Clifford Ireland's 33-year NSRI legacy

Rescue workers were trying their best to get a body out from under the rubble in Khokhoba informal settlement in Reservoir Hills, Durban, following the April 2022 floods.

In April 2022, veteran sea rescuer Clifford Ireland found himself suspended over a roaring stream of floodwater during the catastrophic KwaZulu-Natal rains. Gripping the rungs of a ladder laid across an impassable gap, Ireland faced a daunting task: on one side of the stream stood two frantic parents, while on the other, two terrified young children remained stranded.

As a mechanical engineer, Ireland understood the physical limits of the makeshift bridge beneath him. Coupled with decades of experience as a veteran sea rescuer, he knew that speed and composure were the only options he had to rescue and save the two stranded children.

"Our plan was to place a ladder to form a supporting bridge across the gap, and I crawled over and brought each child safely across," Ireland recalls. "I never learnt the children's names or those of the parents, but their facial expressions will live with me forever."

Ireland steps down as the Chair of the Operations Support Committee after five years in the position.

Clifford Ireland and the dedicated volunteer crew of NSRI Station 5 (Durban) gathered outside the sea rescue base with the outdated Rescue 5 vessel. Most notably taken during the 1990s.

When Ireland walked into NSRI Station 5 in Durban in November 1992, he was simply seeking a way to stay connected to his childhood love: the ocean.

Over the next 33 years, Ireland matured into a lifelong veteran. Starting as a volunteer crewman, he advanced to a Class 1 Coxswain, then a Station Commander, before becoming the Regional Representative. He was ultimately appointed Chair of the Operations Support Committee (OSC), overseeing the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and its operational turnaround over the past five years.

"I quickly came to appreciate the knowledge and skill that one gains at the NSRI, coupled with the positive feeling of genuinely doing good to help others in need," says Ireland, noting that saving lives provides the motivation required to endure hostile maritime environments.

Ireland recognised that a crew’s bravery is greatly supported by their vessel, and as Hout Bay's fleet was on its last legs, he later partnered with former Director of Capital Projects, Mark Hughes , and together they designed the NSRI's newest Offshore Rescue Craft, The Spirit of Ubuntu .

Over five years, Ireland guided the project from initial needs assessments to final craft selection, evaluating complex marine proposals and vetting international boat builders.

The culmination of his years of hard work and effort was recently unveiled at Hout Bay Harbour with the debut of The Spirit of Ubuntu , which will enter service in 2027.

Ireland challenged traditional notions of stoicism in maritime culture and fiercely advocated for the creation of the Crew Wellness Support Programme to address the psychological traumas of maritime volunteers and sea rescuers.