Surf LIFE
ISSUE 54 – April 2023
PINK PATROL CELEBRATES
Women In Surf Life Saving
In recognition of International Women’s Day on Wednesday 8 March, Bondi SBLSC once again held its ‘Pink Patrol’ – a celebration of women in Surf Life Saving and a workshop for networking, confidence building and inclusivity.
More than 80 women from nearly 20 clubs across the state, and even a visitor from across the Nullarbor in Perth, took part in the patrol as each participant had the opportunity to rotate through eight stations around the beach, learning new skills to help them become better lifesavers.
“The value is that it builds confidence in a safe environment, opens pathways to join forces with other women that have different strengths in their space to yourself,” Bondi SBLSC’s Nixy Krite said.
“Having a really fun experience on a beach, celebrating women
for International Women’s Day, embracing equality, inclusion and diversity. It was just a super successful and fun day.”
Nixy said the participants felt that they gained a great deal from the day and would happily engage in programs like it in the future.
“You look at the photos, everyone is smiling all the time – it was just a great experience, it felt comfortable,” she said.
“The girls got to learn about the Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the Inflatable Rescue Boats (IRBs), the
jet skis, and we built on everyone’s confidence and showed them the pathways within the movement.
“A lot of the ladies commented on the networking, friendships and confidence that they took away.”
Participating clubs included Bondi SBLSC, Torquay SLSC, Coogee SLSC, Tamarama SLSC, Bronte SLSC, Thirroul SLSC, Coledale SLSC, Cooks Hill SLSC, North Bondi SLSC, South Maroubra SLSC, Manly LSC, Salt SLSC, Cronulla SLSC, Birubi Point SLSC, Shoalhaven Heads SLSC, Elouera SLSC, and Garie SLSC.
New Junior Lifesaver of the Year
FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
Nearly 60 of the state’s brightest young lifesavers will come together on the Northern Beaches in April for the Ingenia Holiday Parks Junior Lifesaver of the Year (JLOTY) Program and the Youth Opportunity Makers (YOM) Workshop – two of Surf Life Saving NSW’s flagship youth development programs.
The 2022 cohort
Held from 11-13 April at The Collaroy Centre, the programs assist young lifesavers to grow networks, establishing lasting connections and building knowledge through fun and interactive activities.
The JLOTY Program brings together all 22 of the Junior Lifesavers of the Year, nominated by the 11 Branches. At the end of the program, the overall NSW Junior Lifesavers of the Year (male and female) will be awarded.
Collectively, the group will further develop their skills by working with like-minded young members and the program aims to build a greater awareness of opportunities and individual abilities in the membership.
INGENIA HOLIDAY PARKS JUNIOR LIFESAVER OF THE YEAR PARTICIPANTS:
Zoe Hope – Far North Coast
Lachlan Thomas – Far North Coast
Ned O’Donnell – North Coast
Lillian Lougher – North Coast
Gabby Turner – Mid North Coast
Jack McGrath – Mid North Coast
Jack Drury – Lower North Coast
Lucy Miller – Lower North Coast
Kaylah Broadhead – Hunter
Gabe Widseth – Hunter
Rebecca Lawer – Central Coast
Samuel Terry – Central Coast
Chanelle Humel – Sydney Northern Beaches
Ewan Humphreys – Sydney Northern Beaches
Sophia Garvin – Sydney
Calum Reiter – Sydney
Darcy Weber – Illawarra
Nate Jennett – Illawarra
Isabelle Hourigan – South Coast
Cameron Campbell – South Coast
Luke Drewsen – Far South Coast
Rosie McPartland – Far South Coast
“I always wanted to be part of surf lifesaving when I’m older and going through things like this program has been a dream to me,” 2022 co-Junior Lifesaver of the Year, Jayden Matthews of Lennox Head-Alstonville SLSC said.
“It’s given us the tools to show the next generation how they can be involved on so many different levels of lifesaving and build confidence in your ability and those around you,” fellow winner, Briella Gyler-Dial of Caves Beach SLSC said.
Ingenia Holiday Parks is once again on board as Naming Rights partner of the JLOTY Program, with General Manager of Tourism, Matt Young stating the East Coast holiday park operator was
proud to be supporting our future leaders.
“We are extremely proud to support the Junior Lifesaver of the Year program again in its 33rd year and recognise the next generation of volunteer lifesavers and lifeguards,” he said.
“We love to see these kids keeping our beaches and communities safe –especially as so many of our holiday park guests go swimming at the beach.
“These kids make Australia a better place, and we are grateful.”
The Junior Lifesavers of the Year will be awarded at a presentation on 13 April.
Rockfishing Safety Program Continues to Educate
Surf Life Saving NSW’s innovative rock fishing safety program, ‘Gone Fishing’, has continued in earnest in 2023, with four programs so far at Sydney’s Little Bay and Kurnell, on the Northern Beaches at Dee Why, and in Lake Macquarie at Catherine Hill Bay.
Participants learn vital skills to stay safe and take home a free, properly fitted lifejacket. SLSNSW has now successfully delivered seven such programs, with a further three currently slated for the coming months.
