Nominations for vacant board positions were invited from members across the state with those elected determined by the 11 Surf Life Saving Branch presidents, representing the 129 surf life saving clubs in NSW.
Brian Wilcox has been elected Deputy President for two years along with Director of Lifesaving Stuart Harvey and Director of Member Services Trent Thomas. Amanda Higgerson was elected Director of Education for a one year term, after the resignation of the current director mid-term.
SLSNSW President, David Murray congratulated the newly elected board members and thanked the outgoing Directors for their years of volunteer service and significant contributions to Surf Life Saving in NSW.
“I would personally like to thank them on behalf of our membership for the dedication they’ve brought to furthering our movement.”
Director of Lifesaving, John Restuccia said farewell after 12 years at the helm where he transformed the operational landscape particularly with the introduction of the Emergency Response System, the digital radio network and growing the numbers of Duty Officers across the state.
Outgoing Deputy President Kerry Clancy from Sawtell was the first female to join the board when she was elected six years ago. A strong supporter of grassroots members, Kerry ensured the interests of country clubs were considered as important as the larger metropolitan clubs, particularly in the area of surf sports and junior activities.
Director of Education Dr Dean Dudley resigned from his position in early 2017 after significant successes in developing and enhancing the delivery of first-class education and training to the membership over five years.
Glenn Langley was Director of Member Services for four years and provided direction and leadership on initiatives such as the Quality Club Program which supports clubs to strive for continual improvement in all areas of their operations.
The newly-elected Directors come into their roles with vast collective experience and are from a variety of backgrounds which will all contribute to the strategic direction of the organisation in the future.
Trent Thomas has been a member of Maroubra SLSC since 2000 and was Vice President from 2011 to 2014. He is the current Surf Life Saving Sydney Branch Director of Member Services and was recognised by Volunteering NSW and Surf Life Saving NSW with Volunteer of the Year awards in 2013.
Stuart Harvey has vast Surf Life Saving experience which began in 1976 when he joined Copacabana SLSC as a nipper. Since then, Stuart has made a significant impact on Surf Life Saving on the Central Coast, in particular as Branch President, a role he has held since 2009.
Amanda Higgerson joined Tacking Point SLSC in 2008 and was the Director of Education for seven years. Amanda has 38 years’ teaching experience in primary, secondary and tertiary education and is a part-time university lecturer.
Brian Wilcox has been a surf lifesaver since 1994 and has held various positions on club and branch executives for the last 22 years, including Lower North Coast Branch President since 2012.
“We are very much looking forward to welcoming the new board members and we’ll be working closely together to expand on the excellent contributions made by the outgoing directors,” David Murray concluded.