It s great to see the red and yellow uniforms of our ICMS CHANGE ON PATROL TENTS. Issue 33 - October

Issue 33 - October 2018 Whale Beach SLSC Patrol Captains on duty for the start of the new season and the new ICMS logo on the patrol tent. ICMS CHANGE ON PATROL TENTS It s great to see the red and yellow uniforms of our volunteer lifesavers back patrolling our splendid strip of beaches from Manly to North Palm Beach for yet another season. As our flags go up, so do our patrol tents, this year seeing our new sponsor s name proudly displayed. One of the things that is very noticeable on the beach this season is the new name on our patrol tents. The ICMS (International College of Management, Sydney) logo is very visible and SLSSNB is indebted to them for coming on board as our major sponsor. The agreement continues over the next three years. Also, as part of that agreement, one of the college students Isabella Nimmo won a scholarship to work at SNB Branch until March. Last season, lifesavers from the 21 clubs who patrol our beaches were kept rather busy and there were more rescues carried out than in the previous season. The number of rescues totalled 827. Let s hope that the figure is down during the 2018/19 season, as we urge everyone to swim between the flags. Our lifesavers do an absolutely incredible job protecting the beachgoers and never ask for praise when performing this very important rescue service. Our lifesavers wouldn t have the knowledge and skills without the role our Trainers, Assessors and Facilitators play. Hats off to those who provide their valuable time so freely. Then there s the crucial role that our Support Services and Surfcom operators play. They are to be commended on what they do and how they co-ordinate rescues. We are very grateful to the NSW Government and their Sport Facility Grant for allocating $7,000 to replace our gear container for surf sports. I would like to congratulate our winners at the SLSNSW Awards of Excellence. The respective winners are featured in this issue of Shore Break. And good luck to Manly s Kendrick Louis and the Avalon Beach SLSC who will represent the Branch at the National Awards of Excellence in Sydney later this month. It is always sad for families when they lose a loved one and, sadly, the Branch recently lost two Life Members, Rick Millar and Col Rae. Rick was an Avalon Beach SLSC stalwart and Col not only served Bungan Beach SLSC for many years but he revitalised the club when it was in the doldrums. There will be a scattering of Rick s ashes on Sunday, October 7 from 10am at Avalon Beach. Thanks to the sponsors and those people who supported our golf day at the Bayview Golf Club last month and helped raise money to send our Branch team to the NSW Interbranch Championships at Black Head Beach in December. Doug Menzies, President

FLAGS RETURN TO OUR BEACHES Palm Beach SLSC members Michael Bishop (left) and Nicholas Abel couldn t wait to put the flags out to mark the start of a new patrol season on Saturday morning. While the weather forecast wasn t good, it ended up being a perfect morning. It s fantastic to be back. I am now in my third season and love it, Nicholas said. Nicholas, who lives in Gordon, said he decided to follow his dad Simon s footsteps and join Palmy. Dad was a member of the club in the 80 s, Nicholas said. Once I carried out my fresher responsibilities I couldn t wait to do other things in surf life saving. Michael, who lives on the Lower North Shore, said he became a member, also because of his dad. My father (Robert) is still a member now and I am in my fourth season here, Michael said. Fresher Gaby Chubb was on her very first patrol at Palmy on Saturday morning. Gaby said she joined Palmy as she was asked if she would like to row boats for Stephen Cox s under 23 girls crew. I rowed still water when I was at school at Queenwood School, Gaby (top right) said. The Patrol Captains were on duty on the opening day at Whale Beach SLSC. For David Stenning (right), Ryan Paul, Lachlan Stanwell and Dylan Rees-Awen, it is their first year serving the club as Patrol Captains. I am an old Knox (Grammar School) boy and went through the Knox system at Whale and have stuck with it since finishing school, said David. Ryan and Lachlan also went to Knox Grammar but Dylan is a local. It s part of the culture living at the beach. I live at Palmy so I just wanted to be part of a club and get the skills, Dylan said.

