ISSUE
RAISING OF THE FLAGS
The volunteer surf patrol season kicked off on September 24, 2011. The NSW Minister for Sport and Recreation, Graham Annesley, officially raised the first flags of the season at Sydney’s Manly LSC, with the help of a contingent of patrolling members and nippers. Across the state last season, volunteer surf lifesavers performed 7074 rescues, 160,527 preventative actions and 29,822 first aid treatments, watching over more than 8.5 million visitors to NSW beaches.
Upcoming Dates: 13-15 Jan 2012 Stramit Country Championships, South West Rocks 22-23 Jan 2012 Interstate Championships, Queenscliff 28-29 Jan 2012 Coaching the Coast Regional Development Clinic, Tacking Point 2-4 Mar 2012 NSW Allphones Surf Life Saving Age Championships, Kingscliff Beach 8-11 Mar 2012 NSW Allphones Surf Life Saving Masters & Open Championships, Kingscliff Beach 24 Mar – 1 April 2012 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships, Kurrawa, Gold Coast
SURFLIFE
18
SURF LIFE SAVING IN NSW VALUED AT $1.6 BILLION
An independent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers “What is the Economic Contribution of Surf Life Saving in Australia” has estimated that the total economic value of Surf Life Saving NSW’s coastal drowning and injury prevention services in 2009/10 was $1.6 billion a year. This represents close to half of the estimated $3.6 billion contribution from the national Surf Life Saving movement. Key findings in the PwC report include:
• NSW surf lifesavers and SLS lifeguards undertook almost 5,700 rescues of 11,900 undertaken nationally; • NSW beaches had the highest number of patrol hours with 630,000 hours’ coverage;
• It is estimated, in the absence of Surf Life Saving’s water safety services, almost 600 additional people across the country would have lost their lives on our beaches and coastal waterways. The PwC report was welcomed by Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Phil Vanny who said it reflected the enormous contribution of the state’s major water safety and rescue organisation. “The headline findings of this report are a tribute to the skill and dedication of our 73,000 members and the safety culture embedded in 129 Surf Life Saving clubs across NSW,” Mr Vanny said.
• The estimated value of the time donated by Surf Life Saving volunteers in NSW was $21 million;
“Our corporate partners and community and government supporters should be reassured by this report that every dollar invested in Surf Life Saving is a dollar invested in saving lives in the water.”
• The cost-benefit in terms of lives saved and injuries prevented for every dollar invested in Surf Life Saving’s volunteer water safety services nationally is 29.3 to 1;
The PwC report concluded: “The benefits of Surf Life Saving far outweigh the costs, further proving its unique and significant value to the Australian community and economy.”