Welcome to the February Edition
of the
Surf Life Saving Illawarra Newsletter
Peter Evert
President
Surf Life Saving Illawarra
A message from the President
Many thanks to you all for your efforts over the peak Christmas School holiday period. You contributed to many valuable community service hours, either on a rostered patrol on the beach, or on the water or in the air as part of rescue services. I hope that you were also able to spend some leisure time with your family and friends.
Congratulations to those Illawarra surf lifesavers who were recently awarded a National Medal for their services to surf lifesaving. The honour is awarded to individuals on behalf of the Governor-General of Australia, and active members (including Reserve Active and Long Service), with a minimum of 30 patrolling hours over a minimum period of 15 full years, since September 18, 1968 are eligible for the National Medal. My sincere thanks and congratulations to each of you for your extended period of dedication and service.
A big thank you to the North Wollongong surf lifesaving club volunteers, President Dave Meredith, and the organising committee and work parties, for your efforts in running the highly successful Bluescope Win Community Partners Junior and Senior Branch Championships recently.
Wishing you all the best for the rest of the season.
See you on the beach soon…
Peter Evert
Welcome to our February newsletter. We have now passed our peak period of lifesaving. We would like to thank all our volunteer lifesavers and rescue service's teams who have contributed to keeping beach goers and the Illawarra community safe on the beach and in the water.
This past month we held our annual Bluescope Community WIN SLSI Branch Championships at North Wollongong, where we also announced our Junior Lifesavers of the Year.
We have had some exciting training and programs taking place, including flood rescue training, UAV (drone) training and the continuation of our members being trained in Rescue Watercraft (RWC) operations.
Keep reading to hear more and enjoy some photos.
As you may or may not know, our volunteers patrol our beaches until the end of April 2025 and with more warm weather ahead of us, we wish to remind you to swim between the red and yellow flags at a patrolled beach. Stay safe and happy reading.
Who Let the Boats Out
Flood rescue operators recently attended a SES State-wide flood boat readiness Exercise.
It was a great opportunity to enhance flood rescue capabilities, build interagency relationships and provide flood-boat and flood rescue operators an opportunity to build on rescue readiness and skills. As an emergency service, surf lifesaving volunteers (who have volunteered to assist and have been trained) can be called upon to assist with flood rescues.
Gunther from Woonona SLSC and Kaye from Windang SLSC are pictured above during their food rescue training. Thanks to our volunteers for giving up their time to further their skills.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Training
Did you know that surf lifesaving uses UAVs to assist with lifesaving and rescues? A UAV or drone can offer further visibility above the water as part of a rescue operation or to assist with surveillance.
You can read more about how Surf Lifesaving NSW (SLSNSW) and the NSW government are using drones in their shark management program here; www.sharksmart.nsw.gov.au
We are excited to be training members from our clubs in the Illawarra in UAV operations across the next few months. Training kicked off this month at Woonona SLSC.
Enjoy some photos from the day below.
Download Beachsafe App!
Access the latest information about every Australian beach or find a beach near you including local conditions and lifesaving services. There’s also safety advice and information about flags, signs, rips, waves and more.
Surf Life Saving recommends swimming at patrolled beaches, between the red and yellow flags.
Education Courses
Upcoming Branch Courses
Are you a current financial member? Are you interested in joining a patrol and helping out your club and community? Please keep reading below for more details on upcoming courses. These courses not only help you obtain lifesaving skills or upskill your current lifesaving skills but allow you to help out your club on patrol and contribute to the greater community.
If you wish to become a patrolling member of your club or help with water safety at nippers, then why not complete your Surf Rescue Certificate (SRC) or Bronze Medallion (BM). Speak with your club if you are interested or email Megs, our Education admin officer at educationadmin@slsillawarra.com.au.
Did you know that you can join a patrol in different roles? If being in the water performing rescues is not for you, then maybe you might like to be the First Aid Officer on patrol. If this sounds like something for you, then why not join our next First Aid Course. Details below.
First Aid
The next branch First Aid Course (HLTAID011) is being held on Tuesday the 1st of April and Thursday the 3rd of April, 6-9pm.
First Aid is open to current financial members who are above the age of 14.
If you are interested in attending, please contact Amy at North Wollongong SLSC on amy@nwslsc.com.au
Silver Medallion Patrol Captains (SMPC)
The next SMPC course is being held in the coming months. Dates to be advised. Please keep an eye on our website and social media pages for dates.
This course is open to the following members;
• Minimum 17 years old
• Hold an SLSA Bronze Medallion or have held an SLSA Bronze Medallion and currently hold a patrolling award
• Have 2 years patrolling experience - you must have the support of your club to attend this course
Rescue Watercraft (RWC) Training
A number of members from our clubs have been undertaking their RWC training over the past few months.
A huge thank you to our trainers who have generously given their time to assist in the development of these members.
