ENGAGING WITH THE PUBLIC OVER CHRISTMAS IS SO IMPORTANT

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1 Issue 19 - December 2014 ENGAGING WITH THE PUBLIC OVER CHRISTMAS IS SO IMPORTANT Christmas is upon us yet again. It seems to creep up ever so quickly but I think it is such a wonderful time of the year. Traditionally, Christmas is a time for families and friends to come together to celebrate and reflect on the year just gone, to count our blessings and to give thanks for all the good things we enjoy and what lies ahead. Surf Lifesavers are wonderfully generous people so I have no doubt that this Christmas we will all remember to spare a thought for everyone who is doing it tough and lend a hand where we can. We have had some great times and some sombre times so far this season and our thoughts and prayers go out to our members and their families who have lost loved ones. To our members who will be patrolling and making our beaches safe on Christmas Day, foregoing Christmas lunch or dinner, on behalf of the community which we serve, I thank you. Our patrolling lifesavers have been busy with rescues since September. In fact, from the opening day of the season we had a clifftop rescue at Freshwater and we ve have had a number of spinal cases at other beaches. But they ve all had good outcomes, which is testament to our training. The Christmas and New Year period will be even busier when crowds flock to our beaches over the school holidays. It is also a great time to get out from under our tents, engage with the public and share in the spirit of the festive season, as well as sharing some tips on swimming safely at the beach. As our sponsorship with Ausgrid [formerly Energy Australia] comes to an end, I would like to say a big thank you to the company for their involvement in Surf Life Saving over a long period. To our Directors, members of our Boards, Panels, Support Service members and Patrolling members, thank you for all you do. I would also like to thank, on behalf of our membership, the Branch Office staff, for all they do to support our wonderful volunteers. From my family to yours, I wish you a happy, a peaceful and a very safe Christmas. Doug Menzies President Clifftop rescue at Freshwater on the opening day of the season

2 WE SAY FAREWELL TO A LONG-TERM SPONSOR Flashback: Jeff Andrew, Peter Sinclair [former Governor of NSW], Peter King, Peter Sinclair s wife Shirley and Mike Slater at Freshwater Beach for the first Energy Australia-sponsored event. It was back in the season when Energy Australia came on board as a sponsor with Surf Life Saving Sydney Northern Beaches. After 19 years with the Branch this wonderful partnership, unfortunately, comes to an end on December 31. We are gratefully indebted to the electricity company, which had a name change to Ausgrid in March, Jeff Andrew was President of the Branch when Energy Australia joined forces with Surf Life Saving on the northern beaches. Jeff paid a huge compliment to Peter O Dwyer. Peter was the one who was instrumental in arranging the sponsorship with Energy Australia, Jeff recalled. The initial deal was worth $50,000 and it was passed onto the Clubs, Jeff said. The Clubs each received $2000 for patrol signage. The rest of the money, plus some monies added by the Branch, was allocated to the Clubs for prizemoney such as Most Outstanding Club, Handicap March Past, Handicap IRB and Boat Competition. In his financial report that season, Finance Director Bill Goodman [OAM] said: The terms of agreement with this particular sponsorship also covered a marriage whereby the corporate approach from Energy Australia indicated that their proud record of quality and service fitted nicely with Surf Life Saving achievements relative to Surf Life Saving patrols and their members service to the community An extension of the contract enabled an in kind situation which was picked up by Energy Australia to greatly enhance the Branch operations in the following areas - maintenance and storage of carnival gear and equipment, conveying of our gear trailer to carnivals and a surprise packet in terms of assistance with the purchase of an IRB for Branch use, particularly in respect to educational activities, training and carnival operations. In the season, as part of the continuing sponsorship, the Branch operated out of the Energy Australia building in Cromer. In more recent years the company [Ausgrid] has been a great supporter of the community Educational Surf Schools and Special Needs Programs, which reaches more than 16,000 school children each year. Dee Why Surf Club was fortunate to receive a complete retro-fit, which resulted in a big saving in the Club s power bills. And Ausgrid also provided energy audits to the other 20 Clubs to show where they could save on their power bills. It has certainly been a great ride. Thank you Ausgrid and the staff who assisted us throughout the partnership.