At Little Bay specifically, the program was strategically held in the Randwick City Council area which has some of
the most notorious rock fishing spots in the state and has been the scene of many drownings over the years. Randwick was the first council to adopt legislation mandating that all rock fishers wear a lifejacket.
In NSW from July 2021 to June 2022, 12 people lost their lives while rock
fishing. So far this summer there has been two rock fishing related drownings in NSW.
Minister for Emergency Services, Steph Cooke, attended the Little Bay workshop and congratulated the participants for putting safety first in this often dangerous pastime. The NSW Government, through the Department of Primary Industries, is a supporter of the program.
“This is a really important workshop. We have seen too many people lose their lives, in what is otherwise a wonderful activity. Thank you to everyone who has given up your time to better understand what you can do to keep yourselves and your family
safe. Evidence does say that wearing a lifejacket will in fact save your life if you find yourself in difficulty,” said Minister Cooke.
Amna Awan from Pakistan heard about the workshop on social media and was keen to learn more about a new sport and how to stay safe.
“In Pakistan, we don’t have a lot of coastline there, so coming to Australia six months ago, I’ve seen a lot of people fishing and I wanted to learn more, as safety is the first thing that comes to mind when you start a new hobby. It was a very informative session and I learned a lot and I’m looking forward to starting rockfishing,” she said.
The session on lifejacket fitting was of particular interest to Amna.
“I used to think you put your lifejacket on, you’re safe, but you’re not, you need to have the right fitting,” she said.
Jingchen Liu from Chatswood said he loves to rock fish, spending time near the water and listening to the waves.
“I’ve learned quite a lot about rockfishing today. I’m using an
inflatable lifejacket, so today I understand that these manual ones can be hard to inflate, and it’s better to use another type of jacket in case you go unconscious,” he said.
“I will definitely recommend this program to friends, I will share within my community the information we’ve learnt today. Always check the weather, how big are the waves how big is the swell. You don’t go to somewhere you’ve never been to before and never fish alone, very dangerous.”
Another young participant, Minh Nguyen, said he enjoyed rockfishing with mates and was hoping to learn more about how to gauge conditions on the water.
“I’ve just started out rockfishing and heard a few stories from people about bad things that have happened to them. I want to know how do I stay safe when undertaking this activity,” he said.
Workshop sessions include the reviewing and wearing of correct
lifejackets, safe and unsafe clothes and footwear, what to wear in different conditions, what to pack when rock fishing and expert fishing tips.
In the afternoon participants engage in a practical session to learn about the specific hazards and unsafe fishing locations in their area.
SLSNSW President, George Shales, said the day aims to equip rock fishers with the tools to safely visit the coastline and then return home to their families.
“Many people think Surf Life Saving is about volunteers on the beach and swimming between the red and yellow flags, but our educational reach extends so much further,” he said.
“We’re excited to continue delivering these workshops, which we hope will have a positive impact on atrisk communities and our coastal drowning toll.”
15 April | BALLINA
29 April | PORT STEPHENS
13 May | KIAMA
Tide Turns At Cape Hawke As Warilla Wins Country Surf Title
A changing of the guard occurred at One Mile Beach as Warilla-Barrack Point SLSC overturned nearly six years of Cudgen Headland SLSC dominance to win the 2023 Oakberry Acai NSW Country Championships.
The South Coast club has had its eyes on the title for several years, steadily building a team to succeed. Last year they fell agonisingly short of a momentous victory, finishing five points shy of Cudgen’s overall score. That result would prove the fuel to the fire in taking that final step, and on Sunday afternoon at Cape Hawke SLSC, all the training and preparation bore fruit.
There was very little to separate the two clubs once again this year, and three highly competitive days of racing arguably came down to the final event on the final day.
Warilla would earn a one-three in the Open Mixed Taplin, with Cudgen splitting them for second place, in the most dramatic circumstances, as Bailey Krstevski caught a final wave all the way into shore, separating him from the chasing pack.
It felt like the entire Warilla travelling team surrounded Bailey and improvised a de facto guard of honour as he charged up the beach, revving up the crowd before crossing the line with a beaming grin.
“I had Cudgen on my toes there for a long time,” Bailey said after the race.
“I knew I had to be on that wave, and it carried me the whole way in.
“It was amazing seeing everyone there, it was a spectacular feeling. I had to tone it down when I got past the finish line to be respectful, so I just sat down in the sand.”
Across the weekend the two clubs battled it out in just about every event, but they weren’t the only ones caught in a ding dong battle across the weekend – Port Macquarie SLSC managed to hold on against a fastfinishing Byron Bay SLSC team to claim the final place on the podium. Moving down the leader board, Yamba SLSC held off Lennox HeadAlstonville SLSC to finish nestled inside the top five, Woolgoolga SLSC outmuscled Mollymook SLSC for seventh, and Black Head SLSC leapfrogged Sawtell SLSC as the two rounded out the top 10.
“We have put in a massive effort,” Warilla’s Nicole Sims said.
“The whole club was spearheaded towards this weekend. We have been aiming for this and the fact that we could finish the day with a win in the Taplin and then points total just topped it off.
