Coastguard Issues MayDay Call to Kiwis

MEDIA RELEASE

Coastguard Issues MayDay Call to Kiwis

Coastguard’s national fundraising appeal launches on May 1

Auckland, 18 April 2012 – Coastguard is sending out a distress call in the hope that Kiwis will dig deep for its annual MayDay fundraising appeal, on May 1, to raise much needed funds.

Running for two weeks until Sunday 13 May, donations made during MayDay will help support Coastguard’s critical volunteer programme ‘Train one – save many’.

Coastguard volunteers play a critical role in the charity’s ongoing mission to save lives at sea. Each volunteer requires extensive practical training at a cost of $34.30 per week, both in the water and the air, to ensure they can respond to each call for help with speed and accuracy.

Coastguard relies on the funding support of New Zealanders to continue the valuable work it does to keep Kiwis safe on the water and to help fund the crucial education initiatives needed to train each volunteer.

There are currently 2,406 volunteers involved with Coastguard throughout New Zealand, giving 243,556 hours of volunteer time from July 2011 to March 2012.

Commencing on the day historically celebrated as May Day, the name of the campaign also references the well-known distress signal used by boaties around the world when calling for help.

Patrick Holmes, CEO of Coastguard New Zealand, hopes that New Zealanders will recognise the valuable service that Coastguard and its many volunteers provide during the appeal.

“Our volunteers are the life force of Coastguard, offering up so much of their personal time every week, and we can’t thank them enough for the ongoing dedication they show to keeping New Zealanders safe at sea.

“We hope that with New Zealand’s support, this year’s MayDay appeal will help raise the necessary funds to give them the essential training and support they need to do their job safely while out on the water,” he says.

Campbell Hope, from Auckland, joined as a volunteer in the 1970’s after being involved with the Wahine disaster in Wellington.

“We spent all day in a little boat, rowing and rescuing people. It was a terrible time but it made me want to go out there and help people on the water.”

After deciding he wanted to give something back to the community, Mr Hope went on to become one of the founding members of Coastguard Wellington. He is now Senior Master on two Coastguard vessels in Auckland and is responsible for the crews.

“There’s a real satisfaction you get from helping people in their moment of need that makes you do it. It’s great to be able to put all of our training into practice so we can operate safely, look after the crews and most importantly save lives.

“Being a Coastguard volunteer is like being part of a big family who are all out there doing their best to keep New Zealanders safe on the water. We get a lot of young crews coming through who have a thirst for knowledge and I being a part of that.”

Look out for MayDay collectors on the street between 1-13 May or make a donation by:

· Going online at www.coastguard.co.nz

· Make an automatic $25 donation by calling 0900 SOS SOS (0900 767 767)

· Call in to your local ASB to make a donation

· Direct into the Coastguard ASB Account 12-3209-0434030-01 (Please reference with MayDay and your SURNAME)

Coastguard’s 2012 MayDay appeal is proudly supported by Mitre 10 and ASB Bank.

COASTGUARD FACTS 2012

· 2,406 volunteers are currently involved with Coastguard throughout New Zealand (2,220 SAR volunteers and 186 Shore Crew)

· 243,556 hours of volunteer time has been given to Coastguard from July 2011 to March 2012. From July 2010 to June 2011 that number was 348,356

· Last year 3,337 people called for help from Coastguard (that’s nine per day)

· On top of that Police called on Coastguard volunteers 536 times

· 6,996 people were rescued by Coastguard volunteers last year (an average of 19 people every day)

· Three people are rescued by every Coastguard volunteer each year

· 83 per cent of Coastguard volunteers are male and 17 per cent of Coastguard volunteers are female

· Some past volunteers had been involved with Coastguard for over 50 years!

-ends-

© Scoop Media