Whakatane Local Awarded Coastguard Operational Volunteer Of The Year
Stephen Clews from Coastguard Whakatane has received the Operational Volunteer of the Year Award at the National Coastguard Awards Dinner, held in Nelson on Saturday.
Stephen received one of six annual national awards given to individuals and Coastguard units whose contributions to the organisation were recognised by their peers, as the New Zealand Coastguard community came together to honour the year’s achievements.
Stephen is a valuable member of the Coastguard Whakatane Unit, holding positions including Senior CRV Skipper and Radio Operator in addition to being responsible for Technology Support. Stephen is also one of four members of the CRV replacement project team and is on the Unit’s management committee.
One of Stephen’s major achievements this year has been driving the upgrading of the Communication Centre to the point where it was able to be utilised as a trial for the Eastern Region Communications Hub.
During the development of this project, Stephen worked with personnel from the Northern Region and fostered closer ties with colleagues in the spirit of information and asset sharing, greatly benefiting Coastguard from an overarching perspective.
Coastguard New Zealand President, Colin Small says Stephen is an asset to Coastguard thanks to his ability to identify opportunities and drive projects to a high standard, as well as ensuring that the best technology is utilised for the task required.
“It is the drive and attention to detail from Stephen that has got the regional hub trial to where it is today. Stephen epitomises the Coastguard volunteer spirit and his involvement has brought the concept of 24/7 Coastguard Radio coverage around the country a major step closer. All of these outstanding efforts make him a worthy recipient.
“Coastguard is able to continue the work it does to save lives at sea thanks to the dedication of volunteers like Stephen and we are pleased to be able to honour those outstanding individuals who make it all possible with these awards.”
Coastguard is New Zealand’s primary provider of marine search and rescue services. It is made up of highly-trained volunteers who put themselves in harm’s way on a regular basis to ensure the safety of people at sea. This year 2,224 brave volunteers brought 6,996 Kiwis safely back to land and devoted a significant 348,346 hours to keeping New Zealander’s safe at sea.
“This year’s award winners have all shown outstanding service to Coastguard and their local boating communities, and our sincere thanks goes out to those volunteers for their commitment to saving lives on the water,” says Small.
There are six categories for the awards –
TracPlus Volunteer of the Year Doug Griffin Coastguard West Coast
Rescue of the Year Coastguard Waiheke Island
Operational Volunteer of the Year Stephen Clews Coastguard Whakatane
Chevron Air Patrol Volunteer of the Year Warren Dooney Coastguard Auckland Air Patrol
Chevron Rescue Vessel Volunteer of the Year Nelson Colyer Coastguard Canterbury
Special Commendation – Earthquake Recovery Coastguard Canterbury Sumner Lifeboat
Waimakariri Ashley Canterbury Air Patrol
Kaikoura
The individual award recipients each receive a prize that assists in furthering their education, and professional development, within Coastguard.
Other winners:
Coastguard Waiheke – Rescue of the Year - In January this year, Coastguard Waiheke was called out to a vessel which had struck some rocks at Motorua Island in the Coromandel. The crew had already been out on the water for four hours attending other calls but raced out to assist the stricken boat which wasn’t coping well in the rough seas. The crew managed to convince the men to stay onboard despite their intention to jump into a small inflatable which could have proved fatal. Waiheke Rescue then managed to get in close enough to get both men on board safely despite the waves pounding the foundering vessel during the rescue.
Warren Dooney – Air Patrol Volunteer of the Year – Warren Dooney received the Air Patrol Person of the Year Awardfor performing well above expectations. Warren has made training and volunteer recruitment a priority for the Unit this year which has been extremely successful and all of his dedication and groundwork will hold the Unit in good stead.
Nelson Colyer, Rescue Vessel Volunteer of the Year – Nelson played a pivotal role in the successful rescue of the tug 'Rakanui' in April this year. He selflessly took control of the foundering vessel which was at risk of sinking, taking ownership of the salvage pump from the exhausted crew members and helping to bring the water levels to a manageable level. Both men and the vessel were brought back to shore safely thanks to Nelson overseeing the long arduous journey.
Doug Griffin, Volunteer of the Year – Doug’s strong social and community spirit has been clear during his 14 year tenure at Coastguard. His passion and organizational skills have lead to him the Unit’s only Skipper while also acting as the Training Officer. As the only member of the unit holding a Certificate of Competency qualification, Doug turns out for every rescue, on water training activity and SAREX.
Coastguard Canterbury - Special Commendation – Coastguard’s Canterbury, Sumner Lifeboat, Waimakariri Ashley, Coastguard Air Patrol and Kaikoura units showed dedication beyond the call of duty when it came to assisting those in need after the region’s two devastating earthquakes. Volunteers from the units worked tirelessly together and their professionalism resulted in many commendations from other agencies who had been impressed with their efforts. The training that Coastguard employed at this time proved invaluable with Civil Defence adopting many of their processes as good practice. During this period, Coastguard personnel from many units gave over 5000 hours of service.