NSRI honors ordinary citizens for heroic acts

The NSRI celebrated its volunteers this past weekend in a ceremony dedicated to the men and women who serve South Africa. Four heroes in the crowd were ordinary citizens who went above and beyond.

South Africa (July 22, 2024) – The NSRI recently held its 57th Awards and Annual General Meeting and during the ceremony four Bravery Awards were presented to members of the public who selflessly performed life-saving rescues in difficult circumstances.

The Citizen Awards were presented to a hero who took action in 2021, and to three heroes who carried out rescue operations during the Durban floods.

Nehan Pretorius: For his courageous act on December 21, 2023, while surfing in Victoria Bay near George, he came to the aid of another surfer, Henry van Huysteen, who appeared to have had an epileptic seizure and had fallen from his board into the water.

The following people were recognised for their rescue efforts during the Durban floods:

Jace Govender – Bravery Gold
Ryan Hansen – Bravery Gold
Leon Fourie – Bravery Gold

“The courage of these citizens who went to the aid of someone they did not know without reward and saved a life reflects the ethos of our NSRI volunteers and deserves recognition. We honour them.” – Brett Ayres, NSRI Operations Director

The NSRI is a national volunteer ocean and inland water rescue service throughout South Africa and is 100% funded by public donations. The organisation is also the driving force behind an innovative Water Safety Programme that provides essential drowning prevention resources where basic water safety and swimming skills are severely lacking. Last year alone, over 905,000 children were taught water safety and almost 18,000 survival swimming lessons were given – all for free.

“We are incredibly proud of our volunteers, who work tirelessly towards our vision of a water-safe nation by carrying out our mission to preserve life and livelihoods on and around South African waters through education, drowning prevention and rescue,” said NSRI Board Chairman Jonathan Vellosa.

NSRI volunteers train to respond to an incredibly diverse range of emergencies, from fast-moving waters and flooding to medical evacuations from vessels. From assisting commercial trawlers to helping pleasure craft. The organization mobilizes for fishermen, swimmers, anglers, walkers, paddlers and surfers. It achieves its goal of saving lives, changing lives and creating a future through water safety education, survival swimming lessons and active rescue missions.

The NSRI Annual General Meeting and Awards Ceremony provide the organization with an opportunity to recognize and honor the selflessness of individuals and stations in their pursuit of safety and saving lives.

“Each award winner has gone the extra mile. These are people who care deeply about others and are willing to do whatever it takes. They are the people who make our country so special, and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude,” said Brett Ayres.

Sources: NSRI – Supplied

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