The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) will lower its flag at its Volunteer Support Centre in Milnerton, Cape Town, to half-mast on Monday, 15 June 2026. The tribute honours Bill Ewen and Frank Petsch of Marine Rescue NSW, Australia, who lost their lives on 4 May 2026. The two men were responding to a distress call from a stricken yacht near the South Ballina breakwall in New South Wales (NSW) when their vessel capsized.
Monday, 15 June, is the day of Bill Ewen’s funeral. A number of NSRI rescue stations across South Africa will join the tribute by lowering the NSRI flag on the day.
Bill Ewen, 78, and Frank Petsch, 62, were among six Marine Rescue NSW volunteers who launched in dangerous conditions to assist a yacht in distress. Their vessel capsized crossing the Ballina Bar in heavy seas. Four of their crew survived.
The tribute follows a call to action from the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF), which has invited maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) organisations worldwide to honour Bill and Frank’s memory by lowering flags to half-mast on the day of Bill’s funeral. The IMRF represents more than 130 maritime rescue organisations globally, and the NSRI is among its members.
“The passing of Bill and Frank is a profound loss to their families and loved ones, their Marine Rescue Ballina colleagues, and the global SAR community,” NSRI CEO Mike Vonk said. “They answered the call to help a stranger, and they gave everything. We lower our flag in their honour.”
While the tribute is for Bill and Frank, the NSRI has also used the moment to recognise the courage and sacrifice of its own volunteer crews, and those of rescue organisations across South Africa.
“Our volunteers give up enormous amounts of time away from their families and loved ones to train, maintain their equipment, and be ready when people they have never met need them most,” Vonk said. “This tribute is for Bill and Frank, but it is also for every NSRI volunteer, and every South African rescue volunteer, who puts others before themselves. We are deeply grateful to them and to their families.”
