Beach crew marks 40 years of saving lives

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The Beach Strip
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Posted with permission from the Hamilton Spectator
This article was printed tens years ago, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Hamilton Beach Rescue Unit.:rock:
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The Spectator - Hamilton, Ont.
Author: Carmelina Prete
Sep 21, 1998

It's been more than 30 years but Don Young can still see the dead teenager's face.

"So much like my daughter," said Young, with a sad shake of his head. "Same age. Same build. Same hair."

She couldn't have been much older than 16. The unlucky one among a group of teenagers in a car that veered off the highway, near Windermere Road, and into Hamilton Harbour.

Young, now 71, was among the Hamilton Beach Rescue Unit members sent into the waters to find her.

"My mother told me lies. She said big boys don't cry," he whispers, leaning into the shoulder of a reporter. "I've come home from disasters and cried and cried. . .We got there but it was too late. I cried that night."

Despite the distress and risk of disaster, scores of volunteers with the Hamilton Beach Rescue Unit prepare to risk their lives each time they assist with a mayday call.

It starts with the sound of a siren connected to Hamilton- Wentworth police and stationed at the organization's modest clubhouse on Beach Boulevard. The shrill sound warns the entire community someone needs help.

Any number of the 38 volunteers rush out; the first three to arrive handle the call.

Stranded swimmers. Capsized boats. Inexperienced windsurfers. The unit has had 25 emergency calls so far this year but has responded to thousands in its 40-year history.

"I'm very, very proud of the work we do," said Bill Dean, the group's executive officer. "When the sirens ring, we just go. We get there as fast as we can."

'NOT AFRAID'

Dean knows he's tooting the group's horn but he is not alone in his praise. About 100 people gathered at the clubhouse Saturday to celebrate the unit's 40th anniversary.

"They go out in some crazy weather. They're not afraid of anything," said Staff Sergeant Ollie Tonello.

"Pure iron guts" is how Frank Ryan, president of the Hamilton Beach Preservation Committee, described the men who are trained in search and rescue, first aid, CPR and navigational chart reading.

Among the kids parading with balloons and longtime residents reminiscing over forkfuls of cake, it's easy for even an outsider to grasp the source of pride this unit is to the beach community.

"I've seen them work," said Olav Andersen, 60, who has lived on the Beach Strip for six years. "They do a fine job. You hear the horn and they're there."

The unit's services complement the police marine unit, which covers Hamilton-Wentworth and Halton. Beach members often arrive before the police, whose boat is stationed at James Street North.

Its annual regional funding of $35,000 has been under threat in the past but Dean said he's looking for more money to run the year- round program. The unit also provides regular patrols on weekends and holidays from June to September from Oakville to the Niagara regional line near Fifty Point Conservation Area.

"This is the best deal in town as far as regional funding is concerned," Ward 5 Alderman Fred Eisenberger told the crowd.

And while the tragedies can make the men cry, the thrill of the rescues keeps them motivated.

"You never forget the bad," said Young. "But the best is when you see someone up and about because of something we did."

Photo- Spectator Photo, Kaz Novak.
Don Young, retired chief of the Hamilton Beach Rescue Unit.

More;
http://www.gcac-q.ca/files/library/The_Auxiliarist_(August_2014)_Complete_French2.pdf
 
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