BARBEQUE DID THE TRICK FOR WARREN You ve got to hand it to Warren Howard. The long-serving North Palm Beach SLSC Patrol Captain drives from Penrith at weekends to serve his beloved club. Warren was playing grade for Drummoyne Rugby Union Club when he was introduced to North Palmy. It was a barbeque and a drink that got me here, he laughs. Been here 40 odd-years now. There was about 20 of us at the time that came from rugby. A lot of them have drifted since. It has been a long existence. I suppose I have been a Patrol Captain for 20 years. I have seen a lot of water come under the bridge, done a few rescues and resuscitations along the way. Robert Cox (behind Howard in photo) is approaching 50 years of service at North Palmy. Like Howard, Coxy also used to travel long distances to serve the club but is living much closer at Mona Vale these days. I am at the club nearly every day of the week for one reason or another, he said. Coxy has to make sure everything is right for the popular and long running TV series Home and Away, filmed at North Palmy. Palm Beach SLSC member Dylan Kovacevich (pictured right) is one of the new jet ski operators for SNB Branch. RWC Trainer Geoff Raper took Dylan on an induction run on Saturday morning. I showed him all the pitfalls, rock shelves and reefs, Geoff said. Tony Watson (below) has always loved surfing but only now joined a surf club because of his daughter. Tony was on his first patrol at Newport SLSC on Saturday morning. I never thought about patrolling or becoming a member of a surf club until my daughter (Piper) became a nipper. She inspired me, Tony said. Louise Billia (right) and Tegan Bilson are new Patrol Captains at Avalon Beach SLSC. Louise, a former competitive swimmer in the UK for 18 years, decided to join Avalon Beach SLSC because of her love of the water. She arrived here six years ago from London and has been living in Avalon for the past three years. Louise is right into surf education and is now a new Trainer and Assessor for SLSNSW. Tegan has been at Avalon SLSC for two years. I started nippers on the Central Coast with Ocean Beach SLSC, moved to Brisbane for work and had a few years off and when I came to Sydney I was looking to row boats again, Tegan said. I ended up rowing boats with the Avalon Amigos.

ZALI IN COMMAND When it comes to being on patrol at Mona Vale SLSC, Zali Beuzeville can give the orders to her dad, mum and two of her sisters. At 17, Zali is one of club s new Patrol Captains. Ón her first patrol on a very windy Saturday (September 29) afternoon when the southerly wind hit, Zali had her dad Brett, mum Kammi and sisters Roxy and Kira on the same patrol. I am very nervous but I am very excited for a good season, Zali said. Zali has done nippers all the way through. In my last year I got most outstanding female for the club. So that was pretty exciting, she said. I got asked by the senior members of the club if I would become a Patrol Captain and I jumped at the idea. Having dad, mum and two of my sisters on the same patrol is good family bonding. It will be a few years yet before Zali s two other sisters Macy and Lexi become lifesavers. They are coming through the Mona Vale nippers. There were two husband and wife combinations on Newport SLSC s first patrol of the season. There was Therese and Kevin Brennan and Rohan Whiteford and his wife Geraldine Torrens. We started off as nipper parents, progressed into patrols and now we teach the bronze course, Kevin said. We actually taught these guys, Therese said, referring to Rohan and Geraldine. Rohan and Geraldine spent 12 years in England. When they returned home in 2016 they got involved in surf life saving. Before we even landed it was Therese s sister who had us signed up, Geraldine said. Pictures: Top: Brett, Kammi, Zali, Roxy and Kira Beuzeville at Mona Vale Beach; Therese (left) and Kevin Brennan and Rohan Whiteford and wife Geraldine Torrens on duty at Newport Beach.

SOUTH CURLY HONOUR KEVIN Education has always been Kevin Moffat s big thing in surf life saving. One of his proudest achievements at South Curl Curl SLSC is serving seven years as the club s Chief Training Officer. I have had more time in that position than anyone else, Kevin said. But he s also been a club captain for 10 years, nine of those straight, and also a club president for two years. Now one of his greatest honours is having a surfboat named after him. The christening took place on Sunday, September 2 as part of the club s 100-year celebrations. Kevin said: You have to have great fortune to get a surfboat named after you I think. There s a lot of life members in the club, so it is a really great honour. Kevin has been a one-club man since he joined South Curly in 1965. I was attracted to the club because I lived close and I felt you should support your local club rather than go to a bigger club. Quite a lot of people I went to school with were there anyway, he said. I felt I was the odd man out as most of them were boaties. Kevin, who lives right opposite the club these days, did become a top water competitor. But only as a geriatric in masters, he laughs. What he did enjoy most of all was being the CTO. I always found that enjoyable and rewarding, he said. I am now back to being the Patrol Supervisor, which what used to be the vice-captain. Pictures: Top: Kevin Moffat and the new surfboat named after him; and with wife Liane christening the surfboat. ELEANOR LOVED CURLY She was called Eleanor King as a teenager and now Mrs Eleanor Groves is almost 89. As part of South Curl Curl s 100-year celebrations, Eleanor attended the surfboat christening early last month but, understandably, she didn t recognise any faces. But she still remembered some of the great men who were lifesavers at the club before and after the Second World War. Eleanor was a member of the club s female march past team and also served on the committee. She went to a lot of surf carnivals and travelled on the back of a truck. You couldn t do that these days. It was probably the wrong thing to do but that was our means of transport, she said. It was great to be a member of a surf club in those days and all the boys at Curly were fantastic, such a lovely group. There was Bobby Picard, Tony Cuneo and Lenny Brown. I could go on. Picture: Eleanor Groves is getting ready to celebrate her 89 th birthday.

