Garie Surf Life Saving Club Annual Report 2019-20

NATIONAL PARKS & WILDLIFE SERVICE Peter PEARCE OAM
LITTLE GARIE CABIN COMMUNITY Steve STRANGE OAM
BELGRAVIA LEISURE Neville NOLAN
AUBURN RUTH EVERUSS POOL Peter JOHNSON
Craig DOUGLAS (CORNERSTONE ADVISORY) Peter BURST
Michael SOMMERVILLE (REDMOND HALE SIMPSON) Peter COLLINS
Yusra METWALLY (SWIM SISTERS) Keith MIDSON
Kari BAYNES (DIFFERENT STROKES) Monica HOFFMAN
Cheryl CHRISTIANSEN (BEYOND PROPERTY) John QUINN
Margaret & Stephen DAVEY (GARIE KIOSK) Anne BATES
Shaun ELWOOD & Mel KEITH (NPWS) Doug HAWKINS
Gladys BEREJIKLIAN MP
Linda VOLTZ MP
Lee EVANS MP
Craig KELLY MP
BELGRAVIA LEISURE (RUTH EVERUSS POOL)
Yusra METWALLY (SWIM SISTERS)
Kari BAYNES (DIFFERENT STROKES)
Lisa INGRAM (BUNDEENA BOWLING CLUB)

Network 10

Thankyou to the Team at Network 10 not only your generous support of Garie SLSC this season; but the
numerous clubs that you supported for the 2019/2020 season.
Your support this season has allowed us to purchase new boards, PPE/Apparel, a new nipper tent,
amongst other incidentals for our Junior Section this season.

Our Affiliates

Thankyou Surf Life Saving NSW and the Surf Life Saving Foundation for conducting fundraising on behalf of
clubs and branches. Conducting fundraising efforts centrally frees up our members time to focus their
energy and resources on lifesaving activities – their number one mission

The entire team at Surf Life Saving Sydney Branch who has worked closely with our club this year.

Government Recognition National Sponsors 2019/20

NSW Government’s Department of Justice (Office of Emergency BRP

Management) for the ongoing funding of state-wide operations, DHL

which benefit all members through our co-operative agreement. Dulux

NSW Government for the support provided through The Office of Holden

Sport. State Sponsors 2019/20

Federal Government for the Beach Safety Equipment Funding which Cancer Institute NSW

directed $5,000 to every SLSC for the purchase of vital rescue Dolphin

equipment, first aid and medical supplies. Energy Locals

Federal Government for the VET Funding which enabled hundreds of Envirobank

assessors to update their training qualifications and provided clubs Midford

with updated training equipment including QCPR manikins and Sharkskin

tablets. Your Local Club

Branch Sponsors 2019/20

Sydney Airport
DHL
PKF



BOARD OF DIRECTORS NON BOARD OFFICER

President: Bradley TAYLOR Vice President: Phil GRIFFITHS
Director of Administration: Patricia DILLON Patron: Robert FORD
Director of Operations: Jessika HAY Club Historian: Rita TAYLOR
Director of Finance: Owen SKJEIME IT Manager: Angus DILLON
Director of Junior Development: Stephanie GRIFFITHS Education Manager: Mikala WELSH
Director of Member Services: Lhyriel SMITH Recruitment Manger: Rebecca Heron-Dowling*
Director of Business Development: Frank ZUMBO CTO: Nick Tyler
Vanguard CTO: Brett WALKER
ICT Officer : Angus DILLON LICENSEE & MPIO : Karen COOK
I Bar Manager: Shanen Pickles
RACE Secretaries : Mary Jane & Glenn HAY
FIRST AID Officer : Terry WATTERS
IRB CAPTAIN : Louise SKJEIME
QUAD CAPTAIN: Paul GOODYER
Gear Steward: Paul COOTES
HON Auditor: Craig DOUGLAS
HON Solicitor: Michael SOMMERVILLE
Water Safety Officer: Matt BYRNE
Grievance Officer: Peter COLLINS

I officially became a member in 1960 although I had been coming down to Garie since before I was
born, having a father who was a member from before the second world war, so I guess I didn’t
have much choice.

Being asked to be Patron of the club is a great honour, although thinking about it, it must mean
that I’m getting old, as most of the preceding patrons have moved to a better place, at least I hope
it’s better. Although I’ve held a number of positions in the club over the years, I guess I haven’t
really thought about what the Patron does. I’m still not quite sure.

I haven’t been to the club much in the last few years as I am supposed to keep out of the sun … a bit
hard!

Garie is a unique club … we don’t have a town like country clubs, or suburbs like city clubs. Even
Era and Burning Palms have the shack population to back them up. We have always struggled for
members and have relied on current members to bring friends along to join the club. It has been
interesting to watch the changes in people’s priorities, from coming in the back of a truck every
Sunday for the whole day, to everyone having their own transport and only coming down when
they are on Patrol. I liken it to the difference in being a soldier in the First World War to a soldier in
Afghanistan. The advances in equipment and technology are unbelievable but the job remains the
same.

I would like to congratulate the current committee on the amazing job that they are doing in some
very trying times. Taking on the extra work of running the club can be a big job, but it can also be
rewarding. Although patrolling at Garie can be a hard job, no other beach that I know has such a
stunning setting as Garie has. I never get tired of standing on the beach and looking north. Even
being out the back and looking back at the beach is a setting like no other, and a sight you never
get tired of.

Once again, I would like to congratulate the committee on a very tough job well done, and wish
the incoming committee all the best for the coming season.

Bob Ford
Patron

The 78th Annual General
meeting pf the members of Garie Surf Life Saving Club Incorporated will be held online
via MS Teams and we cordially invite you to attend.

Agenda.

• Opening of Meeting
• Apologies and Proxies
• Confirmation of Minutes of the 77th Annual General Meeting
• Presentation of the 78th Annual Report
• Presentation of the Income and Expenditure Statement and Balance Sheet
• Election of Officers for the 2020-2021 season
• General Business

Patricia Dillon
Director of Administration
Garie Surf Life Saving Club Incorporated

Statutory Declaration.

In the opinion of the management committee, the past years operation and activities are faithfully
recorded, and the Income and Expenditure and Balance Sheets are a true and accurate record of
the clubs financial activities during the season of 2018-19. Garie SLSC Management Committee

What a year. We started the season in drought then the country's worst fires in history which was only
put out by the summer rains that ended up causing flooding in many areas. After settling down from
all the natural disasters the COVID19 Pandemic hit which lead to our patrol season being reduced by
about a month due to Social Distancing laws. But we at Garie were not phased by these events, at SLS
Sydney's Awards of Excellence Garie had finalists in eight categories and went on to win five of these.
The top two awards being Lifesaver of the Year, won by our Director of Operations Jess Hay and SLS
Sydney's Club of the Year.

Winning Club of the Year is a great boost for our club and I must thank our members for the big effort
put in to improve our club and all the visiting surf clubs for their valued assistance with our patrols,
this enabled our members to focus on recruitment, training and restructuring of our committee. I
believe it has also assisted all those who participated and our members to gain new skills and
knowledge through the cross pollination of ideas and experience. SLS Sydney's Branch Management
team worked tirelessly with our Board to get our recruitment initiative, the Garie Vanguard, up and
running resulting in a number of very keen new members. These members are now patrolling,
assisting with our nippers and even now, during the off season, are working with our Education Team
to recruit new patrol members and prepare them for their Bronze Training.

The team at the Royal National Park headed up by the Area Manager, Shaun Elwood, has been
working closely with our Board to upgrade our clubhouse and the Garie Valley. The team at the Royal
National Park headed up by the Area Manager, Shaun Elwood, has been working closely with our
Board to upgrade our clubhouse and the Garie Valley. There is still a lot more work to be done but we
now have potable water (fresh drinking water) coming out of our taps thanks to a new water
purification system. We have upgraded our solar system so we are less reliant on the generator for
power. We have fixed our security systems and safety lighting around the building and completed
some much needed maintenance. I must say all this work would not have been possible without the
assistance of our local Federal Member, Craig Kelly, our local State Member, Lee Evans, Surf Life
Saving NSW, Surf Life Saving Sydney and the Surf Life Saving Foundation's Grant Seeking Unit. All
these people assisted in providing advice and much needed funds to make this happen.

