The NSRI’s Port Alfred Station 11 has been hailed as one of the best managed rescue stations in the country at the 55th anniversary appreciation dinner hosted at Port Alfred River & Ski boat club on Wednesday July 9.
Among the guests, were NSRI station 11 volunteers, past station commanders, sponsors, 43 Air School, Rhodes University’s sports department, national NSRI spokesman, Craig Lambinon and regional rep, Ian Gray.
Port Alfred NSRI station commander, Gerrit Cloete, in his opening address extended words of gratitude to donors, the community and volunteers.
“Tonight’s celebration is all about the greater Ndlambe community and Station 11 crew and operational support services. Your unwavering support, generous contributions and commitment are the bedrock of our success that enables us to fulfil the NSRI’s mission – the saving of lives on South African waters,” said Cloete.
“Station 11 Port Alfred was established in 1970 with the original boathouse and it is still part of our current operations.”
“Currently we have five coxswains, five shore controllers, 13 sea-going crew and 14 ???. The station has through the years had a variety of rescue craft, totalling 11.”
The station commander said the base currently had three operational vessels and three operational mobile rescue vehicles in its fleet. Describing Station 11’s operational area as “vast” it covered approximately 140km up to Bird Island and Hamburg.
“We can imagine what happens when we have to do a long call … we spend hours on the water. We are in the process of establishing a satellite base at Kenton-on-Sea with assets already in operation
“Being a rescue crew volunteer takes a lot of sacrifice … it means being on call 24-hours a day. I thank the Station 11 crew for unwavering commitment to the NSRI’s mission of saving lives.”
Cloete was high in his praise of the drowning prevention initiative launched in 2020 that NSRI supported aimed at reducing drowning incidents in South Africa.
“One of our crew Carol Mewes established survival swimming clinics in Ndlambe (Sunshine Coast Survival Swimming) and has since recruited 21 other volunteers and established survival swimming sites at Kenton and Rhodes university.”
Cloete thanked Gardmed, Multi Security, Fire & Rescue services, SA Police Services, the Ndlambe Municipality and 43 Air School for their continued operational support.
Gray who is nearing four decades of service to the NSRI after starting out in 1982, was next on the podium. Gray is still active at the Gqeberha station after serving as its station commander for 22 years and still oversees operations in Storms River, Oyster Bay, Oyster Bay, St Francis Bay, Gqeberha, Port Alfred, East London and Kei Mouth.
“What impresses me about Port Alfred over the years is that we have seen so many great station commanders. When we had our first woman station commander, Keryn van der Walt, she did a phenomenal job. I see at least one acting station commander here and three others – they stay on after their terms and that contributes to the growth of the station.”
He presented a citation award to a young 43 Air School instructor, Luri Rengane, who a month ago while on a training flight with a student from India, received a distress call from the NSRI to look out for a boat that was sinking. “We battled to get the exact location but fortunately 43 Air School informed us there was a pilot in the area and we asked them if he could assist,” said Gray.
Rengane and his co-pilot circled the area for at least an hour-and-a-half before he spotted the yacht south of Bird Island with five people stranded on a listing boat. Rengane alerted A MSC cargo ship that was heading to the port and he instructed his student to continue circling until help arrived.
The student was completing his second-last training flight and has returned to home country, India.
“Thank you Luri, your efforts prevented a potentially serious catastrophe,” said Gray to applause.
Citations were also handed to Rhodes University sports department employee, Lulama Kila, and Jamaaludien Williams for saving the life of Williams’ friend, Joseph Madlo, at the campus swimming pool three years ago.
Kila on being summoned by Williams who alerted him that Madlo was in distress in the water, Kila grabbed a pink buoy and asked Williams to take it out to his friend. Once Williams reached Madlo, he grabbed him and they both used the pink buoy while Kila pulled them to safety with the help of a harness. “Joseph was unconscious when he was pulled out and was successfully resuscitated. Swift actions of Lulama and Jamaaludien saved a life and we salute you,” said Gray to huge applause..
Gray said the introduction of pink bouys has been a game-changer and according to research, they have saved around 200 lives around the country. “And now we find them on rivers, dams and swimming pools and that is exciting for us,” said Gray.
Lambinon in his address, entertained the audience with some serious and light-hearted anecdotes of his 32-year career with the NSRI.
“I have always said and will always say it by a country mile, our volunteers are our greatest asset that the NSRI has.”
Lambinon said his career began in 1993 when on his way to a sports café with friend, Ian Klopper – a volunteer at the NSRI – and, instead of watching a rugby game ended up helping to save someone from a yacht in the middle of Hout Bay. “I didn’t even know what the NSRI was, but all I can say is after that I was hooked completely and it took me three weeks to come down from the adrenaline rush. I felt awesome saving someone’s life.”
He then took on a role as a volunteer ambulance medic and once he had joined NSRI, because he got easily sea sick, he was put on to the helicopter rescue unit in role of a rescue swimmer for over a decade.
“I fell into the media role and that wasn’t intended at all. Charl Pauw back in the day used to do all the sea disasters for the SABC and would join us in the helicopter … but when he wasn’t there and there was a sea disaster going on, he used to tell people ‘phone Craig Lambinon he’s got all the info’.”
He said he quickly got in to the cross-hairs of certain station commanders as a media person. “I soon realised that the NSRI were working in silos so if something happened in Durban for example, the other centres would not have anything to do with it.”
He said now that the communication has since been centralised it was difficult to tell a family member 3am in the morning that a loved one is missing at sea.
“And you can’t let the media know until you have spoken to the family. It’s a massive role keeping everyone informed he said.”
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, July 17, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
