue system along the beach,
- the first club to establish a rescue radio network
The ideal surf sport competition arena of the Main Beach, the 'Eden Park' of Surf Life Saving Beach Sport venues, saw the Service gain a reputation as a host to high profile lifesaving carnivals and professional surf sport events. The Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service has consequently produced many New Zealand champions in both individual events, as well as representative teams.
Surf Life Saving has not only been for the golden gladiator in competition- for the past 20 years public education programmes have been an integral part of the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service. The "Sun, Surf and Safety Programme" was awarded the prestigious Innovations 3M Health and Safety Award in 1994.
The Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service recognised very early on that to sustain an active membership it needed a feeder organisation. It was from this that the Nippers (now known as Junior Surf) Programme was introduced for children aged 5 - 13 years. The youth section is an integral part of all New Zealand Surf Life Saving Clubs.
With the growth of the Junior Surf Programme and the development of Lifeguarding skills and programmes, the club has grown to a current membership of around four hundred.
2004 saw the celebration of the Services 75th Jubilee; an awesome achievement which reflects the passion and commitment the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service and it's members have to the Tauranga City.
