17/12/2025
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When Schalk Boonzaaier was four years old, his life’s path revealed itself in the most unexpected way.
Growing up in Kleinmond, he spent his days playing near the mountain behind his home. One afternoon, while he was in the garden with a replica of a yellow B105 police helicopter, a real one appeared above him.
His uncle, a police officer, had arrived by helicopter with well-known pilot Willem Hendrik “Bees” Marais. For a little boy holding a toy version of the same machine, the moment was magical. He told his mother, “The little one called the big one.” That innocent declaration marked the start of a lifelong dream.
Still, for many years, Schalk assumed flying was out of reach. “You’re not born into an aviation family,” he used to tell himself. “You need to be super clever.” It wasn’t until he was 23 that the dream resurfaced. He took an introductory flight, and the feeling was immediate — this was what he wanted to do. He began his training soon after and, five years later, earned his commercial licence in 2012.
Even then, Schalk knew he wanted his flying to have a purpose. “Whether it’s sea rescue or helicopter rescue, it’s all about wanting to help other people,” he says. That same instinct led him to volunteer for the NSRI several years later.
In 2017, a series of drownings along the Kleinmond coastline hit close to home. Schalk and a few friends, all with lifesaving experience from their school days, decided they wanted to be able to respond if something happened again.
They reached out to Deon Langenhoven at NSRI Hermanus for advice. Instead of simply offering equipment, Deon made a bigger suggestion: why not start a station in Kleinmond? Schalk agreed to lead the effort, and in 2018, NSRI Kleinmond was born.
Volunteering quickly became a defining part of his life. It taught him compassion, discipline, and humility – qualities that shaped both his character and his flying career. “It makes you realise that none of us are exempt from accidents,” he says. After suffering a kitesurfing injury himself earlier this year, he found himself on the receiving end of rescue efforts. “It reminded me again how important it is to be compassionate.”
One rescue, in particular, still stays with him. A father and young son had been washed off the rocks in Betty’s Bay while collecting mussels. When Schalk and his team reached them, both were hypothermic, barely keeping afloat. “The dad just kept trying to hold his son up,” Schalk remembers. “Seeing them reunited with their family afterwards, seeing those tears of relief. That’s why we do this.”
In 2025, after nearly two decades of dedication, Schalk achieved another dream: joining Air Mercy Service as a helicopter pilot. The journey had been long and demanding, but for him, that made the moment all the more meaningful.
“I joke now and say it only took me 17 years to get here,” he laughs, “but that’s the reality of these things. It takes time. You have to go through all the steps before you get to that goal.”
At AMS, his days begin early with pre-flight checks and crew briefings. Most days involve transferring patients between hospitals, but calls can come at any time – from mountain rescues to sea or road accidents. Each mission is a reminder of why he chose this path. “You can train for weeks without a call,” he says, “and then one rescue comes in, and you remember exactly why you do it.”
Through it all, faith and family have been his foundation. Schalk describes praying many nights about the opportunity to join AMS, and when the timing finally aligned years later, he saw it as part of a larger plan.
“It just shows you there’s not always an immediate answer,” he says. “For God, there’s always a bigger plan.”
His wife and children, along with supportive parents, have stood beside him through long hours, late calls, and new challenges. “When we started the base in Kleinmond, our first child had just been born,” he says. “Without my family’s support, none of this would have been possible.”
Looking back, Schalk’s philosophy is simple: balance, gratitude, and belief. He tells his NSRI crew to always put family first, because “if you give too much of yourself, it’s not sustainable.” And when it comes to chasing dreams, he lives by a message that’s been on his desk since the day his mother gave it to him: “Believe in yourself. You are your greatest asset.”
“If you don’t believe in yourself,” he says, “nobody else will. And if you’ve got that and God’s help, you can chase any dream you want.”
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