Novice lifeguard gets award for rip drama

Volunteer lifeguard Peter Curry, 14, at Hot Water Beach, where he helped rescue five swimmers last month. Photo / Alan Gibson

Peter Curry, 14, who grew up in foster care, is now an award-winning lifeguard at one of the country's most popular and most dangerous beaches.

Having been qualified only a week, Peter helped rescue a group of five adults from a flash rip at Coromandel's Hot Water Beach last month.

Remembering his training, Peter leapt into action and swam towards one of the men, aged in his 20s, and stopped a short distance from him so he didn't get pulled under himself. He identified himself as a lifeguard and then tossed a rescue tube out to him before pulling him back to shore.

"A rip came out of nowhere," the Year 10 Mercury Bay Area School student told the Herald.

"They were panicking. I had to swim and grab a patient that was

panicking." He and his colleagues were awarded Rescue of the Month from Surf Life Saving Bay of Plenty, which governs the area.

Peter lived with various family members after moving from his parents' home at age 6 until he moved in with Sandy Lowe and Gary Hinds - who have taken up to 60 children into their home in 10 years - in 2007.

"He's planning to stay forever," Ms Lowe said. "He's going to grow old in our house.

He may not have been brought up around praise. He's been what he's always thought he was, an underachiever. When he joined up [to the club], he was like 'Wow, it's about me'."

Peter had spoken only Maori in his whanau homes and had attended total immersion Maori schools, but since moving in with his new family, he is fluent in English.

The practice of saving people is in the family, who live on a farm at Whenuakite, about 6km southwest of Hot Water Beach.

Mr Hinds is the club captain at Hot Water Beach and Ms Lowe is also a lifeguard. A nephew and niece have recently qualified as lifeguards and a teenage girl who boards with the couple is also in the club.