Howard Godfrey: 55 years of service and counting

This month, the NSRI honours Howard Godfrey for an extraordinary milestone: 55 years of service, one of the longest of any volunteer currently active in our organisation.

Howard’s journey began in 1966, when a fierce Cape storm drove the SA Seafarer onto the rocks at Green Point. As a teenager, he watched in awe from his family’s flat as South Africa’s first-ever helicopter sea rescue unfolded. “It was gripping,” he recalls. “I bunked school for days just to watch.” That moment, he says, sealed his fate. The sea and its rescues had hooked him for life.

By 14, Howard was a familiar face on the beach at Three Anchor Bay, where Ray Lant and Bob Deacon had just launched the South African Inshore Sea Rescue Service (SAISR). One afternoon, he slipped aboard for his first “unofficial” rescue — a swimmer in trouble — before officially joining at 16 (illegally taking part in his first big callout for the grounded oil tanker Kazimah).

Over the decades, Howard has seen rescue operations transform,  from the small rubber duck named Snoopy, which launched from a beach garage at Three Anchor Bay, to a state-of-the-art base at the Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront, complete with glass walls and modern rescue craft. He credits visionaries like Ray, Bob, and Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront developer David Jack, whose support helped turn the dream of a new Sea Rescue station in this prime position into reality.

Of the many rescues he’s been part of, one stands out: the 1997 Pambrien rescue off Cape Point. Battling 50-knot winds and 8-metre swells, the towline broke repeatedly, and crew members fought seasickness while braving the dark. Most harrowing was nearly losing rescue swimmer Vanessa Davidson to the waves before she was found, and narrowly avoided by the rescue boat that Howard was helming. “It was my wake-up call,” Howard says. “I felt I’d used up all my luck.” He stepped down from active duty soon after.

So, what’s kept him involved in the NSRI for more than half a century? Howard points to the people, the purpose, and knowing that you can make a difference when it matters most. “Once you’ve been part of a rescue crew, you’re part of a family. You don’t just walk away.”

On receiving this recognition, Howard says, “It’s humbling. But this isn’t just about me. Every rescue has been a team effort. I’ve just been lucky enough to be around for a lot of them.”

Today, Howard no longer heads to sea on callouts, but he still works tirelessly behind the scenes and takes to the water for pleasure. He serves the NSRI as a member of the Awards Committee and as an Honorary Life Governor. Will he stop any time soon? Howard smiles: “I’ll always be part of the NSRI in some way. It’s in my blood.”