Top Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox got a first-hand example of how vital his support is for his adopted Waihī Beach community at the weekend.

As the world No 38 launched his sixth annual The Fox fishing and golf tournament in the Bay of Plenty town on Saturday night, metres away, veteran Waihī Beach lifeguard Christiaan Maarhuis was saving a young girl’s life while out training in the surf.

Maarhuis was heading out for a ski paddle at around 6.45pm when he noticed two young swimmers struggling and being pulled out to sea in the half-metre swells, with the leash of a bodyboard wrapped around the young girl’s neck, while her older brother tried to help.

Maarhuis immediately swam over to the siblings, held the panicked young girl afloat, and removed the leash from her neck.

While Maarhuis assisted the girl through the waves on her board and back into the beach, an ex-Karioitahi lifeguard swam out with fins to help her brother in.

“It was a very close call for both of those kids,” Maarhuis said, after reuniting both children with their anxious mum.

“They got dragged out very quickly and were in pretty serious trouble by the time I got to them.”

Fox was on hand to congratulate Maarhuis soon afterwards, with the Waihī Beach Surf Lifesaving Club one of two big local beneficiaries of the annual tournament.

Over the past five years, he’s helped raise more than $200,000 for the surf club and the Waihī Beach Coastguard.

“Two kids get to spend a safe Christmas with their families because of the efforts of the lifeguards and it just really brought it home to all our tournament participants what an incredible job these two organisations do,” Fox said.

“It’s such a privilege to be able to support them and to be able to see first-hand what an impact they make in our community.”

The Waihī Beach Surf Lifesaving Club has used the funds to help support an after-hours call-out squad – which Maarhuis is involved in – while the Coastguard recently launched Gallagher Rescue, a specialist 10m Fantom RV1000 boat, with proceeds from The Fox playing a significant role in funding it.

– Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media Services