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Hazardous weather conditions are forecast for the NSW coastline from today, Monday 13 July, through much of this week.
Despite the NSW bushfire crisis reducing summer beach attendance and the COVID-19 pandemic bringing an early end to the 2019/20 patrol season, there were a higher than average number of coastal drownings during one of the most unusual patrol seasons on record.
Wednesday 1 July 2020 marks 40 years since women were given the opportunity by Surf Life Saving Australia to achieve their Bronze Medallions, don the iconic red and yellow patrol uniform and actively patrol Australian beaches as surf lifesavers.
It was August 1980 and Sue Martin was fit, loved the beach and wanted to be a surf lifesaver. It was pre-season and she was told that for the first time ever, a squad of women were about to start training at Austinmer Beach. The water was cold, but it was a great opportunity to do her Bronze Medallion, so she asked to be included in the squad.
Forty years ago,Port Kembla’s Nella Keenan (nee Risi) and seven other young women became the first females in Australia to obtain their Surf Life Saving Bronze Medallions. It didn’t seem like a big deal to Nella back then, but for thousands of women today who benefitted from the inroads they made, it was a significant achievement.
"Still, to this day I don't know if anyone told me what was coming, whether I'd actually believe it."
Surf Life Saving NSW has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Gus Worland’s Gotcha4Life, as both organisations look to help build mental fitness and turn the tide on declining mental health and the increase in suicide within communities.
Surf Life Saving NSW President George Shales OAM and CEO Steven Pearce have announced a record funding package for all surf clubs in NSW to help them recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The life saving rescue of a 32-year-old rock fisher, who was swept into the water without a life jacket, has been awarded the Surf Life Saving NSW Rescue of the Month for March 2020.
