Drowned rugby league star Sonny Fai haunts veteran lifeguard

Thursday, 25 July 2019

Piha Surf Life Saving Club lifeguard Jonathon Webber.

A lifeguard who's rescued people at New Zealand's most dangerous beach for the past 30 years says he's haunted by unsuccessful rescues everyday, especially that of New Zealand Warriors player Sonny Fai.

Jonathon Webber, who has been a lifeguard at Piha Surf Life Saving Club for three decades since he was 15, was on duty the day Fai was lost at sea in 2009 in Bethells.

The 45-year-old is a third generation lifeguard at Piha SLSC – his father was a lifeguard, as was his grandfather.

But despite being actively involved in rescuing people from Piha's waters for years, Webber said he could never be immune to the 'worst part' of the job.

**READ MORE:

Sonny Fai was lost at sea in 2009 and presumed drowned by the chief coroner. His body was never found.

* 10 years on, Sonny Fai's impact still felt by Warriors teammates

* The Sonny Fai tribute: New Zealand league loses a favourite son

* Five of New Zealand's most dangerous beaches**

He holds on to the successful rescues but it's incidents like that of rugby league player Fai that haunts him everyday.

Fai, just 20 at the time, never made it back to shore after going to the rescue of his younger brother and four cousins, who were caught in a rip. Despite extensive searches, his body has never been found. He was presumed drowned by the chief coroner in August, 2009.

More people have drowned at Piha Beach than at any other coastline in the country.

Webber said as lifeguards, they feel disappointed when they can't give families closure when a person is lost at sea.

'All a family wants is to have their loved one back and sometimes we could never give that to them to offer that closure,' Webber said.

'It is up to the ocean if it wants to release the person to us or they may never be found.

'It's not like a car crash where a victim's body can be recovered. We're always at the mercy of the sea and that is often really hard sometimes.'

Fai's tragic case and other cases of would-be rescuers drowning while trying to save another highlighted the lack of education information available to the public on what to do when a person is in trouble in the water..

Working alongside Dr Kevin Moran and Teresa Stanley at Drowning Prevention Auckland, Webber created an education model called the Four R's of Bystander Rescue- recognise, respond, rescue and revive.

'The unsuccessful rescues where we haven't found some people … it has an emotional effect.

'It's not always a successful rescue story. Piha is not the killer beach as depicted on reality TV, however more people have drowned along this stretch of coastline than anywhere else in New Zealand.'

He said people need to adhere to safety instructions near beaches all the time.

'Swim between the flags and know what to do in case of an emergency. Call 111, and ask for police to activate surf life saving - not a lot of people know this.'

Webber is up for the life membership recognition in the upcoming Surf Lifesaving Northern Region Awards of Excellence in Auckland on July 27.

Piha SLSC has a host of finalists for the regional awards including lifeguard, instructor and sportsman of the year.

Webber said being recognised in the awards is a 'a great honour' and the highest accolade one can receive as a lifeguard.