Surf Life Saving NSW doesn’t exist in its current form without its members – the hard-working, dedicated faces behind the rescues, first aids and community engagement we deliver along the coastline.
As we edge closer to our NSW Awards of Excellence ceremony – a night to celebrate the incredible people in our organisation and the impact they have on their clubs, its members and their local communities – we are shining a light on some of the inspirational people who are being recognised for their contribution to the community through Surf Life Saving.
The Membership category consists of three awards in 2024: Innovation of the Year, Services Team of the Year and Administrator of the Year.
As the only individual category, the Administrator of the Year recognises and rewards members who have demonstrated outstanding service in administration of a Surf Life Saving Club, Branch or activity during the season.
Since being taken out then by the incomparable and highly active Jenny Drury of Sydney’s Northern Beaches in 1998, a member from every Branch in NSW has won the award over the years since, and it has been the regional clubs – being those outside the Hunter to Illawarra belt – that have dominated the category over recent years.
Clubs from the Lower, Mid and North Coast, specifically, have won six of the last nine Administrator of the Year awards, boding well for Jack Chaffey from Urunga SLSC, Nicole Crowe from Camden Haven SLSCand Mark Dorfling from Cape Hawke SLSC as 2024 nominees.
Innovation of the Year, formerly Initiative of the Year, is a relatively newer category first introduced in 2010 as a way of recognising a new initiative developed and delivered by a group or individual at Club, Branch or State level, across any aspect of Surf Life Saving.
Over the years it has been a category dominated by Central Coast Branch innovations, with the Branch winning every other year the first six times it was awarded and, overall, has won the award five out of a total of 14 times.
This year representing the region is Copacabana SLSC’s Beach to Bush program, with those involved looking to follow in the footsteps of last year’s winners, Ocean Beach SLSC and its Taking it to the Beachsafety program.
Meanwhile, Hunter and South Coast could have first-time category winners with their nominees, the Dusk Patrol Program out of Birubi Point SLSC and the Cadets Youth Program run through Shellharbour SLSC, respectively.
The Services Team of the Year award is the most recently established in the category, first being handed out to the Member Services Team on the Mid North Coast in 2017.
Since then, it has been the clubs south of Sydney which have been recognised the most, with the Far South Coast Branch and Illawarra Branch both seeing two winners crowned over the six following years.
Windang SLSC’s Education Team will be flying the flag this year for Illawarra, just a season removed from Bellambi SLSC’s Call Out Team taking out the top prize in 2023.
Bondi SBLSC is also a chance of being named the category winner for a second time, with the club’s IRB Training Team hoping to join their Education Team from 2019 on the historical winners list.
2024 MEMBERSHIP FINALISTS
Innovation of the Year
Dusk Patrol Program, Birubi Point SLSC
Beach to Bush, Copacabana SLSC
IRB Traffic Light System, North Narrabeen SLSC
Surf Awareness Clinic, Elouera SLSC
Junior Activities Skills Maintenance Video, Bulli SLSC
Cadets Youth Program, Shellharbour SLSC
Services Team of the Year
Major Events Team, Cudgen Headland SLSC
Hunter – Dusk Patrol Team, Fingal Beach SLSC
Member Services Team, North Avoca SLSC
The Oysters Community Services Team, Collaroy SLSC
IRB Trainers Team, Bondi SBLSC
Education Team, Windang SLSC
Administrator of the Year
Kirsty Pockley, Byron Bay SLSC
Jack Chaffey, Urunga SLSC
Nicole Crowe, Camden Haven SLSC
Marc Dorfling, Cape Hawke SLSC
Steve Smith, Caves Beach SLSC
Scott Green, North Avoca SLSC
Victoria O’Halloran, Manly Lifesaving Club
Barbara Maythers, North Cronulla SLSC
James Brighton, North Wollongong SLSC
Sally Darragh, Gerringong SLSC
Ben Smith, Pambula SLSC
Tuesday 20 August 2024