‘Spirit of Gabi’ lives on

Station 8 (Hout Bay) recently received a new JetRIB, thanks to the generous bequest from the Estate of the late Dr Gabrielle Jacqueline De Bie. The NSRI pays tribute to this remarkable woman and her love of the ocean.

“I met Gabi in 2010, through the placement of University of Cape Town (UCT) Physio and Occupational Therapy students for clinical experience at the Western Cape Rehabilitation Centre, where I was the CEO,” says Jenny Hendri of her friend, the late Dr Gabrielle Jacqueline De Bie – or ‘Gabi’, to those close to her.

“We had an immediate connection through our love of learning and teaching of medical and other health science students, as well as our passion for nature and the environment.”

It was this passion that led Gabi to bequeath part of her estate to the NSRI, as well as various other aid organisations, after losing a two-year battle with bone cancer in 2020. The generous donation enabled the acquisition of a new JetRIB for Station 8 (Hout Bay), where supporters, donors, crew, and distinguished guests gathered on 6 May to bless the new vessel, ‘Spirit of Gabi’.

After speeches and a blessing, Jenny had the honour of popping a cork of bubbly and officially naming the boat with a baptism of fizz.

“Gabi was an NSRI supporter for many years. She often assisted with beach clean-ups and was passionate about conservation and the preservation of our oceans. She had her NSRI Shore Crew certificate, and was also a trained guide for the Two Oceans Aquarium,” says Jenny.

Formerly a Chief Scientist in the Department of Health Sciences Education at the University of Cape Town, Gabi’s deep love of the sea was expressed in myriad ways: she loved to be both on the sea (kayaking, surfing, wind-surfing) and in the sea (scuba diving, swimming and snorkelling), and had “the most amazing breadth and depth of knowledge about everything in and around our oceans”, says Jenny.

During her two-year battle against bone cancer, it was imperative for Gabi to regularly visit the sea. One of her final acts before her passing was to visit the beach. Despite her pain, “it gave her great peace of mind and comfort,” says Jenny. This is reflected in the poem Jenny requested to be read as her ashes were scattered near Simons Town: Maggie and Milly and Molly and May by EE Cummings, the last two lines of which read:

“For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea.”

In tribute to Gabi’s life, the new JetRIB will help the volunteer rescue crew of NSRI Hout Bay to save even more lives. The JetRIB is a unique rescue craft, a complete game changer for rescues in the surf.

Supporters like Gabi, who choose to leave a legacy gift to the NSRI in their Will, are incredibly important to the NSRI, which is predominantly publicly funded. If you would like to support our life-saving work into the future, consider leaving the NSRI a bequest in your Will. Email renee@searescue.org.za for further information and assistance, or click here.