The Weekend Sun thanks Jamie Troughton of Dscribe Services for his video interview of Ian Robinson, which formed the basis of this story.

There’s a saying in New Zealand’s surf life saving community. “In it for life”. Waihī Beach resident Ian Robinson reckoned the mantra definitely applied to him. “Yep, it’s a good saying!”

Aged 90, his memory is not as good as it used to be – but he remembers the important stuff when it comes to talking about his 30-odd years involvement in Waihī Beach Lifeguard Services Inc (WBLGS) – which many know as Waihī Beach Surf Lifesaving Club.

6-Man team 1957 National Champs Wellington Waihī Beach Lifeguard Services Inc members in Wellington in 1957: Doug McLeay, Colin Major, Ian Robinson, Dan Harris, Graham Hales and Doug Seath. Photo / Supplied

Ian, who sat down with son Danny for a video interview recently with Jamie Troughton of Dscribe Media Services, is a life member of WBLGS – which celebrates 90 years of existence this weekend with activities to showcase the club’s lifesaving history on the sand and surf.

Club records suggest as early as the 1920s a surf reel with small cart wheels, a heavy canvas and cork belt and a stout coir line, was on the beach manned by the late John Moon and local swimming club boys. Eventually, after a town meeting was held the Waihi and Waihī Beach Lifesaving Club was formed in 1935.

Ian was living in his family’s home up the hill at Waikino when he joined WBLGS roughly aged 18. “He joined in about 1953,” said Danny.

“I joined up with some of the guys that were around – and I ended up being in charge of them all,” said the nonagenarian.

I will lead

“They all said: ‘Oh, you’ll get lost here and you won’t know what to do’. So I said: ‘Well, I will lead it to start with’. And that’s what I did.”

Ian Robinson has been a mainstay at Waihī Beach Surf Life Saving Club for 72 years. Photo / Supplied

Ian’s day job was selling shoes in two local stops – but he often popped into the club to keep an eye on things. Over the years he became known as “Robbie” at the club – anything that needed sorting out, the saying was: “Just call Robbie; he’ll fix it.”

His mechanical knowledge was learnt from a prior workshop job in Kinleith mill in Tokoroa. “I just transferred my knowledge to the surf club,” said Ian.

He spent much time helping others learn the ropes – and when he wasn’t on the sea or sand, he was “playing rugby”. Danny joked that surf club activities were Ian’s training for the rugby field. “It was a very good recreation ground and it had everything you wanted for sports,” said Ian.

Danny said anything that was on the beach his father and friends loved. “Yep,” said Ian, who thought he was a good swimmer.

Bruce’s Bone

One early highlight was an annual competition between Waihi and Piha surf clubs. “It was called Bruce’s Bone. It was an old bone stuck onto a shield. Piha would come down and do a raft of competitions with us – from boats, to swimming to ski – and the winner would get Bruce’s Bone. Bruce was my brother.”

Ian and Heather had four sons – Bruce, Neil, Danny and Glenn – who’ve all been associated with the club in varying degrees. Ian’s grandsons – Mitchel and Mcleay – are current active members.

Danny said his father started Bruce’s Bone. “It went on for years and years. It was an old cattle bone. If I remember rightly Bruce found the bone on the beach.”

First nationals

Waihī Beach attended their first national surf life saving competition in Invercargill in 1957 with Ian in the mix. “There was a mob from Waihī Beach that travelled down – about three carloads with skis and things tied on top of their cars. She was a mighty expedition, stopping at every watering hole they passed,” said Danny.

“It was good trip,” said Ian. “With the training we did and the people we met we learnt a lot.” Ian won the beach sprint. “It was bloody cold,” he said of the water down south.

One of his favourite surf club moments was the 1970 Piha surf championships when he won medals in the canoe. “Usually the canoe team just turned up and had a paddle, but dad saw the opportunity and rounded up a team of guys.”

Danny remembers going with his mother Heather (nee McLeay) – also a WBLGS member along with father Pat Mcleay – in the cold of night to pick up his father from the beach – who was running up and down with his canoe crew “trying to get fit”.

“A few years running they won the BOP heats, Northern regionals, and got to the nationals, and I recall Whakatane being the nemesis,” said Danny. “But they got a couple of silvers and bronzes at couple of consecutive nationals – so they did very well for themselves. But it was a matter of somebody taking the lead.”

Unusual

“You had to tell them that they had to do it,” said Ian. “Nowadays this is part of your training but 50 years ago it wasn’t what you did. It was unusual,” said Danny.

As for lifeguarding, what is Ian most proud of? “Carrying out very efficient rescues,” he said. “It was up to everybody to know what to do and how to do it.”

Ian said nearly all early rescues were done with reels. “Someone swam out to the person to ensure they weren’t drowning and when the ski or canoe got there – that’s when we rescued them.”

Back then rescues were a graduated style of job – Ian did all roles. “The biggest thing of the lot was making people feel secure,” he said.

WBLGS was one the first lifesaving clubs in New Zealand to get Inflatable Rescue Boats (IRBs) on-site.

Recommending IRBs

Ian was part of an Surf Live Saving NZ (SLSNZ) investigation tour to Australia in 1978, where they brought back the recommendation for New Zealand to adopt Inflatable Rescue Boats (IRBs).

Ian is happy the club went with IRBs rather than jetboats. “[With jetboats] You were always getting the bloody things fixed!”

Ian Robinson with IRB learners. Photo / Supplied

Ian started a training system, so surf clubs members had to qualify before they could drive an IRB, said Danny. “It was part of a sea change happening in surf life saving at the time. Beforehand, anyone could grab a canoe and go down the beach [to rescue someone].”

Part of club work was IRB maintenance. “All the guys had to know this so they could sort the engine out so they didn’t have to call someone out to fix it,” said Ian. He spent many hours showing fellow clubbies how to maintain club gear. His calling was to help “guide others”.

A hairy moment was in 1983, when Ian was the IRB driver who went out in severe storm conditions to look for someone reported to be in difficulty in the surf off Orokawa Bay. The person made it to shore, but the IRB boat was swamped in huge surf. The crew swam to shore, the boat was ‘lost’ until it was found washed up on Mercury Island three months later.

Still involved

Ian said he is proud of his involvement in WBLGS for 72-0dd years, still being involved with support needs. His involvement meant he’d helped and saved many people over the years on the sand and in the water.

“Occasionally, people came up and thanked me, sometimes years later, or their family did.” Was that a nice feeling? “Oh yes, very much so,” said Ian, who holds a SLSNZ distinguished service award.

As the club’s oldest member, he intends to visit anniversary events this weekend.

Find out more about this weekend’s events at: www.waihibeachlifeguards.co.nz/events/90th-anniversary