Dougal joined Taylors Mistake in 1977 along with close friend Hamish Buchanan and competed in R&R, board, canoe and ski. Later he became involved in IRB. Although successful in surf competition, his largest contribution to surf was in patrolling.
For many years he was a member of the Canterbury Association patrol committee and a number of years as the convenor.
At club level, he carried out many additional hours patrolling each season and constantly worked to improve patrol operations. He attended many workshops and became involved in national committees for IRB. Dougal also has a passion for photography and was a photographer at many NZ surf nationals. Dougal’s contribution to Taylors Mistake in patrolling and IRBs and NZ Surf through his district and national contributions as both paid and volunteer member of these organisations has been significant. Dougal continues his involvement with the club, often helping with IRBs and being “Master of Ceremonies” at events.