3 THE PARTNERSHIP COVERED A PERIOD OF 19 YEARS

4 THE BEACH CLUB PROVIDES TWO NEW TENTS The Beach Club Collaroy has been a great supporter of Surf Life Saving on the Sydney Northern Beaches for more than 50 years and their support to the Branch continues. When it comes to allocating grants, Club General Manager Robert McConnell admits that Collaroy Surf Club and Sydney Northern Beaches Branch are the top priorities. Through our Club grants program, we had about 60 applications this year. When we look at those applications we look at who is giving back to our local community, Robert said. Collaroy Surf Club and the Branch get first preference when we think about those monies because they are keeping young kids fit and healthy around the district. That s our view from the Club and the Board s perspective. The Club has provided electronic timing gates, the maintenance of those gates and two trailers to the Branch in previous years and, this season, has given two new tents to SNB Branch. The [yellow] tents are fantastic and so visible on the beach, says Rob. They are very well presented, incredibly professional and a tribute to the guys getting them together so they can run their carnivals better. Apart from supplying the tents, the Club pays for the upgrade of the timing gates. They have been a fantastic innovation for beach sprints, said Rob. Above: Robert McConnell with SNB CEO Steve McInnes and The Beach Club President Peter McCulloch. Below: Robert [left] and Peter with one of the trailers the Club sponsor. It enables all the young people to check how fast they are on the beach and the professional runners like them. They use them to keep fit during the summer to see how fast they are running on the soft sand. And the gates get plenty of use as they travel the country. Surf Life Saving Sydney Northern Beaches CEO Steve McInnes says: It means so much to the Branch to have The Beach Club Collaroy supporting us. Their contribution over the years has just been magnificent. BOATS INVASION As the sun rises in Gallipoli on Anzac Day next year, 100 surfboats crewed by Australian, Turkish and New Zealanders will land on Collaroy Beach. It [April 25, 2015] will mark the passing of 100 years since the non-legendary landing of the Anzac forces on the beaches of Gallipoli.

5 ANDY REALLY IS A MAN OF MANY TALENTS Andy Cross could easily be called a Jack of all trades. He s competent with many skills and definitely outstanding in one area volunteering. Needless to say, the South Narrabeen Surf Club Chief Instructor received one of his greatest accolades on October 25 when he was named Volunteer of the Year at Surf Life Saving Australia s Awards of Excellence. Definitely one of the best awards I have ever received, said Andy. But I have to be honest. I genuinely didn t give myself a chance because the quality of the other finalists was so good. I am so humbled. Prior to the big Awards Night in Sydney, Andy was on the Gold Coast, representing SLS at the 23rd IAVE [International Association of Volunteer Efforts] World Volunteer Conference. There he got the chance to speak to Dr Lee, the President of IAVE. In November, Andy and Greg Punch {Dee Why] talked to more than 1700 kids in the Riverina area as part of the SLSNSW Beach to Bush Program. But Andy s biggest project this year has been surfing at each of the 129 Surf Clubs in NSW and also promoting the Gold Medallion Award. He is on the home stretch. At the time of going to press, Andy is surfing Andy the surfer, musician and SLSA award winner the northern beaches and is very close to completing his mission. After going to the two affiliations [Wet n Wild and Bawley Point Nippers], Andy will wrap it all up at South Narrabeen on December 27. There will be a big celebration, Andy says. Andy can then really let his hair down and go to town with his Bush Band the Ducks of Justice. He s got a trip to Tamworth coming up next month where the band will play at the Country Music Festival.

6 NIPPERS PARADE AND EARN MONEY FOR THEIR CLUBS Six Sydney Northern Beaches Clubs benefitted from an early Christmas present and have their Nippers to thank. As part of a Santa promotion with Westfield Warringah Mall, Nipper March Past teams from North Steyne, Queenscliff, North Curl Curl, Dee Why, Narrabeen Beach and Warriewood paraded through the Warringah Mall on November 8. They earned their respective Clubs $500 each. Also on the day, Westfield Warringah Mall Regional Manager Scott Moore handed over a cheque for $16,500 to Sydney Northern Beaches Branch. Westfield supply the shirts worn by our Surf Sports Officials and also sponsor the Junior Branch Championships, which will be held at Palm Beach this season. The volunteer lifesavers do such an important job in keeping people safe on our beautiful beaches and contribute much to the community through the Junior Lifesaving Movement and Westfield Warringah Mall is proud to support a deserving community group, said Mr. Moore. Tracey Hare-Boyd, Director of Youth and Membership Development for SNB Branch, said the occasion was a huge success and praised the 72 Nippers who marched. They should be congratulated, not only the way they marched in such a big venue but their behaviour was exemplary and they were very courteous to everyone who gave them instructions before and during the event, Tracey said. People commented on how colourful and professional the procession of marchers looked. A big thanks also to Warren Hannam from Dee Why SLSC. He drove Santa in the ATV and got him safely to his destination. Cath Ryan, the manager of the North Curl Curl March Past team, hopes the Clubs are asked to march again next year. Our Nippers really enjoyed it and were really proud to represent our Club, Cath said. It s always good to promote a healthy sport which trains its younger members to give back to their community in future years.