BRING ON THE RICH CURLY SPRINT It will be like going through the time-tunnel when South Curl Curl SLSC celebrate their 100 th anniversary surf carnival this month. The carnival on Saturday, October 20 opens the new season but it is not like your normal surf sports carnival. It s more about having fun than winning events, said carnival organiser Steve Hall. But there is $1000 at stake for one of the big events the South Curl Curl sprint. The Curl Curl 1000 used to be one of the big attractions for beach sprinters back in the 1970s and 80s. Curly s own Ken Picard was one of the most consistent runners in the event. Steve said the carnival would also have the old novelty events like the pillow fight, chariot race and tug of war. I am sure a lot of the boaties will compete in those events after their races have finished, Steve said. The carnival will start around 9am. The march past will be around 1.30pm with the sprint race to follow. Freshwater Community Bank, Branch of Bendigo Bank will sponsor the sprint race with Harbord Diggers as the major sponsor of the carnival. Pictures: Top left: The first Curl Curl 500 in 1973 but it then became the rich Curly 1000; Top right: South Curly s 1976 winning Aussie relay champions Scott Ruddock, Spider Atkins, Ken Picard and Steve Endean; Middle The club s 1944 R and R team winning at Dee Why. Bottom: One of the club s great water competitors Bobby MacPherson (left) with Richie Roberts;

THIS HONOUR RATES NO 1 FOR WORKHORSE TRACEY STATE S INAUGURAL PATROL CAPTAIN Tracey Hare-Boyd is a Trojan when it comes to volunteer work for surf lifesaving. She has so much energy and is always looking at ways to improve things. As Director of Member Services at Sydney Northern Beaches Branch, Tracey certainly has plenty on her plate but she is also very busy with her own club North Steyne SLSC. One of the things she likes most about being a volunteer lifesaver is the role she plays as Patrol Captain but that could soon change. One of the new awards SLSNSW introduced at their Awards of Excellence this year was Patrol Captain of the Year and Tracey was the inaugural winner. Considering there are 129 surf clubs in NSW that s a huge honour. How did it rate with Tracey s list of honours? I think it is the biggest because it is the state award, she said. When you think of the number of potential nominations that could have gone in (to SLSNSW) and the clubs that have Patrol Captains then it is really a huge honour. I was really, really surprised. I sat there (at the function) for a minute thinking to myself that they d made a mistake. Tracey s son Trae was also at the awards night as he was a finalist for Young Lifesaver of the Year. If anything, I thought that the scale would be the other way around. I thought Trae would actually get up and I d be sitting there clapping with everyone, Tracey said. Tracey has served 10 years as a Patrol Captain at North Steyne SLSC but now she d like to hand over NIGEL S TOP AWARD FROM NSW PRESIDENT Long-serving Bilgola SLSC member Nigel Penn has found the past few months a real buzz. Buzz in the sense that he s received such accolades as Deputy Referee at the Australian IRB Championships, Life Membership of Bilgola SLSC and, more recently, the President s Medal at SLSNSW Awards of Excellence. If Life Membership at Bilgola was pretty special, this (President s Medal) is extremely special, Nigel said. There are so many people in our organisation who do so much. I am very humbled. Nigel said he was blown away when SLSNSW President David Murray presented him with the prestigious award in Sydney on August 25. I went there to support Kaz (Marks) who was a finalist for Official of the Year and the TIPS team (finalist for Services Team of the Year), he said. It was certainly a big surprise to receive the award. It caps off a fabulous season for me. Nigel was also State IRB Championship referee and SNB Branch surfboat referee. Tracey-Hare Boyd received her award from SLSNSW President David Murray the reins of Patrol 13 to her son. Trae has done his Silver Medallion Beach Management and ideally what I would like to do is hand more patrols over to him and he d have a new vice-captain with me just shadowing to see that everything is OK, Tracey said. The aim would be to either take on a new patrol and mentoring someone else or splitting this Patrol I was first involved in surf lifesaving through my kids and then Graham Foran got me really involved, Nigel said. Surf clubs are a safe port and help you through difficult times. (13) like I have done before and getting them to start their own patrols and then mentoring someone else up as well. I like the fact that just about every bronze member that comes here that I train ends up on Patrol 13. It s not always possible. We have a really good camaraderie on our patrol. And I like to give the younger ones new experiences. A very proud Nigel Penn (left) with SLSNSW President David Murray. But surf clubs also offer so many opportunities. You develop skills and then can enhance your skills. And there s that camaraderie. I absolutely love what I do. It s about the passion, the community and looking after the public.

