Founded in 1967, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) volunteers live Madiba’s principles every minute of every day in service of South African communities, saving lives on South African waters. In Mandela Month, the organisation is celebrating the contributions of their 67-year-old volunteers.Morven joined NSRI Station 6 in Port Elizabeth in 2001 and has since volunteered more than 4 000 hours of his time.“As a keen scuba diver, I have been going to sea for many years and have my own rubber duck which we dive off. I assist with research at sea, I am the safety officer for Sailing PE and sea based water sports including the Noordhoek Ski Boat Club. All this could only lead to me joining the NSRI,” said Maclean, who is also a rescue PADI diver and dives with his family most weekends.As part of one of the four crew teams called the Pirates, Maclean crews and is helmsman on Toft, a Breede 10M boat. One of his roles is preparing all four of the NSRI boats for their annual LGSC boat inspections.“I also sit on the Operations committee of Station 6 to help manage the boat repairs and maintenance programmes.”In almost 20 years with the organisation, Maclean has won several awards including Rookie of the Year, Crewman of the Year, Crew of the Year, and completed courses including firefighting, helicopter training, life raft, maritime extraction, navigation, radar, Level 3 First aid and Pyrotechnics. “I have also perfected the art of making coffee,” he said jokingly.The former retailer and sales agent is now a South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) boat surveyor, and says it is the camaraderie of the NSRI, along with the volunteers’ dedication and commitment to helping and saving people in trouble in coastal and inland waters, that keeps him committed. “NSRI is an amazing organisation and being part of it is a privilege and a pleasure.”Maclean’s sea research involvement entails the delivery of marine biologists to Bird Island, dolphin and whale study support, EIA studies for protection of wrecks and checking routes for pipelines under the sea, MPA coral checks and abalone farming support.In Mandela Month, Maclean said it was the time – especially with the Covid-19 pandemic – “to pull together and support each other as we all know he would have done”.“Nelson Mandela dedicated his life to making South Africa a country for all to live together in harmony. He gave us all the opportunity to live in peace and his care, foresight and willingness to forgive and move on showed us all what a great man he was.”Members of the public can assist the NSRI by either making a donation or purchasing the Sea Rescue clothing range labelled
“Station 67” via the website – www.nsri.org.za NOTES TO EDITORThe National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) is a charity organisation that saves lives on South African waters – both coastal and inland.The non-profit organisation, founded in 1967, has 1,245 volunteers, including 26 water safety instructors, who dedicate their personal time, for free, to saving lives on South African waters.The NSRI works to prevent drowning through rescue operations, education and prevention initiatives. The NSRI is totally reliant on donations and sponsorships in order to do the work of saving lives, changing lives, and creating futures. Visit
www.nsri.org.za for more information.