The Board also introduced an Education Team to ensure our members were proficient and following a
clear training path to advance their skills. This is a very enthusiastic team and through their efforts and
initiatives Garie saw our awards go from 7 in the previous season to 62 this season plus an additional
60 Surf Ed Awards from our Nippers, a fantastic improvement and I'm sure we will keep seeing great
things from this team.

Our Junior Activities (Nippers) Section had a new management team this season, despite all the
hurdles put in their way they managed to run a full program once again. This season Channel 10 came
on board as a major supporter of our Nippers and through their generosity we upgraded much of their
equipment.

I'm sure the coming season will be much bigger As always our members are being
encouraged to further their lifesaving experience by joining the Branch Support Operations Group
(SOG), this season we have members patrolling on the Branch Jet Skis and Surf Rescue 30 as well as
taking on roles on Branch Committees.

8These members are furthering their lifesaving skills and knowledge which they then put into practice
when doing beach patrols at Garie.

We have also seen an increase in members becoming involved in competition, we I would like to thank
our members for pitching in where they could and our very keen and hardworking Board and club
officers who made this a positive and progressive season,

Oh, and did I mention we won SLS Sydney's Club of the Year! See you all in the coming season.

ADMINISTRATION
REPORT

Patricia Dillon
Director of Member Services

Fellow club members, it is with pleasure that I present to you the Annual Report and Financial
statements of Garie Surf Life Saving Club Incorporated.

If I had the gift of foresight, I would have warned you all to “fasten your seatbelts, we are in for a
bumpy ride”

Bushfires, big seas, pandemic, no one even noticed the funnel web plague.

So I won’t be beating around the bush here. To emerge from the past season as SLS Sydney Club of
the year is absolute testament to the mateship, quality and perseverance of us all who have
committed to guard what is a challenging stretch of a vast coastline, Congratulations to
everyone. Be very proud!

Adversity will always be the test for any group working together, either the cracks will begin to
show, and the whole lot comes tumbling down, or the resolve of the group will strengthen. We
were called upon on more than a couple of occasions to come to agreement on matters that were
evolving way beyond what anyone would consider normal operations. And those decisions had to
be made quickly and enacted with speed. And Im thankful and proud to be part of a team who
never missed a beat. If anything the difficulties faced together resulted in a strengthening of
bonds and a determination to bring out our best game and play it hard. Which we did. Kudos to
you all.

It stands to reason, that ultimately these decisions will affect one of the group the most, as they
are the board member who will have to oversee and enact the decisions made at the meeting
table. Most of the onus fell on the shoulders of our Club Captain Jessika, the manner with which
Jess held herself as a strong leader of the active membership of the club is outstanding. But it’s
now not just all of us that know how good she is, and she was rightly awarded SLS Sydney
Lifesaver of the Year. Hearty Congratulations Jess! And congratulations to you too Glenn and MJ.
Thanks for giving birth to her.

I normally try to ignore the President, but this time I cant. Brad led us through a challenging time
here. We have a lot of talented people, and talented people are intelligent, a few intelligent people
together having a bit of a debate can be frustrating to chair, all those ideas flying at once need
listening to and guidance I think there may have been a few occasions that he might have wanted
to strangle some of us. But we were on video meetings, so he couldn’t, which makes it even
funnier. Behind it all, Brad was sourcing and sorting grants, networking on our behalf at many
levels, and his commitment to moving ahead will be responsible for the long overdue works that
we now see starting around the clubhouse.

We had club members, who put their hands up on a few occasions to be deployed during the latest
devastating bushfire crisis. Thanks to you all, you helped us step into our role as an emergency
service with little fuss. You are given due recognition in the operations report, so Im not going to
steal Jess’s thunder. Thanks to Bundeena RFS for showing hospitality to our personnel over the
course of what were both tiring and worrying days for all.

We made many new friends as the Vanguard program went from idea, to real life in what seemed
like an instant. Its been absolutely wonderful to welcome people to our club, who, a few years ago,
never dreamt that they would one day slap on a patrol cap, compete, play, and work alongside us.
Thank you and again , a hearty welcome to our newest members, you can be very proud of your
achievements this past season. You share in this seasons success as you are part of the program
that has been recognised as SLS Community Education program of the year! In fact me-thinks the
club competition might have to amp up, as I have observed some pretty promising competitors

amongst our newest members. Watch out guys, they are coming for you, and pretty fast by the
looks of it.

And that leads me to competition, Thanks to Glenn and MJ Hay for running the races. Its great to
see Sunday races back, you two would already know what a good job you are doing by the smiling
faces around you when you step on the sand. Great work! And it’s much appreciated by all.

I would also like to take stock of the amount of work our Director of Junior Development Stephanie
Griffiths took on this season. It was Steph’s first season in the position, but as a former age
manager, she was well placed to step into the role, which Steph did very well indeed. Her
leadership of the junior section of our club is very admirable as she concentrates on steering her
little lifesavers towards hopefully a long association with the movement. Steph works closely with
operational and education teams, and has a clear vision of where they need to be going to get as
much happiness out of the experience of nippers, both for the parents and the kids.

I cannot write a report without mentioning “power couple” Owen and Louise Skjeime. As our
director of finance, Owen is already under the hammer, but he is always buzzing around helping
out fellow officers with other jobs as well, and always with a ready smile. Louise is solidly building
the IRB section and is closer towards her goal of taking us out there competitively, anyone who
wishes to get involved in the powercraft, don’t hesitate, see Louise, there’s fun to be had. Also,
congratulations are in order. It was great to be amongst the group of people from Garie that got
together early one overcast morning to support Louise as she attained her SLSA gold medallion.
(Like she needs our help) It was great fun cheering her on, but I think we may have embarrassed
her a bit, as quiet achievers like Louise, normally don’t have a loud cheer squad following them
around. Never mind Louise, you will just have to get used to it!

Recognition also to our Director of member services Lhyriel Smith. Lhyriel wasn’t really able to
stretch his wings and soar this season, sadly his family farm was impacted by bush fire, and pretty
much everything he had in the pipeline was stymied by frustrating problems like weather, fire,
pestilence and plague. We look forward to next season where the social side of the club can
flourish under his guidance. There are great ideas in the pipeline.

On the long weekend this past October we had a small get together to welcome our new fridge.
Who would have thought that a beautiful new double doored fridge would be such a morale
booster? Our Licensee Karen Cook secured the deal, no doubt with her own slick style of
negotiating and Tony, Matt and Dave jumped in to get the monolith over the bar quick-smart
before anyone changed their minds. Our gratitude to Lisa Ingram and Bundeena Bowling club for
our newest lifesaving equipment. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

From the administration side of the operation, I have to thank Angus for his hard work at the
keyboard, and his solid work supporting the board this season, whilst all the while, refining
systems which will hold the club in good stead for the future.

No one can dispute the amount, nor quality of the work put in by the education team, the proof is
in the pudding with Garie being awarded SLS Sydney’s Most awards in district title for the RNP.
Congratulations and thank-you to Mikala Welsh and Nick Tyler. Your efforts and ideas, and the
way you deliver them are to be admired by all.

I have to make special mention and thanks to Life Member “Hollywood Bob” Glasson. On the
occasions that the club is called upon to help out at an early morning film shoot, Bob is always
happy to volunteer to be on the beach at ungodly hours to welcome the beautiful young models,

and perhaps have breakfast with them. What an absolute champion to throw yourself under the
bus like that Bob! Legend.

Of course there must be many individuals within and indeed outside the clubs ranks that come
together to help a club prosper, and they should be thanked for their support for the past season.

Our utmost gratitude and respect to our brothers and sisters from other Sydney clubs who have
extended the hand of friendship and support when their mate was in a “bind” Our successes are
also yours.

The Grant seeking units volunteers have been delightful to work with, these people genuinely
have our good interests at heart. Our gratitude to Susan Ahmelman and Megan McKay for their
continued support and advice.

The assistance we receive from the outstanding staff at the branch office.

Thankyou to SLS Sydney Board of management for their ongoing care and support.

Channel 10 for their sponsorship of our juniors this past season.

Peter Burst for his assistance with our IRB section. He is the engine guru, and we are very lucky to
have his help.

