BEQUEST PROGRAMME

We invite you, through the Piha Surf Life Saving Club Trust Fund Inc, to make a bequest to Piha Surf Life Saving Club Inc and in doing so invest in the future of our youth and community.

Your bequest will contribute to:

• Investing in world-class surf lifesaving facilities and equipment
• Preparing our young people to be valued citizens of our community and able to embrace life’s many challenges
• Contributing to an organisation that gives its members a real sense of community service

The Piha Surf Life Saving Club Inc (Piha SLSC) was established in 1934 and was the first surf lifesaving club to be formed on the challenging West Coast of Auckland. For 85 years Piha SLSC has been at the leading edge of innovation and development of surf lifesaving techniques in New Zealand and has established a culture of strength and courage in the tough surf conditions that prevail on the beach. The club has a long and distinguished history of patrolling Piha Beach during which time there has never been a drowning in the patrolled areas whilst members were on duty. The club performs a crucial volunteer service and in a typical year protects over 250,000 beach goers and may perform up to 150 lifesaving rescues. Surf lifesaving is largely voluntary in New Zealand receiving very little funding support; consequently there is a heavy reliance on sponsorship and community donations and the goodwill and sense of community of its membership.

The Piha Surf Life Saving Club Trust Fund Inc (Trust) was formed in 1991 following interest from a number of supporters who wished to make bequests to the club and is a registered charity with the Charities Commission. Indications were that such bequests should not be used for day to day running of the club, but rather accumulated for major projects or the introduction of new capital intensive surf lifesaving equipment and in the longer term as the Trust’s funds grew, the investment income could be used to support club activities. Over the intervening years a number of bequests were received and carefully invested by the Trustees. In the mid 1990’s the Trust made a grant of $250,000 to the Piha SLSC as ‘seed funding’ for the Club’s most ambitious project – rebuilding of the club house, patrol tower and lifesaving facilities. Since then a number of grants have been made for major maintenance projects which would not have been possible without the Trust’s involvement.

If you are interested in leaving a bequest, the General Manager would be happy to discuss this with you. You can contact the GM by writing to Piha SLSC, PO Box 54 Piha, Auckland 0772; phone 09 812 8896 or email gm@pihaslsc.com.