Australian Lifeguard Service rescue hero Maurice Wallis recounts ‘life or death’ encounters on Mid-North Coast NSW

With his tattoos and mullet in dreadlocks, Mo Wallis may not be your usual “clubby” surf life saver – but he’s gained a reputation for heroic off-duty rescues at a deceptively dangerous Mid-North Coast beach.

Australian Lifeguard Service lifeguard Maurice Wallis at South West Rocks.

With his tattoos and mullet in dreadlocks, Maurice ‘Mo’ Wallis is perhaps not your usual surf lifesaver – but he has gained a reputation for heroic off-duty rescues at a deceptively dangerous Mid-North Coast beach.

The Australian Lifeguard Service employee, who scooped two children and a man to safety in a recent rescue, did not come up through the surf club ranks.

Mr Wallis, 40, said he has been a bodyboarder “all my life”. While he hasn’t got the “clubby” look you might expect, his passion and dedication is palpable when describing his rescues.

“Those times can be very emotionally charged – close to life or death – but so rewarding,” he said.

“I never thought I’d be able to find that in a career.”

Mr Wallis works at Kempsey Shire Beaches during holiday seasons, including Crescent Head and at South West Rocks, where one of his off-duty rescues took place.

Horseshoe Bay Beach at South West Rocks. Picture: Kempsey Shire Council.

The town’s popular Horseshoe Bay Beach, in front of Horseshoe Bay Holiday Park, can be deceptively treacherous.

“Well it’s called a bay for a start, but it can be very dangerous,” Mr Wallis said.

He went to the beach for a surf with mate and fellow lifeguard Jonny Vandermays about 8.30am on Sunday, before his 10am shift – and was immediately alarmed.

Lifeguards closed the day prior and the “large swell and angry ocean” was back.

“I was pretty shocked at the amount of people in the water, and there were far too many children,” Mr Wallis said.

“I thought ‘oh wow, this is really dangerous’ and just as I was about to say ‘we need to close the beach straight away’, I saw a man and two children in trouble.”

Son Zeke, Mo Wallis, his proud mum Diana Clark and fellow lifeguard Jonny Vandermays at South West Rocks.

Mr Vandermays raced to unlock a shed to access rescue equipment, while Mr Wallis ran down to the shore.

He noticed a father and two kids struggling near a rip and another man attempting to rescue them. Mr Wallis stripped down to his undies and jumped straight in.

By the time Mr Wallis made it to the children, their dad had been washed up on the rocks, while the other man who had tried to help was also in trouble.

“His face was white and his mouth was almost bigger than his head and he was gasping for breath – he didn’t have too much left in the tank,” Mr Wallis said.

Maurice Wallis and pal Archie on patrol.

The lifeguard was able to pull the kids back to shore and he then returned to the surf to save the would-be saviour battling for air.

“The kids were scared and there was a lot of screaming going on with the mum yelling from the beach,” Mr Wallis said.

“There was a lot of panic – panic is so infectious.”

With the boys estimated to be aged about eight and 12 back on dry land and the family reunited, Mr Wallis said they “took off pretty quickly”.

“They were probably embarrassed – it happens quite a lot,” he said.

Like many lucky enough to call South West Rocks home, Mr Wallis holidayed there as a child. Three years ago, he moved from Melbourne permanently.

The community has applauded Mr Wallis’ brave rescue efforts – often in collaboration with Mr Vandermays – and some have dubbed the duo the “dreadlock soldiers”.

Maurice Wallis South West Rocks lifesaver.

“Those two dreadlock soldiers are next level lifeys. They are all over that beach like a rash on a day they knew would be dangerous,” Dan Hay exclaimed on social media after Sunday’s rescue

“They were down there in their own time, before 10am, keeping an eye out,”

Mr Wallis also recounted another recent off-duty rescue at the same location. A man almost twice his size had been swept out of the bay and down the beach.

Mr Wallis was out on the water with his bodyboard and flippers when a woman yelled that her husband was in trouble.

Without hesitation, Mr Wallis paddled out and retrieved the man, who he estimated to be more than six foot (182cm) tall and weighing about 120 kilograms, who was close to losing consciousness.

“I just gave him my board, which allowed him to regain his breathing, and paddled him in – there was no way I could have got him in through the surf if he was unconscious,” Mr Wallis said.

“Seeing his wife and daughter run up the beach and hug him still moves me to this day.”

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