National Parks and Wildlife service. RNP

Lee Evans

Frank Zumbo

This report is getting very long, it was a big season, and there are many people to thank for their
part in our success. And I sincerely apologise if I have forgotten anyone. But be secure in the
knowledge that your part this past season has contributed to the ongoing support of our
lifesaving operations, and saving lives is our core business. Congratulations and thanks to our
great patrolling members, the work you do is the most important of all, you are the reason we are
here.

In summation Ladies and Gentlemen, I am happy to report to you that we have completed a
challenging season and come out the other end a multi award winning club, with a board of
directors which is even stronger, determined and more experienced than before because of the
obstacles put in its way. Whatever the immediate future holds, bring it on! I’m pretty confident we
can deal with it.

OPERATIONS
REPORT

Jessika Hay
Director of Operations

No lives lost while patrolling… only a select few surf lifesaving clubs can proudly announce this,
Garie being one of them. This is still something we can proudly announce after this season.

The club has developed so much this year and its been a truly incredible opportunity to be a part of
it. I would like to thank a few key people for this development. The excellent leadership and
business development through Brad over the past season and a half has been the driving force in
the improvements we have all seen. Behind the scenes we have also had our Director of
Administration, Pat Dillon, apply for grants, and support all the directors throughout our
ventures. You’ve spent tireless hours working on everything to keep us alive and running
smoothly, thankyou for your continued guidance throughout the season. Owen, you have been a
welcomed addition to the board from the end of last season. Your serious game face, knowledge,
and level head have allowed us to spend and save money where appropriate. This allowed us to
make new additions to our gear and equipment. This year we welcomed Stephanie to the team as
our JAC. This is a ginormous job and Steph has done an excellent job to keep our junior activities
up and running and developing continuously. You can see it on the kids’ faces on nippers days
that they love what you have made for them. Thank you for looking after our future and creating a
“one club” environment with me. 2020 has been a real challenge for our Members Services
Director, between drought, fires and a pandemic Lhyriel remained committed to as many
committee and planning meetings, training days, and his own patrols. Lhyriel and I have spent
many hours together this season, working on things to congratulate and celebrate our members. I
would like to thank Lhyriel for his dedication this season, and the hours he has spent with myself
applying for awards and planning events. I’d also like to commend the work of Angus Dillon this
season, although he is not a Director he has assisted every single one us, with marketing, business
development, advertising, merch designs, switching us to a fully functioning online setting,
developing programs, redesigning the website, the list is honestly endless, thank you for bringing
us into the 21st century. To all the Directors, congratulations on your incredibly hard work behind
the scenes this year, what we’ve achieved as a team is incredible.

What a year it has been for my lifesaving team! Thank you for your continued support and
dedication to your areas, so the teams below you have the easiest time possible while
volunteering. This season has seen minimal bumps and things messing up on us, which has been
reliving for us all. Louise has transformed the condition of our IRB’s and the motors this season so
we can begin to use them for racing in the upcoming seasons. She also managed to put through a
team of new crewies for our patrols. On top of this she has also assisted me in the lifesaving
portion and possible my sanity this season. We didn’t bandage up as many people this season so
our first aid gear has remained in excellent condition and our stocks are always perfect thanks to
Terry, with some grants coming through we were also able to add 2 new oxygen resuscitation
bags. We had a slight speed bump to the start of the season with the ATV having a popped tire
from a visiting club and then some electrical issues, but with some hard work from Goody, Owen
and Cootsey we had it running perfect for the entire season. We also had Glenn and Mary-Jane
running the races this season once again, they have done a fantastic job in teaching the new
comers flags, sprints, board, and swim races. Everyone truly loved racing this year and if we had a
few extra weeks we would have gotten through more of the perpetual and memorial trophies.
Congratulations to everyone who has won something, please join in next season. The education
team, both who never ask for a thanks, however, they seriously deserve it this season. Both Mikala
and Nick came on board just after the start of the season and man, did I have a job for them. We
had things flying everywhere with the Vanguard program, which they handled with extreme poise
and control. Last season without a team behind education we managed to put through a lonely 7
awards, well, this season with some extremely hard work, some new members, and a bit of

interest from our existing members we managed to put through 72 new awards! This also left us
awarded at the awards of excellence with Most Awards per Operational Area 2019/20- RNP.
Thankyou Mikala and Nick, your dedication to your new club brings a welcomed light to us.
Cootsey and I had a huge job starting this season, we added a few new pieces of gear, and
attacked gear inspection head on. Managing to come out it with no incomplete items and nothing
to chase up, a first in quite some time. Cootsey continues to fix and patch all our issues with gear
with a fine-tooth comb. Along with some grant money coming through we were also able to add, 3
new rescue boards, 11 new tubes, 6 new IRB PFD’s and 2 new radios. Some well needed upgrades
and important resources for our teams. With some new patrol captains starting this year it saw
some re-developments within patrols. I’d like to congratulate patrol captains for keeping control
and managing each day professionally, conducting numerous rescues, and providing additional
education to your teams while on patrol. You are the real driving force to saving lives at Garie.
Thank you to my team, a wonderful year to work with you and I hope we can continue this path
next season.

To my patrolling members you have taken everything thrown at you this year with extreme poise
and professionalism, you are what makes this club what it is today. You completed 1501.50 hours;
this would have been even more should the season not have ended 9 patrols short. In comparison
and to show that we are taking on more hours, to eventually be independently capable of service
again, last season- being a full season- we completed 1471.5 hours.

With the change to the committee structure I was really able to develop a team under me that I
would see results from, this was evident by mid-way through the season, we had our education
team engaging with members, everyone had passed their proficiencies, training had increased,
we had a community education program in the works, we had new assets being added to our gear
and equipment and the remainder of the gear working perfectly, almost every patrolling member
had upgraded or achieved a new award and almost every patrol were sufficiently covering their
awards on their patrol dates.

With this being our first season considered a part of the emergency services we were thrown some
new adventures. On 3 separate occasions during summer instead of finding a patrol on Garie
Beach we were asked to stand guard on Horderns Beach in Bundeena in case a fire were to appear
within the National Park and we would be utilized as a remote retrieval service. Id like to thank
Bundeena RFS for housing us and feeding us during these dates. A notifiable thankyou to Louise,
Karen, Cootsey, Brett, Tony, Owen and Paul W for attending these days, they were hot and long
but you were all professional and we managed to have some fun.

When the call went out for help with the under 11’s development camp held at Deer Park, Cootsey
and myself set up a duck and headed for the kids. We spent a solid 2 hours switching kids in and
out with Cootsey doing his absolute best to drive kids into rocks and thrown them out. Its great to
get involved with other branch run activities to really show how committed we are as a club.

Along with a new team, its leaders under them and some excellent ground work from Annie Barry
and Rebecca Heron-Dowling, we begun developing a community education program, that’s aims
were to bring new members into the club to assist in patrols. After developing some really great
relationships with Different Strokes Swimming, Swim Sisters and Yusra Metwally, Belgravia
Leisure, Royal lifesaving and developing our relationship further with the Branch leaders from
Members services, Education and Club Development, we were able to design a well-rounded and
supportive education program that guided diverse community members through a pool and
beach based SRC/Bronze course. Along the way we than had Brett Walker jump on board and be
the head trainer for this program and almost single handedly, along with some other Sydney

Branch trainers led the team through the education they would need to patrol at Garie. We now
had our first 10 new recruits training to join us on the beach. There is a separate report about this
so I will not ramble too much but there is incredible, valued potential in this kind of structured
training. I am excited to see where we can take this next season.

We were cut a few weeks short this season with the increasing development of Covid-19, a
precious 9 patrols to be exact. This pandemic closed the Sydney beaches, National Parks, and
numerous other recreational areas. There will be a few changes going into next season, hopefully
nothing we cannot handle. I would like to thank the patrol captains during this time, we had many
variations of rules being thrown at us, including staying open, blocking people from entering the
beach and communicating with their patrols. Very well handled by all.

Membership this season stayed relatively stable, we lost a few key members to active reserve at
the start of the season, but managed to add some personnel to some of our smaller numbered
patrols as the season went on, with the Vanguard program producing some numbers for us. For
those who may be considering leaving next season it is important to understand the active reserve
position, you stay as a member to us with slightly less commitment to the roster.

Time for some stats for you all. Even with our season being cut 9 Garie patrols short we still
delivered some impressive numbers.