“I know there’s two in the juniors who had no idea what country surf titles was and signed up and travelled up here. When they got here, they thought it was going to be a little local carnival. We had so many people willing to put in for us.”
❱❱ SEE FULL RESULTS
THAT’S A WRAP!
State Champs 2023 a Roaring Success
Sydney’s Northern Beaches put on a show over 12 action-packed days of competition as the 2023 NSW Surf Life Saving Championships, proudly supported by Your local club, was run and won.
The numbers behind the showpiece event are fascinating; more than 20,000 competitors, spectators and officials spread across three clubs and two beaches – Freshwater SLSC, Queenscliff SLSC and North Steyne SLSC – over three weekends, making it the largest community sport carnival in the state.
It was the 73rd NSW Surf Life Saving Championships, with the first held at North Wollongong Beach in March 1950. The first iteration of the event included events such as the Pillow Fight, won by the then Swansea-Caves SLSC, and the Chariot Race which was claimed by Cronulla SLSC.
While neither of those events ran along Manly and Queenscliff Beach this year, competitors aged 8 to 70-plus marshalled for the swim, ski, board and ironperson racing, through to beach
sprints, flags, relays and surfboats. Other events included the Champion Lifesaver, first aid and rescue/ resuscitation competition and of course the colourful and spectacular club March Past.
Newport SLSC was too strong again in the Open Championships, claiming a ninth title, while North Bondi SLSC flexed its muscles and emerged as winners of the Age and Masters Championships.
The event delivers an enormous economic boost to the host region every year, in the order of $10 million.
“The NSW Surf Life Saving Championships is a great opportunity to celebrate volunteer surf lifesavers and the fantastic work that they do,” said ClubsNSW Chairman, George Peponis OAM.
“The State Championships is our showpiece event, our opportunity to bring everyone together from up and down the NSW coastline doing the things we love,” added SLSNSW Director of Surf Sports, Don van Keimpema.
“The State Championships is our showpiece event, our opportunity to bring everyone together from up and down the NSW coastline doing the things we love.”
❱❱ WATCH HERE
up on all the action in our Event Recaps or Age and
Livestreams on our Youtube Channel
Catch
Open
Summer Stats Show Lifesavers Importance
Between 1 December and 28 February, lifesavers were responsible for 2,941 rescues across NSW. To put this number into context, for the entire financial year July 1 2021 to June 30 2022, inclusive, 4,257 total rescues were made.
It’s a volume that highlights the dedication and ability of Surf Life Saving NSW members, and illustrates just how busy the summer has proved to be.
Sydney Branch proved the busiest over the period, with 920 rescues performed since summer began.
Central Coast Branch also saw significant numbers of holiday makers enjoying the coastline and made 535 rescues over the three-month period.
RESCUES BY BRANCH
FNC – 157
NC – 32
MNC – 78
LNC – 43
HUN – 94
CC – 535
SNB – 429
SYD – 920
ILL – 335
SC – 156
FSC – 162
The Emergency Response Beacons placed at more than 20 locations along the coast have also been well utilised, with 25 activations leading to six significant rescues, preventing two near drownings, and providing multiple welfare checks to areas of concern.
SLSNSW President, George Shales OAM said he is constantly blown away by the dedication of the organisation’s volunteer membership.
“I am very proud of each and every one of our more than 76,000 members statewide for their actions during the summer,” he said.
“Every volunteer has a role to play in the lifesaving activity our organisation plays. What we’ve seen over this summer is record numbers of rescues, which in turn is a result of great determination, dedication and a true reflection of how our movement makes a telling impact.”
Sadly, and despite the best efforts of lifesavers across the state, 28 people drowned between 1 December and 28 February, all at unpatrolled locations.
A record number of rescues on our beaches reaffirmed the value of the movement as it continues to produce highly skilled volunteers to patrol our coastline.
RECENT VIDEO Highlights
Women in Powercraft - ALBERT Program
50 of our best and brightest women in lifesaving went through the ALBERT Program in March - drill-based activities, dedicated coaching and scenario-based training to enhance their skills and experience.
Australian Surf Lifesaving INTERSTATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The NSW Surf Life Saving team took out the Interstate Championships for the fourth time in a row in January, showing that there is still great depth of talent among surf competitors in NSW.
NSW Flood Emergency ONE YEAR ON
In March, it had been 12 months since the devastating NSW floods began, hitting the Northern Rivers first. Almost 800 surf lifesavers from 102 clubs contributed close to 3000 days of assistance, even when their own homes were at risk or had been flooded.
Make your next team building day really count
Book your next team building session with Team Building With Purpose to take on the ‘Corporate Lifesaving Challenge’ and you’ll be helping to save lives with 50% of the net profit going to Surf Life Saving NSW.
This Lifesaving themed session is fun, interactive and will challenge your team to draw parallels to their work environment, explore new ideas, different roles in a team and consider ways to improve the workplace.
Is your team up for the challenge?
To find out more or to book your session today, scan the QR code. Alternatively, call Team Building With Purpose on 02 9158 9600.