NOW IT S OFF TO THE NSW ART GALLERY FOR AVALON When SLSNSW introduced Club of the Year to the list of their Awards of Excellence, the inaugural winner was North Steyne SLSC. Now Avalon Beach SLSC has become the second club in 10 years in SNB Branch to win the prestigious award. Avalon Beach volunteer lifesavers completed 8,787 MIKE BREAKS THE ICE When Mike Le Geyt was announced Facilitator of the Year at the SLSNSW Awards of Excellence, little did he realise that he was the first lifesaver from Sydney Northern Beaches Branch to take out the award. What also made it very special for Mike is that apart from winning the award, introduced in the 2005/06 season, it just happened to be in the same year his club South Curl Curl SLSC celebrates their 100 th anniversary. When you take into account the number of facilitators in the state, it really is such a huge honour. I was shocked and not expecting anything, Mike said. As the Chief Training Officer at South Curl Curl, Mike has another busy season ahead. One of the good things we have at South Curl Curl is a strong patrol roster, he said. One of his main aims at South Curly is to bring the young members through with their various awards so as to maintain membership strength. He ll also be working very closely with someone he knows very well, wife Jodi, who is the new club captain. His sons Sam and Alex are also heavily involved in the club. Avalon Beach SLSC members celebrating at the SLSNSW Awards of Excellence patrol hours last season, which was well up on the previous season s figures. Also, there was a record number of both SRC s and Bronze Medallions trained and 166 awards, which augers well for the club. New president Ashley Cardiff admits he has big shoes to fill with Richard Cole stepping down. As if he hasn t got enough on his plate with club duties, Mike has another role with SNB Branch coordinating courses to bring new facilitators through. Thanks to Richard and the Board of Management, we are in a healthy financial position, Ashley said. Avalon Beach SLSC is to be commended for helping mental health charities. The club now advances to the SLSA Awards of Excellence at the NSW Art Gallery on October 27. Pictured Above: Big honour for Mike Le Geyt after being named the SLSNSW Facilitator of the Year.

KENDRICK BREAKS DROUGHT BUT IT S NOT OVER YET Kendrick Louis described it as the cherry on top of the cake and a long time coming after finally being named SLSNSW Athlete of the Year. Kendrick is now a finalist at the National Awards of Excellence to be held at the NSW Art Gallery in Sydney on October 27. On his mind at the moment, though, is getting himself prepared physically for the World Lifesaving Championships in Adelaide next month. He will represent both Australian and his club Manly. Kendrick couldn t attend the NSW Awards of Excellence last month as he was in Bali. He had just competed in the inaugural World Ironman Championships (not affiliated to SLSA or Ocean6) and combined the trip with business. My brother Barton and I have launched our own media agency, Louis Media Group, Kendrick said. We create bespoke pieces of marketing collateral for companies and individuals. I also help my girlfriend Holly run her boutique leather sandals company (Holly and Hide). On his debut NSW award, the Australian ironman champion said: It sure has been a long time coming but I am a firm believer in good things take time and need to be earned, so I guess my stars aligned this year. This award means a lot, not only to me but my team around me that made this possible. It is a true testament of the time and effort put in by those who believe in me and the great club I am part of. I changed my program two seasons ago, to train under the guidance of my good mates at Manly. The environment in which I train in every day suits me perfectly. I am happy, I train hard and am always BEC IS PROUD AS PUNCH OF MUM Freshwater SLSC member Bec Kiely says she couldn t be prouder of her mum. Bec and her mother Lysa are members of the Freshwater Open Female R and R team that not only won the Australian title this year but were also honoured at the SLSNSW Awards of Excellence. With another mother and daughter Jane and Clare Freakley and Elizabeth Murphy, the Freshie combination won Sport Team of the Year. Bec is the baby of the team and only joined them a couple of seasons ago. I have been doing R and R for about six years but this team needed a patient, Bec said. It also gave me an opportunity do it with mum. She has been doing it for about 10 years. The feeling was just amazing. Some people my age would tend to distance themselves from their parents. I was just happy to be doing it with mum and just so proud she was still competing. Bec said the team took a different approach to the Aussies in Perth this year. We trained really hard but the big difference this year compared to last was that we were a lot more relaxed, she said. trying to find ways to improve myself as a person. Surrounding yourself with a team of good mentors that believe in you and your ability is a must if you want to make it to the top. I believe I have found that perfect recipe at Manly and hopefully this inspires the younger generation to chase their dreams whatever that may be. It s the thank you to those in my life my family, As for the NSW award, I felt it was unexpected but our coach (Chris Tyrrell) was not surprised at all. Bec said the Freshie team would defend their title at the Aussies on the Gold Coast next year. girlfriend Holly and her family, Manly LSC and coaches Mitch Roberts, Nick Dawe, Cam Coghlan, Tim Lane and Luke Gosling. Without them all this wouldn t be possible. Kendrick said the World Ironman event was a fantastic experience. It was amazing to be part of and I believe it is a huge step in the right direction for our sport, he said. Pictures: Top: Aussie ironman champion Kendrick Louis in line for SLSA Athlete of the Year. Bottom: Freshwater R and R members Bec and Lysa Kiely, Elizabeth Murphy and coach Chris Tyrrell at the SLSNSW Awards of Excellence in late August.