Rescues – 26

IRB – 5

Board- 4

Tube – 15

Rescuing floating away toddlers along the shoreline– 2

First Aids- 5

Awards – 72

New Bronze members: 9

New SRC members- 1

In our second year of the Visiting Clubs Program we continued to see an incredible response from
our neighbouring Sydney surf clubs. This program has really turned into a getaway for Sydney
clubs, some turned it into a youth development weekend and others made it a weekend away for
their group of surf club mates and patrolled along with our Garie patrols on the Sunday. This
program continues to support us while we put motions in place to develop Garie operationally.
This season with the Vanguard program and the creation of the operational team, even more than
last season we have set ourselves up for some real progress, that will give us active members and
leaders for the future. Id like to also thanks Gilbert Olzomer for coordinating the visiting clubs all
season, his dedication and commitment to the roster, chasing up clubs the week before and
making sure their visit ran smoothly has made the program the success it has been

Gilbert Olzomer – Saturday program Coordinator

“Visiting Clubs showed commitment to patrolling Garie and looking after the visiting beach goers.
Patrolling Garie often presents a challenge because a lot of the visiting swimmers have limited

ability in the surf and this beach can be particularly dangerous at times, however this challenge
was managed well by visiting Clubs. There were a number of rescues, first aids and responses to
other locations in the National Park for which all visiting Clubs should be congratulated.

It was good to see a number of the Clubs using the opportunity to stay the night, conduct member
training, development and socialise with other Club members. A big thanks to Garie members
who often patrolled alongside visiting members, particularly when visiting patrol numbers were
short.”

Jackson Towns 2019/20 Sydney Branch Lifesaving Manager

“Congratulations Garie on what has probably been your most successful season in recent history!
Not only was the 2019/20 SLSS Surf Life Saver of the Year awarded to your very own Jessika Hay
for her tremendous efforts throughout the season, Garie SLSC was awarded the SLSS Club of the
Year! The success of the innovative Vanguard program and visiting club program, dedicated
patrolling members and a rescue of the month award culminated in the accolades your club
received this season. Each and every member should be extremely proud of their continued
efforts in supporting Garie Surf Life Saving Club and in turn, supporting the whole Royal National
Park community which is reliant upon your professional and unique beach safety and education. I
look forward to working with you all next season and continuing to strive to achieve the best for
Garie SLSC and it’s valued members!”

Going into next season its incredibly important that we get more active members on the beach;
we have numerous plans as a committee to get these people down there, but it is also important
that we keep our existing members engaged. This takes the Garie committee to provide the
opportunities for everyone to have some fun together, but it also takes those of you who ask for
more from us to show up to these events, come up with some ideas, let us know what you’d like
from us, volunteer in a position you have a passion for or complete a new course. We want to make
this experience as good as possible for you and have a whole heap of fun along the way.

Thankyou for a fantastic year everyone, Congratulations on the awards won at the Awards of
Excellence and all winners at our own presentation night. It has been incredible to be a part of this
club this season, I’ll see you all next season.

Jessika Hay

Director of Operations

Club Captain



JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT
REPORT

Stephanie Griffiths
Director of Junior Development

Well what an interesting season we have had this year.

Wild weather- both fire and rain, park closures, and rounding off the season with the COVID-19
lockdown, which saw an early end to our season.

We had 77 registered nippers this season. They all passed their swim proficiency, and we had 27 of
the 40 eligible attempt and pass their competition ocean proficiency.

We held our swim proficiencies at Engadine Leisure Centre mid September, with Karen and Shanen
as our assessors, and Pat and Angus as our administrators over the weekend. We were able to
complete our ocean proficiencies at the Kurnell Skills Clinic with the help of the other RNP clubs, Era
and Burning Palms. Thanks to all our friends and supporters from senior club for volunteering their
time to come down as Water Safety and Equipment managers on the day.

The season was an interesting one to say the least.

First and foremost I have to say to our nippers - you are an inspiration to our club, your families, and
your friends at Garie. Thanks for trying new things, and trusting us to teach you the fundamentals of
Surf Life Saving. Thank you for always showing respect to your Age Managers and team mates.

We had a fantastic calendar of events this season, some of which we managed to accomplish, and
some – not so much.

Nippers Skills Clinic – We attended the nippers skills Clinic at Kurnell organised by Era SLSC and
Sydney Branch for the RNP nippers again this season. Another hugely successful day with lots of
skills training and refinement with access to trainers of amazing standards in their specialised fields.
Well attended again, and so much gained from the experience.

A beaut day and a great start to the season.

Tamarama Visit - We had Brad Charters and his crew from Tamarama come to visit again this year,
and what a fantastic day that was. We offered them the use of the club for a sleepover the night
before, and both our clubs had an amazing time on the Sunday. It was wonderful to be able to share
information and experiences, and the nippers all did so well together. It’s always great to have the
extra competition and give the nippers a new experience, to push each other through the days
events. We had a wonderful afternoon with them all, and look forward to welcoming them again
next year.

Development Camps – This year we again had offers to attend the Under 11 and Under 13
Development Camps at Deer Park.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any takers for the U11’s this year. Please do think about this next
year as it’s more than worth the time, and your kids will benefit greatly. We had Connor Gerling and
his mum Jenn as minder, attend the U13’s camp. A big thanks to Jess and the IRB crew who also
provided assistance over that weekend.

Nothing but positive feedback from the organisers and attendees. It’s great to see the confidence of
our nippers grow from these camps. It is a wonderful program that only gains importance as the
years go on, and goes a long way in nipper retention and a willingness to continue on their path to
becoming surf life savers.

Twilight Nippers – This is always a favourite event for both young and old at the Juniors. Santa is
always such a hit with the kids and adults, and what a great event to end the year before Christmas.
Unfortunately, this year Santa’s transport (sleigh – read fire engine) was called away to a fire fighting
job and Santa offered to pitch in, so the ATV was called into service and hopefully fulfilled the task
on the day. Fun and lollies aplenty were the order of the day.

Nipper Sleep Over – The event that everyone looks forward was a non-starter this year, but will
return next year bigger and better – watch this space.

Garie Challenge – Again, we were unable to fulfill this event on our calendar this year.

Scheduled for the 5th of April, we were unfortunately in isolation by this date. This is a fantastic
programme, and one that pits our younger nippers against their older counterparts in a team
competition that’s all about using the skills you’ve learned during the season. This event is now a
fixture on our calendar and will be back next year.

A Brief Overview of the Event:

The event has 19 stations and teams have one hour to visit as many stations as they can, all with
varying points scores, and the team with the most points at the end is the winner! An example of a
station activity was “Describe at least 3 unsafe behaviours people do at the beach and 3
preventative actions surf life savers can do.”

It is a wonderful opportunity for the nippers from all age groups to work together as a team. The
littlies love mixing it with their older role models.

RNP District Carnival

Well what can I say – this time nature intervened on the day.

Era SLSC were hosting this year and the plan was to trek around the headland with our banners and
war cries scaring the opposition with our might. We had 16 absolute legends (and their parents)who
met at the Garie clubhouse in the morning. The weather was atrocious, with wind that blew the rain
sideways and sand that stung our legs with its force. The wind was so strong we dare not risk going
around the rocks, so over the top we went. The track was slippery and wet, but we trudged on. Once
at the top we reconnoitred Era beach to see if there were stations set up pending our arrival.
Without being able to make contact with the Club, and with our nippers contemplating another 5-6
hours in driving rain and miserable conditions, a consensus vote was had, with the majority opting to
return to Garie. (I have to say most of the kids were keen to push on – so well done you).

We had Jess and Tony manning the IRB who made it around to Era whilst we headed off on foot. For
their commitment they were treated to a sausage sanga for breakfast, so it wasn’t a total loss. We
will return next year with our heads held high and a winning ethos in our hearts. Thanks to Coop
and Aidan for being our banner men on the day.

Our new partnership

This year we were pleased to welcome Channel 10 as our official partner for the Nippers
programme. They have been very generous with their support, and we have managed to refresh our
age managers uniforms, nipper pinkies, and add new flag/banners and a marquee to our club
equipment. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to host our new sponsors at the club, but we are sure
this will be a lasting partnership, and we will see them on the beach next season.

