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A group of lucky 10 to 15-year-olds from Warkworth, Wellsford and Snells Beach got the chance to experience life on the ocean during the Easter school holidays, when North Rodney Blue Light ran a two-day fishing training programme.
The event was based at Sandspit Marina, where Kawau Volunteer Coastguard and the NZ Police Maritime Unit tied up their vessels, together with staff and teams from Blue Light, Fisheries NZ, Warkworth Gamefish Club and local police.
On the first day, the 12 young people were given presentations on boating and water safety, as well as fishing regulations.
Kawau Coastguard skipper Paul Steinkamp described their role, and showed how safety equipment worked before taking everyone out for a brief boat trip, and the police Maritime Unit gave everyone a talk and a tour of their launch Deodar as well.
Fisheries compliance officer Callum McCosh brought along the Fisheries educational trailer and explained the department’s role and why catch limits and compliance were important.\
The latter part of the first day saw the kids being instructed on rigging rods and learning basic knots in readiness for day two – a fishing trip with five local boaties to put their new-found skills into practice.
Event organiser and Blue Light community youth organiser Shane Gould said they were blessed with good weather all weekend and nearly everyone caught a feed, with plenty of legal snapper and one John Dory.
“The majority of the youth had never had an opportunity to go fishing,” he said. “They enjoyed their experience and the immediate feedback from all those involved was, when can we hold another one?”
The fishing training programme was based on a similar event Gould and his team first arranged at Mangawhai last year.
He said both events took considerable time to organise, as so many busy organisations and individuals were involved, but they had been such a success that others would follow at both venues.
Gould expressed his gratitude to the many people who had made the event possible and contributed to its success and safety, including boat skippers Trevor Bowmar, Robert Jones, Les Marsh, Koen McGee and Stephen Murphy, plus staff and volunteers from Fisheries NZ, Kawau Volunteer Coastguard, NZ Police, NZ Police Maritime Unit, Warkworth Gamefish Club and North Rodney Blue Light.
He also thanked local sponsors CDL, Hunting & Fishing, Sandspit Marina, Sandspit Yacht Club, Savan’s Bakery and Warkworth Community Shop.
