'Thirty seconds' to save mum's life: Heroes awarded for Orewa rescue of mother, son

Thursday, 20 June 2019

Orewa lifesavers including crew on a boat similar to this one have been honoured for their exploits after saving a mother and son. (File)

Thirty seconds was all lifesavers had to save a mother, her son and their dogs from drowning.

Now, seven life saving club members have been honoured for bravery after a rip dragged the mother and son out to sea.

Faron Turner previously won a Distinguished Lifeguard Service Award. Now he has been honoured again, along with his Orewa colleagues. (File photo)

The rescue north of Auckland happened after one of the pair's dogs entered the Orewa Estuary and could not fight back against the current.

The mother entered the water to try and rescue the dog. Her son followed, as did the other dog. Lifeguards were alerted after spotting someone running towards Orewa Surf Life Saving Club from the estuary.

Surf lifesaver training paid off when seven Orewa club members went to the rescue. (File photo)

Orewa Surf Life Saving Club has explained how seven people helped in the rescue. (File photo)

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Club chairman Faron Turner said as the inflatable rescue boat reached the scene, people on the banks of the estuary pointed to the man in his 20s, and his elderly labrador.

Inflatable rescue boats are crucial to lifesaving operations, Debi Boffa said after the BP rescue awards were announced. (File photo)

They'd been pulled about 300 metres out into the ocean.

But the man, with blood streaming down his hands after gashing them on the estuary rocks, flagged lifeguards further out to sea in his mother's direction.

The Orewa Estuary, where a mother, her son and their two dogs were dragged out to sea prompting a frantic rescue effort.

She and a young staffie cross were bobbing in and out of sight.

'Her head was under the water. We could see her and the dog bobbing under the waves, and the dog was panicking and had his paws on her shoulder and was pushing her underwater,' Turner said.

'We had to reach her in the next 30 seconds to save her life from drowning.'

Turner, with lifeguard Conan Willis also on board, covered 100m to reach the mother.

The young dog was growling and upset and Willis told Turner: 'We've got to get the dog first, he's pushing her under'.

The woman's face was bloodied from the dog's frantic clawing but Turner and Willis managed to get the woman and dog onto the boat.

'Her initial response was: Thank God you guys were here, I thought I was gone,' Turner said.

The boat crew then picked up the son and his dog, patching up the pair's cuts and taking them back to their car.

Orewa Surf Life Saving Club said the rescue took just four minutes to complete.

Seven people were honoured at Thursday's BP Rescue awards for the March 24 rescue.

Samantha Gunther took the emergency call, alerted the team and relayed communications on the radio.

Turner and Willis manned the boat. Martin Burgess stayed on duty to patrol between the flags.

Stu Handford was off-duty, but joined Burgess on patrol, while Pip Cunninghame and Curtis King, also off-duty, drove to the estuary to provide first aid.

BP New Zealand managing director Debi Boffa said the Orewa team's skills were 'outstanding' and the rescue showed how important inflatable rescue boats were.

Thursday's honours follow previous celebrations for the Orewa club, including a Surf Club of the Year award in 2017 and a ten-medal haul at an Australian pool rescue competition last year.