We have helped promote their flagship television programmes - I’m a Celebrity get me out of here,
Dancing with the Stars and Masterchef on our website and social media, and facilitated online
competitions that they have/are hosting. We have been gifted water bottles and other promotional
material in support of this partnership, for which we are most grateful.

We have launched an online Junior Masterchef competition within the club, with Channel 10’s
blessing, and are looking forward to this continued interaction with our nippers in the off season.

Thank You’s

Thank you to all the parents / carers for bringing your children to nippers at Garie to learn how to go
the beach and have fun within their own capabilities, and develop their skills so that they can go on
to be future lifesavers at Garie Beach and beyond, and maybe one day save a life. Being a volunteer
and part of a community is a wonderful experience and it is known that volunteers are generally
much happier people.

I would like to thank Matt Byrne for Heading up our Water Safety Team again this year, and Andrew
Martin for Heading up our Beach Activities this season. We couldn’t have run the programme
without you. Both seasoned veterans of the programme I hope you will devote your time next
season as well.

Thanks to all the patrolling members who helped with water safety on nippers days – legends.

Matilda Cootes and Ruby Griffiths who are now retiring nippers and fully fledged patrol members.
You guys supported the nippers wherever possible, and your help is greatly appreciated. Our nippers
should look to you as role models and advocates of the surf lifesaving community.

I would like to thank the Club Captain Jess Hay, the Patrol Captains, and our patrolling members for
supporting the juniors program on the beach each Sunday.

I would like to welcome and thank Mikala Welch and Nick Tyler to the club education and training
team this year. Nick has been able to launch an in-house SRC and Bronze Medallion course this year,
which greatly assists us in pushing our members onto greater things.

Mikala managed to get a bunch of us out to the club on a very miserable day to refresh/renew our
First Aid certificates which is also a valuable asset and requirement within the lifesaving community.
Thank you to you both.

I would like to thank the parents who stepped up and gained their Age Manager Awards this season,
you are what helps to make the running of our nipper days so successful. We look forward to more
parents stepping up next season, and expressions of interest are already open.

A huge thank you to our Team of Age Managers – Gina Chowdhury, Carmen Beck, Ross Treleaven,
David Cross, Tony Graham, Glenn Smith, Leonie Giddy and Jenn Gerling. And a special thanks to
those of you who filled the shoes of those who couldn’t attend their post on a nippers day. We are
extremely lucky to have you on our team.

This year our Nipper of the Year was awarded to Ivy Lewis.

Ivy’s commitment to attendance and competition has been outstanding, and her participation
always with a smile. Nominees were assessed on the criteria of Sportsmanship, Attendance,
Participation, Team Work, Respect and Responsibility.

This year we have a new perpetual trophy for our Nipper of the Year honouring the lifetime
commitment and dedication by passing club member Neville Cooper. Previous years perpetual
trophies will be on display in the trophy cabinet at the club.

Our awards ceremony is still to be determined, given the abrupt end to the season, but please let
me be the first to congratulate our winners Ivy, and these little legends listed below.

Awards Attendance Medallion
U6 Georgie Treleaven Murren Treleaven
U7 Hayden Beck Heath Beck
U8 Ethan Briddon Bodhi Treleaven
U9 Lucas Cross Jett Glance-Wilson
U10 Abby Beck Ivy Lewis
U11 Aiden Byrne
U12 Jasmine Beck Girl
U13 Lily Beck
Holly Fordyce
U6 Boy Lilly Aouad
U7 Sydney Ming
U8 Isaac Kaletka-Neil Rajaa Hamdan
U9 Hayden Beck
Bodhi Treleaven Ivy Lewis
U10 Lucas Cross Sienna Darlow
U11 Jett Glance-Wilson Jasmine Beck
U12 Patrick Graham
Aidan Byrne Lily Beck
U13 Cooper Martin
Hassan Hamdan
Connor Gerling

Well, that’s it for another season. We are committed to keeping our Nippers engaged during the off
season so please look out for our updates and newsletters over the winter months.

See you on the Beach



MEMBER SERVICES
REPORT

Lhyriel Smith
Director of Member Services

It is with joy that, as Director of Member Services, I abridge activities of the 2019/20 Surf Life
Saving season (SLS) at Garie SLSC.

This season saw tremendous change, operationally and administratively. With the introduction of
a Board of Directors, greater transparency and accountability has been exercised, while the best
interest of members remains at the forefront of decision-making. The Director of Member Services
is tasked to support continuing member recruitment and retention, work health safety and
member wellbeing/grievance/protection, member recognition, and community engagement
and club activities (i.e. social calendar). The creation of this role has provided an avenue for
ongoing surveillance of member satisfaction, engagement, and ultimately, a pursuit for
innovative ways of working at Garie SLSC.

Despite COVID-19 disruptions, much success has been observed throughout the season. This was
overwhelmingly represented by eight finalists, and receipt of five awards at the Sydney Branch
2019/20 Awards of Excellence, of which, will be discussed in further detail. The drive to succeed
was made possible by our hard working members, revamped and dedicated education team, club
member diversity (i.e. various commitments within Sydney Branch, and increasingly multicultural
profile), the Garie Vanguard, the overhaul of beach operations and club administration,
commitment from visiting patrols of Sydney Branch clubs, and a universal aim to safeguard the
future of Garie SLSC. This is particularly profound considering the 2018 Garie SLSC - Viability
Report.

The Garie Vanguard was an important and unique development for Garie SLSC. Essentially, the
program is a collaborative arrangement with various stakeholders to affiliate a learn to swim
program with progression to a Bronze Medallion award within Western Sydney communities. The
program would not be possible without the following organisations: Belgravia Leisure, Different
Strokes Swimming, Swim Sisters, Royal Life Saving, SLS Sydney Branch, and SLS NSW. As many of
you are aware, Garie is routinely challenged by limited active patrolling members, is situated
within a geographically isolated region, and limited funding/grant opportunities, to list a few.
What this program achieved goes beyond what could have been predicted in drafting of the
program. Garie has witnessed a 30% increase in active patrolling members from delivery of this
Bronze Medallion program at Auburn Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre. There are sustainable
processes established that will ensure continuation of this program into the next season (as
COVID-19 restrictions ease).

The 2019/20 season saw the re-introduction of a social calendar, however, impacted due to
bushfires seen at the end of 2019 before COVID-19. To keep you informed, significant attention is
redirected toward club member engagement, and although social activities (i.e. Season Opener)
were limited, emphasis is on establishing an improved sense of community and comradery within
the club (existing and new members). A calendar for 2020/21 season will be devised and released
with the patrol roster. I encourage your participation where possible, and do not hesitate to invite
friends and family that may be interested in the activities offered. Importantly, this would not
have been possible without the generous support of Tony Graham, Pat Dillon, and Mary Jane Hay
for catering and organising functions, and Glenn Hay for lead photographer.

Although thanks will be highlighted in other reports, I deeply thank the visitation and delivery of
beach patrols from various Sydney Branch Surf Life Saving clubs throughout the 2019/20 season.
This generous commitment has provided Garie with a chance to reorient available, yet limited
resources to secure the future of our club.

2019/20 SLS Sydney Branch - Awards of Excellence

Member recognition is fundamentally important, especially as volunteers. Our club members
routinely go above and beyond. The Board continues to witness such generosity from long serving
and newly members. I look forward to providing a synopsis of the finalist and award winner
nominations from the 2019/20 Awards of Excellence.

Finalists

Rescue of the Year – March 2020: Garie SLSC for rescue conducted 22/03/2020

Members involved in a rescue at Garie Beach 1400hrs on 22/03 were (Patrol MIDSON): Murtaza
Tahlir Ali, Gary Penman, Jono Kilbane, Jessika Hay, Karen Cook, Jacob Way, Lhyriel Smith and
Robin Bowley - Captained by Sean Cummins. Murtaza and Gary were new bronze holder from the
successful Vanguard program which ran this season at Garie. Well done to all involved.

Administrator of the Year – Mikala Welsh

In Mikala’s second season with Garie SLSC, her supportive, positive, and enthusiastic attitude
found her in the position of Education Manager. Mikala established a high functioning team to
advance learning and development within the club.

