( Now the Paekakariki Surf Life Guards Incorporated )

The Surf Club, one of the older sporting clubs on the Kapiti Coast, has its genesis in tragedy. On 20 February 1913 three employees of the then New Zealand Government Railways Department, Messrs Malcon, Pengelly and Guinnane, were fishing from a boat about half a mile offshore at the southern end of the Paekakariki Beach when a heavy swell overturned the boat throwing the occupants into the sea. The ill fated Pengelly disappeared almost immediately but Malcon and Guinnane clung to the upturned boat. The alarm was raised and a rescue party of fellow Railwaymen quickly assembled. John Sanderson a Guard, performed a feat of outstanding heroism and stamina to swim to the overturned boat and return the two men to the beach in two gruelling trips to the drifting craft. Sanderson was subsequently awarded a Royal Humane Society Silver Medal in recognition of his part in the two rescues. Alas, poor Pengelly's body was washed ashore two days later.

Deeply moved by the death of a workmate, fellow employees called a meeting in the Railway Social Hall on 2 March 1913 when it was decided unanimously to form the PAEKAKARIKI RAILWAY SURF CLUB. The Club affiliated to the Wellington Surf Association and thus became one of New Zealand’s earliest Surf Clubs and the first "non-metropolitan" Club in the country.

A letter was written to the General Manager of Railways advising him of the formation of the Club, the reason for its formation, and seeking assistance with the provision of materials with which to erect a Club House. The General Manager approved the supply of materials and thus the first of four Club Houses owned by the Club was erected at the Beach Road end of the beach. This unusual direct contact between "rank and file" staff and the Permanent Head of a Government Department continued for many years with the Club officials writing to the General Manager from time to time to arrange for otherwise "through" trains to stop at Paekakariki to uplift or set down members of the Club en route to competitions in Wellington or for visiting Clubs to travel to Paekakariki for events on the local beach.

Ironically, John Sanderson, the hero of that February 1913 day, was to lose his own life in the sea at Paekakariki on 4 November 1921 while accompanying a group of new entrants on swimming training in his role as Club Chief Instructor. Shortly after his death, the Club, and the residents of Paekakariki, raised the necessary funds to present to the Wellington District Surf Life Saving Association a magnificent trophy, the Sanderson Cup, which is still competed for annually by six person rescue and resuscitation teams.

The specific "Railway" association in the Club's title was deleted between the two World Wars when the club became the Paekakariki Life Saving & Surf Club but it retained the strong links with the staff of NZR and their families until quite recently. At its peak, NZR owned more than fifty staff dwelling in Paekakariki providing a ready supply of adults and children to the Club. The list of Club Officials over the years is liberally sprinkled with NZR staff members. Indeed, of the ten members honoured with Life Membership during the Club's 82 year history, four of them were "Railway people".

The first Club House, and its subsequent replacement located on the seaward side of what is now "The Parade", both fell victim to storms and fell into the sea. The third Club House, now the Memorial Hall, was erected in 1928 but on the "inland" side of the road. The building was extensively used for the entertainment of members of the United States Marine Corps during their period at Camp Mckay during World War II.

The Club has had varied fortunes and barely survived the shortage of members during the trying years of World War II and those that followed shortly thereafter. Indeed, it was through the efforts of a group of ladies, some of whom were wives of members serving in the Armed Forces, that patrols were able to be maintained through some of the war years for a period of which the beach was used for training American troops subsequently engaged in fierce battles in the Pacific.

Several members who had served in the Armed Forces resumed their active involvement with the Club to prevent it going into recess while new members were recruited and trained. The Club commenced its sequence of National Surf Life Saving Championship medals in 1949 when its six place R & R team, "selected" from the total senior membership of six persons , won bronze medals in the Nelson Shield Six Place Rescue & Resuscitation Championship, at that time the premier trophy in N.Z. Surf Life Saving.

Two major decisions saw the club surge into the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's to become a major competitor on beaches throughout New Zealand. The first decision, to permit women to become full members of the Club, precipitated the second, to dispose of its third Club House ( the first two of which had been destroyed by storms ) and to erect new premises about one kilometre north in Queen Elizabeth Park. The "new" Club House, opened in 1966 and the subject of major extension on three subsequent occasions, was necessary to cater for a "mixed" and considerably expanded membership and to move its centre of operations closer to where large numbers of people entered the water at Queen Elizabeth Park.

In the decades since that time, the Club has enjoyed great success on the competitive scene and has also contributed three New Zealand Team Captains and three other full "surf" internationals. It has been to the forefront of the "technology revolution" in surf life saving and has a proven track record in Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) operations and events. It also developed the first jet propelled IRB to eliminate some problems associated with using outboard powered IRB’s.

Since detailed records were instituted in 1963 the following Club statistics up to the 1995 season make interesting reading :-

Rescues made 135
Preventative actions 254
First Aid services 415
New members qualified 342
Instructors qualified 38
IRB drivers certified 38 ( 1^st IRB purchased 1983 )

Apart from the "rescue" statistics, the item of greatest significance in these figures is the number of young people who have been trained to high levels of skill which have application not only "on the beach" but in everyday living. For example, some years ago a junior member of the Club was able to resuscitate a fellow passenger who collapsed with a heart attack on a suburban train travelling from Wellington to Paekakariki, the passenger was successfully revived for transport to hospital where he recovered.

The Paekakariki Club has successfully hosted two National Surf Life Saving Championships ( 1976 and 1983 ) and also hosted the BP National Rescue Boat ( IRB ) Championships in 1992.

The brief facts contained in this short history of the Club show that the PAEKAKARIKI RAILWAY SURF CLUB has developed from its very humble beginnings as a group of people motivated by the drowning of a work colleague to serve the public, and initially receiving support from a "benevolent" Government employer, to its present state of being widely respected on the N.Z. Surf Life Saving scene and owning assets with a replacement value of about $ 500,000 and now known as the PAEKAKARIKI SURF LIFE GUARDS (Inc).

10/12/1995

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