“The award is a recognition of perseverance”: NSRI Gold Gallantry recipient, Tyron Brennan

For the first time in its history, the NSRI presented Gold Gallantry awards to crew members for their bravery in dangerous situations at its 57th Annual Awards Evening and AGM.

On 19 July, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) held its 57th Annual Awards Evening and AGM. For the first time in its history, the NSRI presented Gold Gallantry awards to crew members for their bravery in dangerous situations. 

These awards represent the highest honour the organisation can bestow upon its volunteers, and this year, five members were recognised with this prestigious accolade for their heroic efforts during the devastating floods that struck KwaZulu-Natal in April 2022.

Tyron Brennan was one of the five recipients who showed unwavering bravery and selflessness during the chaos and destruction and exemplified the highest standards of the NSRI.

From 11 to 13 April 2022, days of heavy rain across KwaZulu-Natal led to deadly floods. Particularly hard-hit were areas in and around Durban. At least 435 people died across the province, with an unknown number of people still missing as of 13 April 2022. Several thousand homes were damaged or destroyed. Critical infrastructure, including major roads, transportation, communication and electrical systems, were impacted by the flooding, and this damage greatly hampered rescue, recovery and relief efforts.

“The evening of our rescue started off calmly,” says Tyron. “Everyone at our station who was available was divided into teams – we were around the flooded Queen Nandi industrial area. Then the calls started coming in, and what followed was like scenes from a movie.”

Tyron says there were a number of responders on scene, and with more and more calls coming in they decided their help could be better used elsewhere. “But then the call came in for a family of three trapped in a collapsed home in Westville.”

On the way to the scene, Tyron and his team encountered multiple landslides and flooded bridges in the area which meant that half of the team got separated. “We had to stop about 200m from the address of the home due to a landslide washing away the road.” 

At the house, they saw that a massive landslide had washed away the foundations, and half of the house had collapsed in on itself. “The father inside called out to us to please get his son out. We couldn’t see the father – just hear him. But we were able to find the son and start helping him out.

“A member of SAPS assisted us with electric jaws of life, which we used to slowly and step-by-step jack up and support the wall that was pinning the son to his bed. Once we were able to lift the wall high enough we could pull the boy out and take him to safety.”

The team then tackled the extraction of the parents, using a sledgehammer for two hours to break through the stricken house to extract the father, who with two broken feet managed to crawl from his crushed bedroom to safety. The mother had unfortunately passed away from her injuries and her body was extracted and handed into forensic care.

The rescue operation took six hours from start to finish.

Says Tyron: “Being involved in the marine work I do, I had known of the NSRI for a long time but I finally joined NSRI in 2020 after years of procrastination. I am so proud to call myself a crew member of Station 5 in Durban – they are my second family! And I’d like to thank the NSRI as a whole and all the Station 5 crew who have passed on their knowledge and training to me. Without them, I don't think I would have had the confidence to go into the situation as I did that evening in April.

“For me, receiving the Gold Gallantry Award is a recognition of perseverance and a reminder that even when the whole world is drifting away a few people can be the light you need.”