There was plenty to celebrate for a number of Surf Life Saving members who have been recognised for their outstanding contributions to not only the movement, but also to their communities when the annual Queen’s Birthday Honours list was announced on Monday.
Surf Life Saving NSW would like to take this opportunity to formally congratulate the current and former members who have been honoured in 2018.
“To receive an Order of Australia Medal or a Member of the Order of Australia Award is a significant achievement and one that deserves to be celebrated and acknowledged widely,” said SLSNSW CEO Steven Pearce.
“We have consistently said that our members are our greatest asset, and all of those who have achieved recognition this year are outstanding members of their respective communities.
“They embody the volunteer spirit of Surf Life Saving and have devoted many years of service to the movement. I would like to thank them for all their efforts and reiterate our pride in their many outstanding achievements,” he said.
Order of Australia Medal (OAM) Recipients 2018
Christopher Allum OAM
For service to lifesaving
Chris is one of the most accomplished surf sport athletes in Australia, having enjoyed a stellar career at all levels first as a competitor, and now making waves as a coach.
Although he plies his trade for Queenscliff SLSC these days, it was further south at Cronulla and Wanda where he first made his mark.
Chris represented NSW for 13 seasons and captained the State team on multiple occasions, along with receiving the honour of SLSNSW Athlete of the Year in 2003-2008 and in 2010.
The former World Champion surf swimmer and nine-time NSW Open Surf Race winner was a regular in Australian teams and in 2011 had the honour of captaining his country at the German Cup.
A strong advocate for athletes, he has been involved in a number of commissions and served as the Australian Team Representative on the Surf Sports Athletes Commission.
He is a recipient of the Australian Olympic Committee Medal for Excellence in 2006, and won the Peter Lacey Memorial Medal in 2005.
Paul Fownes OAM
For service to lifesaving
The current president of South Maroubra SLSC has contributed significantly to his club over many years.
He is a former director of lifesaving, building coordinator, and coordinator for the U18s, and has previously captained his patrol.
Paul’s dedication to his club has seen him awarded a South Maroubra Honour Blazer, Clubman of the Year award in 2012, and life membership.
Ross Foster OAM
For service to the community of Kempsey
Ross Foster is an icon of his local area and has been extensively involved in community service for many years.
His involvement in the surf club stretches back to 2002 and he has served two terms as club President from 2006-2009, and again last season.
He has recently stepped into the role of Vice-President, a position he previously held.
Off the beach, Ross spent 11 years as race director for the Macleay Marathon and was the foundation president of the Kempsey Jogging and Triathlon Club.
His interest in water safety incorporates a decade as coordinator for Learn to Swim Kempsey and as a volunteer examiner for Royal Life Saving Society NSW Branch.
Keith Kennedy OAM
For service to lifesaving
There are very few positions that NSW Life Member Keith Kennedy hasn’t held at his beloved Cudgen Headland club, which he joined in 1954.
He has served as Assistant Secretary, President, club historian, Secretary, Chief Instructor, publicity officer and coach.
Outside of the club environment he has been a branch selector for 25 years and also served a stint as Vice-President.
In recent years he continues to utilise his experience by serving on committees when the big events come to town. In 2014 and 2017 he was the chair of the Australian Inflatable Rescue Boat Committee.
Keith has also officiated at 35 Australian Championships and in 1993 was a founder of the Cudgen Surf Club Old Boys.
Scott Levi OAM
For service to the broadcast media industry, and to the community
Since 2003 Scott Levi’s voice has been a constant presence on the airwaves of ABC Central Coast.
He is a passionate advocate of water safety, playing an integral role in ensuring that the local population receive the most up-to-date information about weather warnings and key policy developments. He is a strong supporter of Surf Life Saving on the Central Coast.
His passion for the environment is highlighted in almost every broadcast and he takes great delight in talking about the region’s many magnificent waterways.
Scott is a former patrolling member of Terrigal SLSC.
Patricia Newton OAM
For service to surf lifesaving
In 1998 Trish Newton made Australian history by becoming the first female president of any surf club in Australia when she was voted into the top job at Dee Why SLSC.
It was a position she would hold until the end of the 2000 season, but this glass-breaking moment is by no means her only contribution to the movement, stretching back to the time she joined in 1983.
She continues to serve on many committees utilising her considerable talent, and is a former SLSNSW Administrator of the Year and received the International Crisis Response Leadership Award from the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation in 2015.
But it is Trish’s pioneering work as the founding chair and coordinator of the Traumatic Incident Peer Support Team (TIPS) in 1993 that is perhaps her most important legacy.
The TIPS program plays a crucial part in ensuring the welfare and mental well-being of members in the Sydney Northern Beaches Branch after attending critical incidents, and is arguably the best established program of its type in Australia.
Andrew Winters OAM
For service to surf lifesaving
Andrew Winters has been heavily involved in Surf Life Saving since he joined the movement back in 1975.
He originally joined Bondi Surf Bathers, a club where he retains competition rights, but in recent years he has continued his day-to-day involvement at Mollymook SLSC.
Some of his many achievements while at Bondi include 10 years as boat captain, a three-year stint as treasurer, and two separate terms as President in 1981-84, and from 2009 until the end of the 2014 season.
Outside of Surf Life Saving he is involved with the Milton Ulladulla Parkinson's Disease Support Group, and is a volunteer director of the Clovelly Community Bank Branch, Bendigo Bank.
Member (AM) In the General Division of the Order of Australia
Robert Bradley AM
For significant service to sport through management and community development, and as an advocate for health and water safety initiatives
While he is not a member of Surf Life Saving, Robert Bradley has contributed to water safety and drowning prevention through a number of organisations and is a Grand Knight in the Order of Lifesaving, International Lifesaving Federation (ILS).
He spent 12 years as Vice President of the ILS, serving on many committees during that time, as well as being heavily involved in the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia including a stint as the CEO. He was also the inaugural chair of the Australian Water Safety Council from 1998 -2013.
For a full list of the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours Recipients, please click here
Tuesday 12 June 2018