Heads lifeguard season underway

The Mangawhai Heads Volunteer Lifeguard Service (MHVLS) has been busy preparing for the upcoming surf life saving season which started over Labour Weekend.

The club is excited to announce a number of new committee members including president Jon Drucker, an ex-California State Lifeguard, and top local lifeguard Brad Kehoe as club captain. Both bring fresh enthusiasm with some exciting new ideas for the coming season.

Kehoe, who has been a senior lifeguard and patrol captain at Mangawhai Heads for a number of seasons is looking forward to a positive season at MHVLS.

"We have four strong volunteer patrols this season and wish everyone a safe and happy summer on the beach."

Kehoe ran a lifeguard refresher on October 22 with over 30 lifeguards in attendance.

Drucker, who is a retired lieutenant from the California State Lifeguard Service, is looking to improve capability of the club through its membership policies and public profile.

“We have adopted some new policies and projects for the coming season which will only improve the good work MHVLS has been doing for the community over the years" he said. “These include upgrades to the clubhouse facilities, recruiting new members and upskilling existing lifeguards.”

Jess Costello has stepped back into the role of club instructor and has already booked a number of guards on First Aid and IRB Courses.

“We are constantly trying to improve the skills of our members, and we are excited about some of the training we have coming up," she said. "One area we are developing this season is our IRB driver base, as well as advanced First Aid.”

Junior Surf will have a new face involved this season with Inez McDonald working alongside Shay Waldron. They were overwhelmed with new families keen to get in and join the movement at Mangawhai Heads.

“We had 27 new families sign up for Junior Surf over Labour Weekend. This, added to our existing 80-odd kids involved in our programme, means we are looking at one of our strongest years yet for Junior Surf at MHVLS,” said Waldron.

Volunteer lifeguard patrols commenced on Saturday October 22. Lifeguards will be patrolling weekends and public holidays until Easter 2017. Check out the newly created Mangawhai Heads Volunteer Lifeguard Service Inc. page on Facebook for regular updates.
 

GROWING: Junior registrations have already started to swell for the coming season after a big Labour Weekend uptake.