ASHLEY THROWN IN THE DEEP END AT AVALON BEACH I FEEL IT S A GOOD TIME Ashley Cardiff never imagined that one day he would become a president of a surf club. Never really thought about it, he said. You turn up and do your own thing as a boat rower or as a competitor or patrolling member. Eventually there comes a time when someone has to do these (bigger) roles. I have been around long enough and I feel it is a good time for me to put back. While Ashley was approached to take on the president s job, knowing that Richard Cole was vacating the chair, he said he chewed it over while he was competing at the Aussies in Perth. Pete Carter and a few of the boat boys came to me to see if I were interested. I also had a couple of meetings with Richard to go through things and see what was involved, Ashley said. It is certainly a bit of a jump. Ideally it would have been good to have been deputy the year before and then step into the president s role but is just wasn t the way it was going to work out. Deputy President Jeff Nesbitt was also standing down. We ve kind of had a changing of the guard. Richard has agreed to stay on as deputy. He will still be a good sounding board and I will be leaning on him for plenty of advice throughout the year. FATHER FIGURE Ashley s wife Melinda has already been heavily involved in Avalon Beach SLSC and is club captain again. The pair met through surfboat rowing. Ashley started out as a member of Dee Why SLSC 20 years ago and won an Aussie reserve surfboat title with Tommy Hand as the sweep in 1994. Melinda (Akehurst) was one of the late Rick Millar s originals at Avalon, Ashley said. When the crew folded she came to Dee Why for a couple of years. That s how we met. We had a family and drifted out (of surf lifesaving) for a few years. But like my dad (Barry) who had introduced me to nippers at Dee Why, I came back when our eldest daughter Jaimee started doing nippers. By then we had moved to Avalon. Melinda started rowing again with Rick and I decided to row again two seasons ago in masters. We won gold with the reserves at the ASRL last season. Ashley said the boat section has really built up over the past five or six years but the club is really going to miss Rick Millar who passed away on August 4. The parting of Rick has brought us together. He was really a father figure and mentor to a lot of people. He played a massive part in the club for such a long period of time, Ashley said. He obviously taught a lot of people how to become better human beings. Ashley says the club is in a healthy financial position, thanks to Richard and the Board of Management. We are still cautious with our spending. We ve had some good sponsorships come through, he said. Active Tree Services last year donated a brand new surfboat that we took to the Aussies and McGrath Real Estate in Avalon have come on board as a three-year platinum sponsor for the carols at the beach, which is one of our major events of the year. We are attracting sponsors and that is healthy as well. Sponsorship aside, what is very pleasing for the club is the membership. Our membership is strong and our growth charts are going up each year, active members and junior members. We are exceeding our targets from the year before and we are retaining our members which is another good thing. Pictures: Ashley Cardiff ready for the big challenge ahead; back rowing again.

