Congratulations to members of Surf Life Saving NSW who have been named in the King’s Birthday Honours List.
Surf Life Saving NSW Life Member and current President Peter Agnew ESM (Nth Bondi SLSC) was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), recognised for significant service to Surf Life Saving. Peter’s contribution has been substantial and spans administration, education and leadership roles within the organisation for almost 40 years and in particular for several decades in Sydney Branch. Peter held secretariat roles with the International Lifesaving Federation and senior operational roles with Surf Life Saving Australia. He was awarded an Emergency Service Medal (ESM) in 2015.
The late publisher Kevin Weldon AM received an AO, for distinguished service to international and national Surf Life Saving, to publishing, to animal welfare, and to philanthropic endeavours. He was the founding president of the International Life Saving Federation and a life member of Surf Life Saving Australia. In recent years, Kevin was a champion of the emerging drone technology in Surf Life Saving and founded the Little Ripper Group. Kevin was also recognised as a Grand Knight, Order of Lifesaving, International Life Saving Federation.
Lindsay Davis (Freshwater SLSC) and William Gee (Dee Why SLSC) were also awarded OAMs for their lifetime dedication to Surf Life Saving.
Lindsay is a Life Member of Freshwater SLSC and the Sydney Northern Beaches Branch. Lindsay has been an integral part of her club and Branch, dedicated to all aspects of training and assessing for several decades, along with officiating at surf sport events. Lindsay is a former NSW Trainer of the Year award winner.
William Gee, a Life Member of Dee Why SLSC, first became a lifesaver in 1951. While with Taree Old Bar SLSC, he was involved in introducing jet rescue craft to Surf Life Saving in 1974. As a surfboat competitor, William won Gold and Silver medals at the Australian Championships. He was awarded a Bravery Medal from the Royal Humane Society in 1975.
In addition, three members of Surf Life Saving NSW received the prestigious Emergency Service Medal.
Andrew Edmunds ESM (Broulee Surfers SLSC) has been at the forefront of emergency services operations with Surf Life Saving NSW at the state, branch and club levels. As a State Duty Officer, Andy coordinates major emergency incidents occurring along the coast. Within the Far South Coast Branch, Andy coordinates support operations, management of incidents, rescue craft operations, incident debriefings and post incident support and has been actively involved in many rescues as a lifesaver and callout team member. He joined as a Nipper in 1995 and obtained his Bronze Medallion in 2000. He has been on both the Broulee and FSC Branch committee for around 20 years. Andy has demonstrated superior dedication and commitment to SLSNSW during his 23 years of excellent service.
David Ellis has been a member of Pacific Palms SLSC since 1993 and has held multiple frontline leadership roles over 30 years including president, vice president, patrol captain and education officer. He is a Life Member of the club and a trainer, assessor and facilitator. David has stalwartly participated in emergency callouts for 30 years and in 2012 as president of Pacific Palms SLSC, he successfully advocated for the Council to deploy paid lifeguards at Elizabeth Beach during holiday periods. Throughout his 30-year career in Surf Life Saving, he has shown outstanding leadership and dedication to excellence, culminating in his appointment as SLSNSW liaison officer during the 2021 Taree floods. He has forged better outcomes for the community such as the introduction of paid lifeguards and the installing of public access defibrillators in the local area.
Rod McDonagh (South West Rocks SLSC) has been an advocate for marine and aquatic safety over decades of service, specialising in emergency management and incident response. He continues to be involved in all levels of Surf Life Saving including patrols, emergency response, education and training and asset maintenance. Rod has responded to many serious critical incidents and search and rescue operations during his time as a volunteer and in his professional career as a NSW maritime officer. Rod is regarded as a leader in this field and has been integral to obtaining rescue equipment and developing Standard Operating Procedures as the president of the Mid North Coast Branch. Rod ensures that ongoing training and assets within the Branch are of the highest standard, continually encouraging and supporting new members to join the Support Operations team. He leads on inter-agency collaboration and has developed strong networks with local emergency services within the area.
Monday 10 June 2024