The NSW Awards of Excellence is a night to celebrate the incredible people in our organisation and the impact they have on their clubs, its members and their local communities. In 2025, the three southernmost Branches in NSW are well represented with many exceptional finalists.
Ahead of the AOE on 16 August, we are shining a light on some of these inspirational people who are being recognised for their contribution to the community through Surf Life Saving.
Spanning the coastline between Helensburgh-Stanwell Park SLSC and Pambula SLSC, 33 clubs across three Branches cover an enormous stretch from the Illawarra to the Far South Coast and do an incredible amount of heavy lifting to keep the public safe.
Since 1998 at the NSW Awards of Excellence, individuals, teams and initiatives have been honoured with 69 category wins, with history indicating that Training and core volunteerism are two major strengths – six times the state’s best Trainer has come from the south, while a further eight times they have celebrated the Volunteer of the Year.
An impressive five of those eight have come from the Far South Coast, though the most recent was Wendy Law from Broulee Surfers SLSC in 2019. Batemans Bay SLSC’s Garry Griffiths will be hoping to make it six wins for the Branch this year.
Far South Coast has also picked up the Branch of the Year award on five occasions, most recently also in 2019, and has won 21 overall state awards over the past 27 years.
Illawarra Branch leads the way for the southern Branches in that respect, having picked up 40 state awards, while the South Coast has earned eight.
Among its 40 wins, the Illawarra has proven its membership is consistent and capable, with multiple wins in most award categories over time. It is yet to have a Youth Athlete of the Year winner, with Wollongong City SLSC’s Nicholas Aivaliotis the great hope in 2025 to break that drought.
Support Operations Member of the Year and Official of the Year are both also categories Illawarra members are yet to taste victory in; Gunther Enthaler from Woonona SLSC and Mark Thompson from Helensburgh-Stanwell Park are the region’s finalists this time around.
Bulli SLSC continues to be the Illawarra’s beacon in Surf Sports – all six previous Athlete of the Year and Surf Sports Team of the Year winners for the Branch have come from that club. Their all-conquering Open Male Surf Boat Crew is aiming to go back-to-back in the Team category.
Another surf boat crew contesting the category is the Batemans Bay ‘Banshees’ Masters Womens Crew, while their sweep, Neil Innes is also up for Coach of the Year. The Far South Coast has never had a Surf Sports award winner at state level.
Twice in the past they have won the Community Education Program of the Year, though, and it’ll be Batemans Bay once again up for the big honour in that category with its Surf Awareness Program. Broulee Surfers SLSC was the last Branch winner here, picking up the award in 2018.
Former Junior Lifesaver of the Year for the Far South Coast Branch, Rosie McPartland will contest the Athlete of the Year category on behalf of Broulee Surfers, and Kym O’Halloran of Pambula SLSC could become the region’s second state Administrator of the Year, after Bermagui SLSC’s Cheryl McCarthy did it – herself also a former Surf Lifesaver of the Year – in 2018.
On the NSW Surf Lifesaver of the Year, four times they have come from the three southern Branches. This year Michael Russo from Fairy Meadow SLSC, Nicholas Mulholland from Kiama Downs SLSC and Scott Kemmis from Broulee Surfers are a chance to win the night’s blue-chip award.
Thursday 7 August 2025