KEN FULFILS A PROMISE TO TAKE ON A BIGGER ROLE Ken Prior vowed that once he sold his printing business in Sydney and farm at Mudgee that he would become more heavily involved at Queenscliff SLSC. He remained true to his word and is now the club s new president. I had been tapped on the shoulder several times to get involved on the committee, Ken said. While my wife Beverley and I did patrols all this time, my printing business and farm consumed a lot of my time at the weekends. But I always had in the back of my mind that once I sold both businesses, although I have still kept 50 acres and 100 sheep, I would take on a committee role at the club. I am all but semi-retired now and Craig (Susans) convinced me that I should step up Ken has a fully supportive wife. Ken says he had a chuckle when he first mentioned it to her (Beverley) that he was contemplating doing it (president) for one or two years. She replied: That s a pity. I was hoping it would be for five years. Ken said the club has had some great presidents. Peter Daley was an absolute legend, there s been Dave Piper over the years and a great stalwart of the club, the likes of Danny White, Kevin Harris and Craig Susans. Sadly, at the beginning of last year no-one put their hand up for president and we ran without an elected president for the six months. Under the constitution and with Craig as vice president he stepped into the role. Ken grew up in Mosman and he and Beverley moved to the northern beaches in 1996, virtually only a stone s throw from the surf club. Ken had joined the year before as a nipper parent. I was thrown an age manager s T-Shirt and before I knew it I became chairman of the juniors and did that for three years, he said. It was Ken s first involvement with a surf club. I was a boarder at Riverview College in my school days. Surf life saving wasn t on the radar when I was at school. I am talking the mid 1970 s. I was involved in rugby and rowing, he said. Both Ken and Beverley s sons Philip and Charles did nippers. Later, Ken became a qualified IRB driver. I did compete for the march past team for three years. That was the extent of my competition for Queenscliff, he said. Ken says he is taking over a club that he describes as very sound financially. The proposed building works will take some $150,000 from the club s reserves, which we have budgeted for, he said. There was a master plan in 2012 to do a significant refurbishment to the building. That is still on the agenda. We were successful in getting a $310,000 grant from the state government and $150,000 grant from council to install a lift in the building. We have a hall downstairs that by enlarge is underutilised. Acoustics in the hall are shocking so we have approval to put a mezzanine level in so we have a fairly large building project that we want to do in the next 12 months. What is slowing us down is that we need to sign a new lease with Northern Beaches Council before March 19 next year. Once we get the new lease, we can commence on the renovation and free up some space for a dedicated junior activities area and more board and craft storage. Running surf clubs is an expensive exercise. I look at it like running a small business. You have your income and expenditure and you need to be accountable. I have reasonable business experience in running a small business and a reasonable size farm. To be honest, at the end of the day you just have to make sure your income exceeds your expenditure and preferably by a lot. In terms of other goals, the more I immerse myself in day to day operations here you realise how diverse surf clubs are and how very much community focussed they are and should be. There s really something for everyone in a surf club, right through to competition, patrol members, nipper parents helping out or simply members getting involved in social functions or helping on the barbeques. We need to pick the surf club up from facing the beach, turn it around and face the community and get the community really involved. Picture: Ken Prior plans to deliver.

MANLY PRAY FOR COUNCIL BLESSING WITH BUILDING Manly LSC President Chris Bell is hoping for an early Christmas gift from Northern Beaches Council the go ahead for a new state of the art surf club building. Chris, who has taken over the reins again at Manly, believes the current clubhouse, built in 1981, has run its day and the community deserves much better. It (the building) is not what it should be and not in the best interests of the community. There are not enough toilets in Manly and we need to give access to other community groups, such as the Bold and Beautiful, Chris says. We also house the council lifeguards and our membership has also grown significantly. We have a DA approval to complete what we set out to do in different stages but the building is in such disrepair. Council have a real interest. It is their building and they realise it is in disrepair and want to improve the asset. They are currently assessing the state of the building and they will either approve continuing the existing DA or knocking it down and starting again based on their report. If the report says a knock down it will be opened up for architects because it is such a high profile site for tourists. In fact, international architects have already shown interest because they have had a sniff based on press releases. Based on results of that, we d need to seek funding from state government. We ve already spoken to Stuart Ayres, Minister for Sport, and he agrees the building is very shoddy and has pledged support. We d still have to do it via a grant, but nevertheless he s acknowledged that it needs funding. The majority of funding would probably come from the state government with council putting in a residual amount. Part of the story is that it is just not for us (surf club). The project could cost around $7m. Chris, who served one year as president before standing down to be his wife s carer, said he decided to comeback because he now had more time to do things. It is going to be a long journey but I really want to see this (building) through, he said. Chris is Sky Blue through and through. He originally joined Manly LSC as a 16-year-old in 1972. He came back in 1996 when his kids became nippers. Chris has been Nipper Chairman and he also established the masters at Manly. Prior to that there was very little participation in masters, he said. Now we are very competitive in masters, particularly in the water events. Chris has also been club captain and deputy president and now president for the second time in three years. Building aside, Chris will also focus on the club continuing with positive cash flows and maintaining a strong membership. Manly is no different to other surf clubs in Australia. It is very difficult to retain lifesavers, a lot join for one or two years to tick a bucket list, he said. We have to have a major push now to keep our patrolling members up. It is not a problem now but I do foresee it as one in the next couple of years. People s lifestyles and circumstances dictate whether they stay or go. What we are trying to do is increase our trainers for bronze courses. That s a challenge, too, firstly identifying who wants to be trainers and, secondly, it s getting them trained. It is something we need to keep pushing. One of the major challenges for large clubs like ours is getting the support of volunteers. If we can t get enough volunteers then we have to start to pay people to do jobs. But that is the way it is going to pay staff to come in and run the bar. We have to pay staff also to come in and sell merchandise. That is a high cost. We have to try and mobilise enough volunteers to negate that. That s a real challenge for big surf clubs. Picture: Chris Bell man on a building mission.