Mikala successfully progressed members with numerous awards, complete proficiencies, and was
a key stakeholder for the Garie Vanguard. What Mikala delivered this season is unrivalled; she has,
and continues to collaborate with relevant organisations to ensure courses are delivered, and club
members have access to these offerings.

Mikala, beyond her committee position, completed 100% of rostered patrols, assisted with water
safety and pushed through a massive 60 awards for Garie SLSC. A whopping 900% jump from 7
awards last season.

The commitment and resilience demonstrated from Mikala, and her goal to protect the future of
Garie SLSC deserves the highest recognition.

Please join me in congratulating Mikala.

Support Operations Member of the Year – Callum Good

Callum is a well-respected, and long serving member of SLS Sydney. Currently, Callum holds the
following positions: Sydney Duty Officer, RWC driver, ORB crew/driver and active patrolling
member of Garie SLSC (patrol MIDSON). It goes without saying, Callum exhibits passion and
fosters a supportive environment for those around him.

On numerous occasions throughout the 2019/20 season, Callum proved invaluable managing
incidents within the Royal National (as Duty Officer) while on a Garie patrol – ensuring the
outcomes of Park visitors were optimised and co-ordinated effectively for Emergency Services
personnel. Callum’s ability to remain calm amid evolving high-risk situations is worthy of
recognition.

Garie is fortunate to have Callum’s participation in club activities and operations.

Please join me in congratulating Callum.

Offshore Rescue Boat Member of the Year – Bradley Taylor

Brad is no stranger to Garie SLSC after 44 years of service. Currently, the club is steered by Brad as
President, but not only is he heavily involved in protecting the future of Garie SLSC; he actively

contributes to Surf Rescue 30 as Skipper to the sum of 189 hours during the 2019/20 lifesaving
season.

Brad is an ambassador for change and quality improvement within SLS. Brad generously supports
the training and development of members in offshore rescue and has been influential in the
restructuring of beach operations and administration at Garie.

Brad was a key stakeholder in the Garie Vanguard and recruitment of new members while
ensuring strategic priorities in response to the 2017/18 Viability Report were upheld.

Please join me in congratulating Brad.

Trainer of the Year – Brett Walker

Having recently returned to the SLS family, Brett responded to the call of a new club and quickly
stepped into the role of Lead Trainer for the Garie Vanguard program. Brett embraced the
challenge and new role with an excellent attitude and a drive like-no-other, to see the program
succeed.

The core tenants of his teaching were to create a culture underpinned by determination, support
for each other, teamwork and collaboration, and a community spirit. Displaying a passion for SLS,
skills (core and technical), learning and teaching, Brett delivered the Surf Rescue Certificate /
Bronze Medallion course to a multicultural group of newcomers to SLS – an entirely new focus for
recruitment.

Brett successfully led his squad to become surf life savers; training, encouraging, nurturing and
finally, qualifying 9 new active members for Garie. The aftermath of his contributions is positively
reassuring, with further community interest for participation in the Garie Vanguard next season.
The success of this program would not have been realised without Brett.

Please join me in congratulating Brett.

Winners

Club of the Year – Garie SLSC

The 2019/20 season reinvigorated and transformed the club in all divisions. This was no small
task, and without each member participating in the ideas and new ways of working – the club
would not be well positioned to embed and strengthen the operational and administrative
revisions into the future.

Garie has immersed itself within innovation to deliver sustainable practices, while prioritising
member and beachgoer satisfaction. The newly appointed Board of Directors recognised that the
traditional portfolio of Surf Life Saving clubs required fresh ideas and the ‘status quo’ to be
challenged – Garie demonstrated this with the incorporation of culturally safe and diverse
educational programs to support member recruitment and retention, introduced a Board of
Directors to streamline management of club activities, re-focused community and social
engagement, improved participation in fundraising opportunities for club equipment and
operations, and revised the clubs’ Nipper Program to improve the experience of juniors at Garie
SLSC. These examples of change highlight the resilience and determination of Garie members,
despite considerable geographical and access barriers experienced within the Royal National
Park. Our long-standing members know we have something special at our doorstep, and
newcomers - quickly learning.

The Garie Vanguard will be discussed further below, as awarded Community Education Program
of the Year. This innovative recruitment program has enabled the growth of active members by
33% from the previous 2018/19 season. And a program we can continue with additional focus on
establishing our trainer/assessor/facilitator cohort within Garie SLSC.

As highlighted earlier, contributions from the Education team were undeniably impressive. To
deliver a 900% jump in life saving awards from the previous season reinforced the positive
direction of the club, while benchmarking member education and training for the 2020/21
season.

Without the visiting patrols of Sydney Branch clubs on Saturday’s; the time, attention, and energy
to focus on safeguarding and protecting the future of Garie SLSC would not be possible.

This is an award recognising every member of Garie SLSC, and non-club members, who
generously volunteered their time to protect our beach during the 2019/20 season.

Please join me in congratulating Garie SLSC for this prestigious award. Of note, last awarded in
1998.

Surf Lifesaver of the Year – Jessika Hay

Jessika does not require an introduction. Her familiar face and contribution, season after season is
worthy of recognition alone. The past season, it was all a bit more special. As themed throughout
this report, ‘change’ was a key factor that instilled life back into Garie SLSC. And her story only
emulates this further. Jess leads with respect, compassion, flexibility, and innovation. Jessika is
the current Club Captain and Director of Operations; her respectable 102 rostered patrol hours
only scrape the surface on the hours donated thereafter to perform her administrative duties.

Jessika is a key stakeholder in the Garie Vanguard, navigating relationships and co-ordinating
education and training, resources, and access to the club. Might I add, there is nothing easy about
advocating a totally new way of administering the Bronze Medallion/Surf Rescue Certificate, and
ensuring it meets Surf Life Saving accreditation standards. Well done Jess.

Jessika has contributed positively, and to the success of the club’s transition from multiple
committees to a Board of Directors. As a result of Jessika’s engagement in club activities, there is
greater participation from members to attend events, and step-up to assist with portfolio items
i.e. sharing the load. Jessika successfully delivered the President’s Point Score series and
supported social events in absence of the Director of Member Services.

Jessika has challenged the status quo among members and continues to advocate purposeful
change to improve the experience of active, and future members at Garie SLSC. Within a club of
limited lifesaving personnel, she has successfully impressed the notion that any contribution, no
matter the size or scale, carries great worth and strengthens the club. And, this mantra has been
carried through various streams of the club.

Please join me in congratulating Jessika.

Community Education Program of the Year – The Garie Vanguard

For the club to receive this award speaks volume. All those who participated in the development
and implementation of this program deserve recognition. Moreover, those who attained an
SRC/BM award through this medium; thank you for your commitment and flexibility to the
program requirements. And Congratulations on becoming patrolling members of Garie SLSC.

The Garie Vanguard aimed to introduce SLS to the wider community and grow the member base.
To add further context as to its purpose, in 2018, the viability report deemed Garie unable to
provide the necessary lifesaving services to maintain beach operations- partly, due to low active
members. In response, the club brainstormed, and with bright minds brought the BM to Western
Sydney communities. The program has enabled the following: increase in active patrolling
members by 30%, increased cultural diversity within the club, innovate and diversify operations
to strengthen our alignment with SLS strategic priorities, and safeguarding the clubs future
through a sustainable recruitment program.

The Garie Vanguard is a collaborative arrangement with private entities (as listed above), and
thus, success would not have been possible without the generosity of facilities, resources, and of
course, numerous SLS personnel. As the program continues to gain momentum, the focus has
shifted toward developing in-house trainers and assessors to maintain the delivery of a successful
program.

Please join me in congratulating the Garie Vanguard, and the contributions of all personnel
involved.

Most Awards per Operational Area – Garie SLSC within Royal National Park beaches

This award recognises all members who participated in continuing professional development
opportunities.

Please join me in congratulating all members who attained an award throughout the 2019/20
season.

Member Services Committee

I wish to acknowledge Rebecca Heron-Dowling for her contributions in the role of Recruitment
Officer early in the season.

There are various positions available within the Member Services team, and I strongly encourage
members that may be interested in supporting the social calendar, community engagement,
member recruitment or retention activities, and member recognition to touch base.

Finally, thank you for the opportunity to lead Member Services for the 2019/20 lifesaving season.