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8 MELBOURNE CUP 2014 AT FRESHWATER SLSC Barefoot Wine representatives; Phil, Adrienne and David Barefoot Wine tasting marquee overlooking Freshwater Beach Christine Bray from Pinnaroo Wines with SNB s Rob Berry Rob and Gemma McFadden from Hypotheque Mortgage Broking The Melbourne Cup function at Freshwater Surf Club on November 4 was another big success in helping to raise funds for our Rescue Services equipment. But the day could not be possible without the support of those who attended the function and had a great day out enjoying the delectable food from Catering by Design and wines from Barefoot and Pinnaroo. A special thank you to our many supporters for your generosity. Sponsors are so important to our Surf Life Saving organisation. And, without your support, an occasion like this would not be possible. Pinnaroo Wines Barefoot Wines Thredbo Eldridge Productions TLC Sanctuary Vicki Huston Photography Aria Cars Hypotheque Juniper Sydney Woodworkers Keysun BodyShape Blackmores The Boathouse Jerome and The Snake Colette Hayman Howards Storage Ecodownunder Benjafield and Associates Mercure Kooindah Waters Naked Wines Furnish and Finish Unilever Lizotte s Sydney, Catering By Despign, Hugo s Manly Poster Candy Naoki Hair and Beauty Naomi Hamilton Photography. Sydney Digital Print Services Liv Natural Arbonne Mumm Bunnings Narrabeen

9 THANKS TO SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS Sensational food by Catering by Design and served by the Surf Life Saving School staff.

10 OUR LIFE MEMBERS HAVE PLENTY TO CHAT ABOUT BILL S AMAZING RECORD Little wonder Collaroy Surf Life Saving Club honoured Bill Goodman [OAM] for his magnificent service to the Club. Now, this is not a misprint. Bill served as Club treasurer for 60 years. How fitting it was that the SNB Branch Life Membership luncheon was held in The Goodman Lounge at Collaroy Surf Club on December 4. Bill took on the position of treasurer in 1943 and finished in Ï think that s probably a record, 60 years, he says. In his youth Bill was a beach sprinter. Ï loved to race in the beach relays for the Club, he said. Didn t win any medals no such luck. He has seen a lot of changes in Surf Life Saving since he first joined his beloved Collaroy in We don t use the reel, line and belt for rescues anymore, now that we ve got the IRB s, he said. I guess of all the changes I ve seen over the years, the most important thing has been the introduction of more modern rescue equipment. Bill remembers when Collaroy Surf Club used to be a single storey building. The main rebuilding took place between 1954 and 56 and we ve had the hall ever since, he said. Bill received his SNB Life Membership in He is now 88 and still going strong. Well, I am still around, he chuckles. THIS FRIENDSHIP SPANS 67 YEARS Lindsay Paton [OAM} and Ken Leonard have been friends for 67 years. They first met back in 1947 when they joined Mona Vale Surf Club. Lindsay [right] remained a one Club man but Ken [left] was roped into moving to Narrabeen Beach when his son joined there. Lindsay has received many honours throughout his career in Surf Life Saving and, apart from Sydney Northern Beaches Branch, holds Life Memberships with Mona Vale Surf Club, SLSNSW, SLSA, received an OAM and also received an Australian Sports Medal. Lindsay was part of the formation committee of the Sydney Northern Beaches Branch. He received Life Membership of the Branch 40 years ago. Lindsay was heavily involved in R and R. I originally joined the Board {Branch] to try and get a coach for the Mona Vale R & R team but the team folded and I was left in the Branch, he said. Then I followed R and R right up to my time [ending]. I was secretary of the NSW Rescue and Resuscitation panel or co-ordinator as they used to call it. I ran the seminars. Lindsay s other love was refereeing rugby. I officially refereed 540 games and then you could add another 100 for school matches, he said. Dick Byers [former Rugby international referee] used to call me a paddock referee. But it gave me great enjoyment.

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