NEW PATROL MEMBERS WANTED AT SUMMER BAY North Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club could be considered the last outpost on the beautiful northern beaches. While it is better known as Summer Bay for the filming of the long running TV soapie Home and Away, it is also a patrolled beach by volunteer lifesavers at weekends and on public holidays. It has by far the smallest membership of the 21 clubs. Geoff Raper is the new president of North Palm Beach SLSC and he s on a mission to sell the club to potential volunteer lifesavers. I want to make the club more inclusive for the community, a friendlier place to be, Geoff said. To say we are struggling for membership would be an understatement. We ve had an affiliation with Palm Beach SLSC for the past couple of years which I instigated. We are sort of at the end of the line, a bit like Garie SLSC on the southside. A lot of the houses up here (North Palmy) are for holiday letting. We have been trying to get some schools linked to our club. We had a group from Cromer (High School) come here and do some surf awareness, also go to the lighthouse for sunrise and they did some other things around the club and seemed interested. Hopefully they will come back. Two other surf clubs, Long Reef and Bungan Beach have an association with the Shore School and Barker College respectively. Unfortunately, we don t have a nippers program, Geoff said. A lot of clubs pull from there (nippers) and get parents involved. That s how I started. When Geoff took his kids to Bilgola and joined the club in 1995, little did he know just how much he d fall in love with surf lifesaving. He became club president in 2007 and served for three seasons, was SNB Branch Life Saver of the Year in 2010 and later became Director of Lifesaving for Sydney Northern Beaches Branch. He has been heavily involved in the RWC group. Geoff never envisaged he d become a president of a surf club again, let alone at a different club. I have just started my seventh season at North Palmy, he said. When I left Branch, I was already the Director of Lifesaving at North Palm Beach SLSC. We did pretty well at the SNB Awards of Excellence. I stepped down last season because I had some work to do with home extensions. I was approached to come on as president as Graham Howard had to step aside because of some family issues. I thought I might come back to Branch one day but didn t give this (club president) much thought, if at all. I believe North Palmy does have a lot to offer. We have great equipment. All our equipment is new and it is a great beach to patrol. It would be great to get a school on board though.. Picture: Geoff Raper returns as a club president this time at North Palm Beach SLSC SCOTT WAS READY FOR TOP JOB There s not much Scott Mathers hasn t done at Palm Beach SLSC since he joined the club 11 years ago. Scott gained his Bronze Medallion at Long Reef SLSC in 1997 when he was part of the Shore School program. But it was when he moved further north to Palmy that he became a lot more involved in surf lifesaving. In his time at the club, he has served as treasurer, vice-captain, resident director and chief instructor. Scott went to work in Melbourne for 18 months but there was only one surf club he was going to be associated with when he came back to Sydney and that was Palmy. With Saul Brown stepping down as club president, Palmy didn t have to look far to find a suitable replacement. Scott says he was ready for the top job. I felt it was the right time for the club and myself, Scott said. It really is good to be back and I am certainly looking forward to the challenge ahead, he said. Apart from Kate MacDonald, Scott would be one of the youngest presidents in the club s long history. While Scott is a bit of a fitness freak and now a personal trainer, there was a time when opera singing took up a lot of his time. Opera singing took him overseas and he performed in New York with the New York City Opera and at Berlin Komische Opera Studio. These days I just do it as a hobby, he says. Picture: Scott Mathers ready for another challenge.