EDUCATION
REPORT

Nick Tyler
Chief Training Officer
Mikala Welsh
Education Officer

What a stellar year! It has been an outstanding effort by everyone to have got us to where we are.
Everyone should be proud of the effort they put in.

But first of all – thank you to the Garie Board for the support and for taking a risk and giving two
newbies the task of heading up Education. It was not expected as we only wanted to be patrol
members of the friendly club. It does say much for a Club by the way the team supports each other.

What we achieved this year was also down to the great support we had from the surrounding Clubs
and Sydney Branch. Personally, I want to call out David Kowald, Linda Perrin, Doug Hawkins, Gary
Daly and Peter Pearce and say a massive thank you.

This year we pivoted our focus to make sure we had all the elements in place to drive member
engagement, upskill all members and provide pathways for you, our members, to stay with the Club
and give back more to your community.

A key part of this strategy was to grow the number of trainers, assessors and facilitators within the
club, which we are well on the way to achieving. During the year we have gained three trainers, two
assessors and a facilitator. This will contribute to our ability to offer more training across more surf
skills to both existing members and the wider community.

A quick word on Nippers. From an education prospective, we view both Nippers and Patrol as one
Club and thus as part of a single approach to education. This echoes the training guidelines from
Branch for Nippers to develop lifesaving skills much earlier. These skills will provide a solid pathway
into the SRC, onto Bronze and beyond. We also encourage all Nipper carers to partake in some of
our courses. It helps your children feel closer to the club, gives you new skills and will help Nippers
by having their own dedicated water safety crew (not-so-subtle hint for next year).

This year we also brought the SRC and Bronze training courses together. The difference between the
two is marginal and it makes the step up from SRC to Bronze easier. A special call out to our
participants in the last course (Endless Summer) – which Covid-19 stopped two weeks out from
assessment! So, to Paul, Catherine, Luke, Olly, Zaahir, Ethan and Lily – we hope you are practicing
hard as we will be ready for you next season!

There is a special report on our Auburn Garie Bronze and SRC program and it is worth a read.

To our upskilling efforts this year. As a Club, we believe every member should continuously upskill. It
is not just a SLS pre-requisite to gain certain awards, but an essential development process for our
members own personal, Club, beach and community safety. We are very proud of all of those that
stepped up this year and we look forward to the rest of you joining in!

We have also been hard at work ensuring all our training equipment is up to date and that our
training room ambience is up to scratch. The facilities are used by other Clubs for their own training.
And when the beach is closed it provides a safe and dry place for training. It is a key asset for Garie
and we are grateful to everyone for helping keep it in tip top shape. Subtle hint - We need a new TV
so we can offer deeper integrated training programs.

The annual ‘skills maintenance’ process (aka ‘proficiencies’ to those with a few patrol seasons to
their credit) is always a challenge and is one of the hardest tasks the education team has to manage.
Thank you to everyone for nailing our numbers this year and thank you to the Patrol and IRB
captains for working with us and ensuring their patrols did the proficiencies. You got a near 100%
proficiency rate this year.

Garie was also the lead Royal National Park Surf Club in terms of awards this year. Not that anyone
has been gloating…… To all our members – congratulations on gaining news skills and awards this
patrol season. Let’s lead the RNP Clubs again next season!

Surf 30 Driver

Congratulations to Jonathan Kilbane for becoming the latest Garie member to drive the Surf30 boat.
Not only do members of Surf30 commit to the hours on the boat but they also still do their beach
patrol hours. And to be a driver, you also need your Silver Medallion Aquatic Rescue. So, a big year.

First Aid Awards

We ran one course at Garie with participants from Burning Palms and Era. We also had numerous
members who certified through their work and through SLSNSW. First Aid is a fundamental
capability that everyone should have, and it is critically important for every patrolling member to be
qualified and to maintain their currency in the award. This award must be refreshed every three
years. A great effort.

Murtaza Ali Anisa Buckley
Lucas Cootes Matilda Cootes
Zaahir Edries Ryan Forsyth
Paul Goodyer Ruby Griffiths
Stephanie Griffiths Rebecca Heron-Dowling
Elif Incekara Hafalir Patrick Laurence
Yusra Metwally Eloise Newbury
Ben O'Flaherty Gary Penman
Jessica Trang Nick Tyler
Mikala Welsh

Advanced Resuscitation Awards

We recommend that every member gets their Advanced Resuscitation Techniques (ART) award.
Having exposure to and knowing how to use all the equipment on the beach, including the oxygen
equipment, will save lives. It comes with a big call as ART award holders are also expected to take
leadership roles on the beach, so we really appreciate these members taking the extra time to
achieve this qualification. We need all bronzies to do this course as it really complements your
bronze and First Aid qualifications. The list below includes new awards and members who upgraded
their qualification from the old to the new award.

Claire Cleal Karen Cook
Sean Cummins Mark Forland
Callum Good Rebecca Heron-Dowling
Lachlan Marsh Brian Mobbs
Louise Skjeime Lhyriel Smith
Bradley Taylor Nick Tyler
Mikala Welsh

The Bronze

We ran two courses this year. For one team – your names will be listed next year once we can run
assessments again post Covid-19. The other course was run at Auburn and resulted in the following
new members joining the Club. There is not much I can say that has not already been said about
these new members – but a big call out to you for doing your Bronze and joining Garie.

Murtaza Ali Elif Incekara Hafalir
Patrick Laurence Yasmine Lewis
Eloise Newbury Ben O'Flaherty
Gary Penman Ayla Yuyucuoglu

SRC

Most people know this as the stepping-stone for Nippers as they transition to Beach Patrol. But it is
also available for anyone to do. In fact, it is the perfect stepping-stone to your Bronze. As stated
earlier we will train all SRC alongside the Bronze team so that the transition is even easier. Well done
to Anisa and we are looking forward to seeing you for the upgrade to Bronze!

Anisa Buckley

IRB Crew

Thanks To Louise Skjeime for her leadership and mentoring to ensure we were fully IRB’d up. Our
IRBs are essential to our role as Surf Life Savers and without them, our beach does not open. And
apparently, it’s a lot of fun……. Well done to:

Karen Cook Lucas Cootes
Thomas Hay Jacob Way

Silver Medallion Beach Management.

The SMBM is a foundation award for patrol captains and vice captains. The award gives the beach
leadership team the training required to run beach patrols. And if you want your Gold Medallion it is
a prerequisite. It is great to see this skill expanding out across the club. Nice work guys-

Karen Cook Callum Good
Samuel Haynes Mikala Welsh

Silver Medallion Aquatic Rescue

The Gold Medallion may be pinnacle of awards but is not as technical or in some ways as challenging
as the SMAR. Day and night rescue, rock entries, hours of swimming and numerous search patterns.
Yet it is also arguably the most fun. All patrols should have team members who have done this, and
if you want to join Surf30 then it is a big help. Well done to-

Jess Hay Jacob Way

The Training Team

Right now, one of the most important training elements for the club is to build our training delivery
capability. More trainers equals greater opportunities to train more members, whether that is new
bronzies or upskilling our current members. To the rest of Garie - expect a tap on the shoulder as we
look to expand this team further. It is a great pleasure to welcome new members to the training
team.

Jess Hay, Owen Skjeime and Mikala Welsh as Probationary Trainers with Brett Walker as our
probationary assessor, and last but not least, our latest facilitator with their Cert IV - Lhy Smith.

Radio Operator

At Garie, we encourage anyone to join us on the beach as part of our team. This means we have
some members who have very specific qualifications and are essential members of the patrol team,
such as providing communication and First Aid skills in support of the wider patrol team. Well done
to Lynda Voltz for getting her Radio Operators and from Garie, a big thank you to Lynda for all her
support with the Auburn Bronze program.

Spinal

Spinal injury management involves a very specific skill set, and it’s considered so important that it
will be incorporated into the Bronze program. It really is a difficult one as well as often it requires
working with the unknown and the unseen, and requires great care combined with appropriate
expediency in order to properly stabilise the injured person in circumstances that are often very
challenging. Congratulations to:

Karen Cook Claire Cleal
Mark Forland Mikala Welsh

Pain Management

This is considered by Surf Life Saving as a critical skill for first responders and SLSA. And it comes with
a different set of responsibilities, not just a set of pre-requisites. We will be looking to expand this
skill base across our members. Well done to Jess Hay for nailing this one.