RWC operators must hold a current Bronze Medallion and be a minimum of 17 years old to commence training and at least 18 years old to undertake their assessment.
Future RWC courses will be advertised through your club, on our social media pages and through the newsletter.
Bluescope WIN Community Partners Surf Life Saving Illawarra Branch Championships
On Saturday the 8th of February and Sunday the 9th of February, we held our annual Branch Championships at North Wollongong SLSC. Saturday's program consisted of competition for U/8-U/14 competitors and Sundays program consisted of compeition for our Seniors and Masters competitors.
It was a great day with competitors coming together from many of our clubs in the Illawarra to enjoy some friendly competition. Well done to everyone involved, especially our competitors who were competing in their first carnival.
A very big thank you to North Wollongong SLSC for hosting the carnival and of course, thanks goes to all our organisers, helpers, officials and water safety, who make carnivals like these possible.
Please enjoy some photos of the day below. Many thanks to Alyssa from Windang SLSC who took some amazing photos at our Juniors Branch Championships, more photos can be found on our facebook page.
If you want to keep up to date with photos and videos at our Illawarra carnivals, be sure to follow us on facebook and instagram.
Upcoming Surf Sports Events
The SLSNSW Surf Lifesaving Championships are being held from the 28th of February- 16 March 2025.
Competiton involves junior and seniors' members and incorporates beach, water, first aid and surf boat competition.
Best of luck to all our members from our Illawarra clubs who are competing and many thanks to our officials and water safety helpers who volunteer their time.
Junior Lifesaver of the Year (JLOTY)
On Saturday the 8th of February at our Junior Branch Championships, we announced our 2025 Junior Lifesavers of the Year.
A big Congratulations to Nate Heffernan from Helensburgh-Stanwell Park SLSC and Sienna Guisti from Helensburgh-Stanwell Park SLSC.
Nate and Sienna are very active members of their club and are passionate about surf lifesaving. Nate and Sienna will now attend the JLOTY camp with other JLOTYs from other lifesaving branches in NSW. We wish Nate and Sienna the best and are looking forward to hearing about their experience at camp.
Thank you to Bill Wilkins from Bluescope Community WIN Partners, Alison Byrnes MP, The Hon. Paul Scully MP for attending our JLOTY presentation.
Youth Lifesaver and Nipper Drone Outreach Program
In January we held a Drone Program for our youth members. We had an overwhelming amount of interest and quickly filled three sessions, which meant we had nearly 100 youth learn about drones in surf lifesaving.
We were lucky enough to have SLSNSW UAV pilots teaching our young members about the uses and benefits of using drones in surf lifesaving. Then we hit the indoor basketball courts at UOW (with our safety goggles of course) to practice flying some drones.
There were lots of smiling faces and I am almost certain this program inspired some future UAV pilots.
We're looking forward to running more fun and engaging activities for our youth in the future.
Surf Life Saving Illawarra EOIs for Office
Expressions of interest are currently open for SLSI's Director of Finance.
Our outgoing Director of Finance, Jessie, is offering to stay on and mentor our new Director of Finance, which is a great opportunity for a new director to learn their role under the guidance of Jessie.
Please find further information regarding the position and how to express your interest at the following link; EOI Director of Finance
Sponsorship of Surf Life Saving Illawarra
We are looking for sponsors for the branch.
Our packages offer great exposure for your business, plus you will be giving back to a not-for-profit organisation that gives so much to our community.
If you have a business and are interested in sponsoring please get in touch with Ash at office@slsillawarra.com.au and we can provide you more information about our sponsorship packages.
Tathra Wharf to Waves Ocean Swim
Get ready to dive into the triumphant return of the Tathra Wharf 2 Waves.
This iconic swim event invites participants to conquer the stunning waters in a swim from Tathra Beach to the historic Tathra Wharf and back. Renowned nationwide among the ocean swimming community, this event is more than just a race—it’s a celebration of family, fun, and community spirit.
Choose your challenge from three epic swim courses:
- W2W 1200: Test your endurance on this classic route from Tathra Beach to the historic Tathra Wharf and back.
- W2W 600: A shorter, yet equally thrilling swim for participants of all skill levels.
- W2W 200: Perfect for our juniors and those looking for a quick, refreshing dip with a competitive edge.
For the little adventurers, the FREE Kids Mud Rats Dash and Splash offers a playful mix of fun, laughter, and excitement, adding a family-friendly spark to the Wharf 2 Waves experience.
Enter now and don’t forget to use the exclusive 10% coupon code 2025w2w10isls
Illawarra Club Events
If you have an upcoming event at your club that is open to all Illawarra members that you want featured in our newsletter, please email Ash at office@slsillawarra.com.au
NEWSLETTERS
Does your club have any news, training dates or just anything you would like to share. Send it through to the SLSI branch office and we will put it in the newsletter.
