Urgent grant to surf life saving
8 December 2015
Waipa mayor Jim Mylchreest has used his emergency Mayoral Relief Fund to provide urgent help for local surf lifesavers.
Mylchreest committed $10,000 today following a desperate request for more funds from Surf Life Saving Northern Region. The organisation is facing a $41,000 shortfall to provide lifeguard cover at Ngarunui Beach at Raglan and Sunset Beach at Port Waikato this summer.
Last year Raglan lifesavers dealt with 177 incidents or rescues with another 68 recorded at Sunset Beach. Already there has been one drowning at Ngarunui beach. It's feared that, without paid life guards on patrol during the week, more lives will be at risk.
Mylchreest said his council recognised many Waipa residents used the west coast beaches and that Waipa needed to do its part. He was also aware of volunteer lifeguards from Waipa who regularly patrolled at Raglan in the weekends when no paid guards were on duty.
Mylchreest has urged other local councils to take decisive action, fast, to make up the remaining funding shortfall. Waikato District Council and Waikato Regional Council already contribute to the surf lifesaving service.
The money from Waipa would allow weekday life-guards to patrol for two extra weeks, he said.
"I don't think there's any doubt that this service is critical to our wider community and that it needs to be funded in a co-ordinated way. We shouldn't have an organisation that relies heavily on volunteers to save people's lives coming to us absolutely desperate just weeks before Christmas."
Mylchreest said he would be pushing for a far more co-ordinated approach to the issue well before the next summer season and said this would be supported by the Waikato Mayoral Forum.
"That's something we'll need to sort out. In the meantime, we just need to get on and do something and $10,000 is at least a start."
All media enquiries, contact Jeanette Tyrrell (on behalf of council) 027 507 7599