More than 400 surf club leaders and emerging talent have headed home inspired and motivated after spending the weekend at the 2024 Lifesaving Conference.
Clubs throughout NSW came together to engage and create a roadmap for a more sustainable Surf Life Saving movement, one that attracts and retains volunteers and delivers grassroots lifesaving services to the community more effectively.
Consistent themes of embracing change and the sharing of new and exciting ideas were fostered by internal and external presenters and keynote presentations.
First, Jason Clarke – one of the nation’s foremost trainers and facilitators of innovation – encouraged attendees to ‘fire up their minds’ with a series of quirky and enjoyable brainstorms. Then, to close the Conference, former Lonely Planet Executive Director, Gus Balbontin walked members through the importance of fuelling ideas and suggestions around their clubs rather than maintaining the status quo.
“As the largest volunteer emergency service in NSW, it’s really important and quite exciting to get so many of our members in one place to network and discuss what’s coming up in the lifesaving space,” SLSNSW President, Peter Agnew AM said.
“There was so much energy in the room over the two days, and it was particularly inspiring for me to see so many young faces among the attendees, learning more about our activities across the state.”
Popular breakout sessions over the weekend included how coastal insights are informing our approach to lifesaving service agreements, a deep dive into SLSNSW’s work beyond the red and yellow flags, and how we can better support member wellbeing and mental health.
“The conference really delivered a great boost to our membership ahead of the new season in a few months, and I can’t wait to see how our clubs take inspiration from the presentations at this conference and put it into action on our front lines,” Peter continued.
Monday 29 July 2024