SSV

What the is the SSV? It was formerly known as the ATV, or more informally known as the buggy that
pulls the IRB and Surf Kit onto the beach. Yes, the one that was broken pretty early on by a certain
club that will not be named. “SSV” stands for ‘side by side vehicle’ because this is the way the driver
and passenger sits relative to each other. I was expecting a whole suite of extra names to add to this
list but looks like this will be for next year. Well done to Mikala Welsh for keeping her paperwork
safe and getting her SSV.

Gold Medallion

This is the big one fitness wise. It is considered a benchmark in fitness and is the pre-requisite if you
want to be a professional life saver. Just for starters you have to, in one go, – swim 400m, run 800m,
board paddle 400m and finally 800m run. Then you do a tube rescue, a board rescue and other
scenarios. Big congratulations to Louise Skjeime. Well deserved and what a great example to us all.

Finally

To everyone. You got this far. Well done. Next year we look forward to working with you all to upskill
all members, growing the member base and expanding the education team. This means more
bronze/SRC courses, trialing an adult version of Nippers and running a broad range of SLSA award
courses. We are a friendly team, so if you are wanting to do a particular course, come and chat to us
and we will make it happen!

We look forward to all our members returning in the new season and we encourage you all to bring
a friend down (or two) to join us. We value the friendly nature of our club and would love to share
this more widely. Just tell them it’s a great way to spend the day at the beach, get fit and give back
to your community.

Finally. A big thank you to Jess, Lhy, Owen, Steph, Brad, Pat and Angus. You helped enormously in
listening, guiding (and telling) the education team what to do, how to do it and who to talk to.
Fantastic support and well appreciated.

GARIE VANGUARD
REPORT

Brett Walker
VANGUARD CTO

In 2019 Rebecca Heron-Dowling identified that a significant proportion of the people who used
Garie Beach were not from the local area. Her research suggested that they in fact came from the
Inner and Outer West, and that they often had limited swimming or surf skills. This insight led to
the idea to take Surf Life Saving to the people who were major users of the beach, using a
customised delivery approach designed to address the specific needs of the group.

The idea was to not only grow the patrol members, but to engage with the beach community and
to grow awareness of beach safety amongst the growing migrant population. It was important to
send a message that surf life saving is inclusive and accessible to everyone who wants to be part of
the iconic institution of Surf Life Saving in what ever capacity they choose. For the Vanguard
squad there was no question about the role that each member of the squad wanted to play – that
of a patrolling member. Each member of the Vanguard squad was committed to this goal as an
individual, and the whole squad was committed to qualifying as a team – it was to be all or none,
and this resolve was evident all through the training and assessment.

Liaising with SLS NSW, SLS Sydney, Swim Sisters Swimming, Sydney Swimmers, Belgravia Leisure
and the Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre Auburn, Auburn council and the support of local MP Linda
Voltz the program was up and running in a few short weeks.

Trainers came from Coogee (Doug Hawkins), Tamarama (Michelle Cowans) and Garie (Brett
Walker). We had additional support from Coogee and Elouera for selected surf training sessions
on their own beaches, as well as Bondi when on patrol on Garie Beach. We gratefully acknowledge
the support of those clubs and the efforts of their trainers for their contributions to the success of
the Vanguard program.

Theory sessions and early water training were held at Auburn Aquatic Centre. Holding early water
training in a pool environment helped the squad become confident with new skills such as board
paddling and rescues before adding the complexity of challenging surf conditions. This was
important in building the confidence of the Vanguard members who had limited surf experience.
We had to be a little inventive to ensure that the pool work was also building the physical capacity
and awareness skills required for the surf.

The squad bonded very quickly, embracing the ideals of Garie team spirit and showing a level of
camaraderie that is unusual in a Bronze Medallion squad. Their enthusiasm and willingness to
brave challenging surf conditions was very refreshing and highly motivating for everyone
involved. What was also unusual for a Bronze squad was the level of real care and support that the
squad members showed towards each other, both during training and out of hours.

It was not easy. Some had to learn the basics of the surf, let alone master the physical and skill
challenges of using a board. Garie is a challenging beach, and we had to be very flexible with our
training plan and the training methods that we used in the surf. Regular beach closures, big swells
and strong currents were all part of the journey. Both Elouera and Coogee offered the squad

access to their Bronze training sessions as additional surf time for any member of the Vanguard
squad who wanted to participate, and we gratefully acknowledge that support.

The Garie Vanguard squad completed its assessment in December on Garie Beach. There was a
clear objective that the Vanguard assessment would take place on Garie Beach. The assessment
conditions were, in typical Garie Beach style, very challenging. The difficult conditions really
highlighted the determination of the squad and everyone performed exceptionally well on the
day, and all received their uniforms as fully qualified Surf Life Savers at a graduation celebration
later that day.

The attitude and values of the Vanguard squad members are illustrated by some of the post-
assessment comments from the new patrol members.

Murtaza Ali was one of those lifesavers and his words reflect the understanding of the whole team
when he said : “I want to be a role model to show everyone what true Australian values are”.

Anisa Buckley who was also part of the Vanguard squad said: “I am now a proud member of Garie
Surf Club, and was very thrilled to have the support of so many people within Surf Lifesaving and
outside on my journey to becoming a Surf Lifesaver"

It is a reflection of the dedication from this cohort that many are doing more awards. As for the
skills learned - two of the members of the Vanguard squad, Murtaza and Gary, were integral to a
rescue that was awarded ‘rescue of the month’ for SLS Sydney in March.

The training out at Auburn will continue in partnership with Belgravia Leisure and the Ruth
Everuss Aquatic Centre, supported by the wider SLS community and local Auburn community. The
program itself is now integrated into the Garie training set up and will be co-ordinated with SLS
Sydney Branch and SLS NSW.

Thank you to everyone who got us here. Without your hard work and dedication we would not
have done this. We also congratulate everyone who graduated as new patrol members.



GEAR REPORT

What an end to a mad season, bush fires, floods & Covid. I’m not really sure how all the patrol gear
faired up this season, I haven’t had a chance to check on the gear as yet.

With the early finish to the season, we did not have our end of season pack up & clean and tidy of
the boat shed. So the gear will be as the last patrol left it. A few electrical issues with the ATV early
on. The problem found, loose cable on the starter motor. After that I’m pretty sure the ATV didn’t
miss a beat for the remainder of patrols.

New Gear. With some grant monies coming in we purchased some new rescue equipment 3 new
rescue boards. 11 new rescue tubes, new IRB buoyancy vests. 1 new resus kit 2 Oxy- Vivas, a couple
of radios and some smaller first aid goodies.

Patrol Cart. I think the patrol cart will need an overhaul again before the start of next season. New
gear hooks welded on, Roof replaced. A good check over for rust and maybe a paint. So if anyone is
available, let me know.

Also, the new Competition boards arrived for our Nippers. 2 glass boards & 3 soft boards, 1 Very nice
gazebo for some much needed shade.

Gear Inspection at the start of the season. Very impressive guys. A big hand to all that helped out.
Remember the more people that turn out for gear inspection to help makes lay out and pack up
much easier. Many hands Make Light work.

See you all on the beach.

Paul Cootes
Gear Steward

IRB REPORT

This past season has been a one of achievement and progression. This year we saw the successful
completion of an IRB Crewman’s course actually held at Garie and I would like the thank the four
members for taking the opportunity to further their surf life career. With a special mention to
Damien Woods who came down to Garie to train our candidates, he is NSW IRB Head Coach and
Sydney Duty Officer.

We also for the majority of the season had three serviceable IRB Motors, with a special thanks to
Peter Burst for doing a pre, mid and post season service on the engines. In the coming season we
will see the arrival of our new Thundercat Gen – 3 which will be welcome sight and I know all our
drivers will be excited to get out and test drive.

I would also like to thank Bondi IRB Captain Alex Ayscough, who not only lent us a IRB when our one
had to be taken out of action for repairs but also lent us a IRB motor when we had a blown gear box
seal and had the three way carnival fast approaching.

Looking forward to the upcoming 2020/21 season, I hope to see the section grow with both IRB
Drivers and Crewman and be an inspiration to fellow female members within the club who would
like to challenge themselves with the IRB Section.

Louise Skjeime
IRB Captain