Congratulations to the members of Surf Life Saving NSW who have been named in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours list.
Michael Bate has received an AM for significant service to Surf Life Saving and to business. A former Director of Surf Sport for SLSNSW, he first joined Towradgi SLSC in the late 1960s and is the president of Freshwater SLSC.
He is a Branch, State and National life member, and has made a significant contribution to surf sports as a championship referee, competition official, team manager and committee member over many decades.
Receiving OAMs in 2025 include World Champion ocean paddler Dean Gardiner, who has been a member of Manly and Nth Curl Curl SLSCs. Louise and Peter Lambeth from Ocean Beach SLSC have both received OAMs as recognition of their significant contribution to drowning prevention through initiatives including publishing the Annie and the Waves children’s books and volunteering as Beach to Bush presenters for many years.
Ray Petersen OAM from Manly LSC chairs the SLSNSW History Panel and has volunteered countless hours to preserving and recognising the enormous contribution surf lifesavers and clubs have made to the community.
Ray is a life member at club, Branch and State level and boasts a revered history in surf swimming and R&R, where he was a club coach in both disciplines for almost four decades. Across 55 years in the movement, he has held many roles through the organisation including Vice President, Patrol Captain and Education Officer.
Bondi SBLSC life member Peter Quartly has received an OAM for services to Surf Life Saving along with Tamarama SLSC life member, Edward Gilroy.
In addition, two members also received the prestigious Emergency Service Medal.
Shaleigh Lennox of Cooks Hill SLSC has demonstrated over 30 years of exceptional service in lifesaving and emergency management within the Hunter region.
She has held numerous frontline roles, including Patrol Captain and Zone Supervisor. Since 2009, she has served almost 1,200 hours in Support Operations and as a Duty Officer, attending to emergencies and frontline incidents, in addition to fulfilling standard beach patrol duties.
Her contributions to education include developing assessment tools for the Hunter branch, which became templates for national standards, and her service also extended to disaster response, playing a critical role in floods and extreme weather events in her region for almost 20 years.
Doug Lucas of Garie SLSC, among several clubs across Sydney and the Northern Beaches, has demonstrated exceptional leadership and dedication in the emergency management space over many decades and continues to be a frontline responder and leader.
An integral member and current captain of Surf Rescue 30 (SR30), the Offshore Rescue Boat within Surf Life Saving Sydney Branch, has responded to many major maritime rescues, searches and recoveries in challenging conditions and has amassed over 6,500 volunteer patrol hours and over 25 years as a Duty Officer and Rescue Water Craft operator.
A current trainer with over 23 years of consecutive service, Doug is an assessor for key frontline lifesaving awards and has showcased his versatility and expertise in different operational aspects of emergency response as a Forward Commander and Duty Officer in SLSNSW flood and bush fire deployments.
“I want to congratulate all our members honoured this year and thank them for their significant contributions to our great movement. I’m extremely proud that Surf Life Saving attracts and retains members of such a calibre who continue to serve their clubs and the community. This is well deserved recognition,” SLSNSW President Peter Agnew AM said.
Monday 9 June 2025