Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, OCT, 6, 1948 CALL FOR SERVICE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 4, 6 October 1948, Page 4

Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, OCT, 6, 1948

CALL FOR SERVICE

There was only a small attendance at the annual meeting of the Whakatane Surf and Life Saving Club last week. It was reported that the season ended with only 12 senior active members, not enough to provide beach patrols. There is no guarantee those members will all be available again this year, but it is to be hoped that there will be enough new recruits to maintain the Club’s very important service to the public. .*' It will be recalled that last year, after a drowning accident had occurred, there was'a strong effort to build up the Club. It was partially successful, but winter seems to have taken its toll of the limited enthusiasm that was in evidence and prospects are, frankly, not as bright as they should be. Shortage of cash is not the immediate problem. The Club has ample funds in hand to get going from the first breath of summer. What It lacks to establish and maintain adequate safety patrols is sufficient young, active members willing to train themselves in the service of others. It cannot be ignored that such a self-imposed task can be onerous. But, the more there are to share it, the less so it will Be. Last year the Club was able to train surf teams that were quite capable of holding their own anywhere, perhaps not in actual precision of drill, but certainly in getting people out of the water. Training for that job can be exacting. Patrolling takes a lot of time. But there can be few satisfactions to compare with the knowledge that one has contributed directly to the preservation of human life, that one is doing a really useful job in the community.