Don Wright, surf life saver
Hyfler/Rosner
November 22, 2003 Saturday
Don Wright
By PHOEBE FALCONER
Don Wright, surf life saver, died aged 88
Don Wright may have been a member of Piha Surf Lifesaving Club for 70 years.
Or 65, or 66. It seems ironic that no one knows exactly when this
hard-working and influential man joined the club.
It is certain that though he was not quite a foundation member, Ernest
Donald Wright was a club fixture there, still doing beach control until the
time of his death.
One of his last rescue missions was to help three boardriders caught in the
rip at the southern end of Piha Beach. While his companions helped two of
the riders to the beach, Wright swam through 3m waves and guided the third
rider back through the rip to safety. Not bad for a chap of 71.
Familiarity with the sea and its vagaries led Wright to seek fast and
efficient rescue equipment. Experimentation and adaptation led to the
development of the "teardrop" ski with lift in the bow to cope with New
Zealand's rolling waves.
The 45kg ski transformed rescue work, being far easier to launch than a surf
boat and able to reach someone in distress faster than a swimmer with a
belt.
In later life, Wright, and his son, were influential in the development and
use of jet rescue and inflatable rescue boats in New Zealand lifesaving
clubs.
The Piha club reaped the benefit of Wright's experience. He served in turn
as gear steward, instructor, committee member, club captain, president,
vice-patron and life member.
His numerous awards and prizes included first placing in the beltman
competition in 1948, first in the surf ski rescue at the New Zealand champs
that year and the next, first placing in the surf ski race from 1950 to
1954. He also was a New Zealand rep in 1950.
Don Wright was born and educated in Dargaville. After leaving school, he
worked the family farm with his father for a short time before moving to
Auckland and joining the Piha Surf Lifesaving Club.
World War II interrupted his training as a lifeguard. He signed on as a
policeman, supplementing his income by carpentry, scrubcutting and driving a
meat truck. This left little time for family commitments, and his four
children were raised predominantly by their mother, Joyce.
After the war, Wright began a trucking firm, carrying logs for timber
merchants Henderson and Pollard, and cut timber for housing.
He renewed his association with Piha, building a small bach for family
holidays and access to the surf.
Fishing was another love. Wright went to Mangawhai, cut down a kauri - it
was permitted then - had it milled and built an 11m launch, the Lady
Shankler. He and his great friend Tom Pearce built their own aqualung
equipment and dived and fished around Great Barrier Island for many years.
But surf lifesaving was his life. Wright was awarded a bronze medal for
bravery after a rescue at North Piha in 1962. He became a life member of
Auckland Surf in 1987, and received the Distinguished New Zealand Award in
1994.
Don Wright died in a car accident on the Piha Rd on November 9.
He is survived by three sons and a daughter, nine grandchildren and five
great-grandchildren.