JIM HAD THE PERFECT MENTOR IN JOHNNY BLISS I COULD RUN A BIT IN YOUNGER DAYS When Jim Shearer found his way to North Narrabeen SLSC 60 years ago, it wasn t long before the great beach sprinter and former Australian rugby league winger Johnny Bliss took the youngster under his wing. Johnny noticed I could run a bit and he coached me until his death in 1974, Jim said. Jim became a member of North Narrabeen s open beach relay team that won two Aussie titles in the 1962-63 and 63-64 seasons and the team also included another flyer, former Manly and NSW rugby league winger, Nick Yakich. Bliss won 12 Australian sprint titles and Yakich won five. It was through Bliss that Jim, who was studying pharmacy at university at the time, ended up as assistant first aid officer with the Manly Rugby League Club. There he got to know front rower Billy Hamilton well and when Hamilton left the Sea Eagles and took over as captain-coach of great rivals North Sydney, Jim found himself helping the Bears with their running training. Great memories, says Jim, who is back for a second term as North Narrabeen SLSC President. Jim, who lived in Redfern before moving to the northern beaches when he was eight, first served as club president in the 2004-05 season and was in the chair for another two seasons. LOT WISER The late Billy Worth groomed me for the position, Jim said. The one piece of advice Billy gave me was to always carry a notebook with me because people would always be coming up to you and asking things and it was always wise to write it down before you forgot it. It was fantastic advice. We were a stable club then. We never had any money problems. We never wanted to build an empire but just look after our members. Jim has taken the reins from Steve Maxwell as the new president. Steve is heavily involved with his company and I was happy to step in again, Jim said. I reckon I am twice as prepared this time and certainly a lot wiser. The club today is very strong. We had a record membership of 946 last season, our education is much stronger, led by Gordy Coburn and Steve Haggett, and we had 402 juniors. Jim has very fond memories of the nippers or juniors. My son and daughter came through the nippers program, he said. One thing I was pleased with back in the 1964-65 season was that the late Dave Lawler and myself were part of the North Narrabeen nipper group to start the Manly Warringah Branch Juniors. There Pictures: Jim Shearer at his beloved North Narrabeen Beach; North Narrabeen s Aussie (1963-64) open beach relay champions Nick Yakich (left), Jim Shearer, Jim Campbell, Johnny Bliss, Tom Adams. were 11 other affiliated clubs. Once Jim left the nippers he became heavily involved with the senior club, serving in such roles as Director on Management Board, Constitution Officer, Public Officer (Corporate Director), president for the first time and beach coach. He was bestowed Life Membership of the club in the 2011-12 season and, more recently, was awarded SNB Branch Outstanding Service at the 2018 Awards of Excellence.

TWO HEADS BETTER THAN ONE FOR OUR GOLF DAY BUILT BOYS ON FIRE AT BAYVIEW The fundraising golf day for the Sydney Northern Beaches Branch team now goes back 25 years. And it all started when Rhonda Lycett and Bob Langbein got their heads together. Rhonda was the manager of the Interbranch team and Bob was the beach coach. Bob said: One day Rhonda said to me that a lot of the other Branches have fundraising days to raise funds for their Interbranch teams and she wondered how we could do the same. I then said to Rhonda that I was the president of Bayview Golf Club and I can organise that immediately. So the rest is history. A special presentation was made to both Rhonda and Bob for their terrific service to the Interbranch fundraiser at this year s golf day at Bayview on September 21. Do you know we have raised $250,000 for the Interbranch team over those years, Bob said. Suzanne Brown, a member of Queenscliff SLSC, Sue Rossi, Phalika Cheang and Vicki Pye formed the only women s team. Sue Rossi invited us and she has been taking two of my daughters away for years in the Interbranch team. It was time to give back, Suzanne Brown said. We will be trying to get more women involved next year, regardless of their ability and time playing the sport. All four members of the Pink Flamingos play golf regularly. This year s Ambrose Champions were Chris Vella, Lachlan McPherson, Mathew Keast and Jack Clancy, representing Built (North Curl Curl). They were off a handicap of 10.5 with a net score of 50.5. The scratch winners with a score of 62 were Robert Watson, Jamie Duff, James Hobday and Peter Goodal. Nearest the pin on the 8 th hole were Sue Rossi (female) and Bruce Warman (male). The longest drive on the 13 th hole was Suzanne Brown (female) and Chris Vella (male). Once again the Toyota Corolla didn t go off as noone was able get that hole-in-one on the 12 th hole. No golfer was successful either getting a hole-inone on the 16 th hole. Barrenjoey Insurance Brokers offered a $10,000 prize. Thanks to all our sponsors who contributed to a wonderful event. Pictures: Top: Rhonda Lycett and Bob Langbein; Bottom: the Pink Flamingos Vicki Pye (left), Phalika Cheang, Sue Rossi and Suzanne Brown.