Having received his 55-year service award, Brian Hustler cites an incident involving his family in 1943, when they were wrecked at the North End beach in a rather scary situation.
So, when the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) came into being 15 years later, there was no question about joining the organisation.
In 1967, Hustler received a letter from Captain Bob Deacon to call a gathering of interested people to set up the NSRI operations in the region.
NSRI Eastern Cape regional representative, Ian Gray, said it’s a great honour to celebrate Hustler’s 55 years of long service and 30 years as honorary life governor.
Hustler has a bank of memorable rescues during his tenure at NSRI, especially rescues where several lives were saved. “I recall three scuba divers’ lives saved at Brenton Rock, Algoa Bay. They were lost at night with no boat. The NSRI found them, and they were grateful to be rescued,” said Gray.
Having served his time in the Nelson Mandela Bay, Hustler recalls another memorable rescue, where nine lives were saved. This rescue involved fishermen who were rescued off a fishing boat off North End Beach in Algoa Bay. The NSRI duty coxswain was encouraging all the men to jump overboard into the sea but the last man on board was disinclined to do so. They found out after the rescue that the last man had a wooden leg.
“I pride myself on having joined the organisation and what I take with me is the exceptional growth and development of the NSRI over the 55 years. The NSRI has moved in leaps and bounds if one looks at how it has advanced relative to other services of this nature,” said Hustler.
Hustler’s hope is that the values that the volunteer crew members learn from being involved with the organisation, will always stay with them, so they are always there to help anybody that is in trouble.
The NSRI is a charity organisation that saves lives on South African waters – both coastal and inland. The organisation’s goal is to prevent drowning through rescue operations, education and prevention initiatives.
“Operating from base stations along the SA coastline, and on inland dams, our rescue volunteers are on call, at all hours, each day of the year. Our rescue crew receives no payment and neither do we charge the people we rescue,” said Gray.
He added that the organisation visits schools around the country, teaching children about water safety. “Our drowning prevention measures include our online training academy, with free courses for crew and the public, emergency signage, Pink Rescue Buoys for emergency flotation, rescue swimmers, lifeguards, and active patrols during peak seasons.
“Our organisation is totally reliant on donations and sponsorships. This enables us to do the work of saving lives, changing lives, and creating futures,” said Gray.
