In a first for SLSA, the DHL Awards for Surf Lifesaver and Lifeguard of the Year went to the same person.

Lachlan Holbery-Morgan from Anglesea SLSC and an employee of the Australian Lifeguard Service was shocked to win the dual honour. “I can’t verbalise how I feel - I’m incredibly happy and surprised,” he said.

Lachlan is the chief lifeguard for beaches between Torquay and Apollo Bay in Victoria. With over six years of experience, he is also an award trainer and keen competitor. He has held a range of positions at club and state level as a volunteer surf lifesaver and professional lifeguard, among them, director of rescue services, patrol co-ordinator and manager, patrol captain and senior lifeguard.

He competes in IRB racing at club, state and national level. Lachlan played a major role in the retrieval and attempted resuscitation of two Indian students during a tragic double drowning at Hutt Gully in December 2007.

“I’m going to keep doing what I do, use my year [as Surf Lifesaver of the Year] to work on a few state projects I’ve been doing and hopefully now will be able to look at them on a bigger scale”

Lachlan will still patrol and continue with IRB racing during the winter months.

"Lifesaving never stops, it’s a year-round commitment," he said.

Community engagement key for DHL Club of the Year
Cameron King, Club Captain of the DHL Club of the Year, Lakes Entrance SLSC said it was an amazing feeling to have the club’s hard work recognised on a national level.

“We are a tourist town with a large influx of tourists, and we knew that we needed the assistance of the local community if we were going to keep meeting demand,” he said.

“We’ve engaged local primary schools and the local Koori indigenous community, and had a particular focus on the local youth in the 13 to 19 age bracket.

“The most important initiative for us was the development of a three year strategic plan which we developed with the assistance of Life Saving Victoria.

“The plan laid out where we want to be in three years in terms of patrolling members, nippers, competition development and the training and upgrade of awards.

“We’ve also focussed on developing a culture of inclusiveness to enhance member satisfaction.

“Before we began this process in September last year we thought of ourselves a small club but we now need to think of ourselves as a growing club.”

Caption:
DHL Volunteer of the Year, Garry Williams, Secret Harbour SLSC shown here with Lindsay Birley, DHL Express (L) and President of SLSA Ron Rankin (R)

2009 DHL Volunteer of the Year, Garry Williams from Secret Harbour SLSC in WA said he was very surprised and honoured at the same time.

“It’s a very prestigious award and especially to be nominated by my peers is excellent and outstanding,” he said. “I joined about 10 years ago - I went through the nipper program with my young boy and since then I’ve just developed through Surf Life Saving.”

“I guess that’s one of the biggest things you can do in Surf Life Saving. You can start as a relatively junior person as an adult, not having much to do with Surf Life Saving and get to be an assistant to an age manager, right up to being on the board of directors for any club.”

“It’s outstanding and I’m absolutely struck for words when you look at all the people I’ve met over the last week and how much work they do within the whole nation. And the guys that were also nominated from the other states, I don’t think that anyone does any less or any more than anybody. We are all doing it for the same cause and basically it’s for the youth of Australia.”

Recognising bravery
SLSA’s highest award for bravery, the Meritorious Award-Silver medallion, went to Brock Curtis-Mathew, of Wollongbar, NSW, a non-member of SLSA, for his actions at Lighthouse Beach, Ballina in 2008, when he attempted to rescue his friend Peter Edmonds who had been fatally attacked by a large shark.

Major James (Jim) Peryman from North Cronulla SLSC, was posthumously recognised for his actions in 1950 at North Cronulla, when he rescued a 16 year old girl caught in a treacherous rip.

On 19 February 1950, at approximately 4.30pm, Daphne Knowles, aged 16, was swimming about 25 metres from the shore at North Cronulla, when she was caught in a notorious rip near ‘the Alley’.

After she had been swept out about 300 metres she managed to cling to a surf ski which was being paddled by a member of North Cronulla SLSC.

Other surf lifesavers also managed to make it through the break to reach her, but she was by this time exhausted.

Caption:
Major James (Jim) Peryman was posthumously awarded the SLSA Meritorious Award - Silver Medallion, for his part in a rescue in 1950. Image courtesy North Cronulla SLSC.

Eyewitness accounts differ slightly on the exact chronology of the rescue, however what is clear is that after a tremendously difficult swim during which he strained against the weight of the line, Jim managed to reached Daphne.

He took control of the patient and eventually the line began hauling him and Daphne back to the beach, assisted by another surf lifesaver, Frank Bergstron.

Jim continued to hold Daphne, until he disappeared under water, his line weighed down by the massive amount of seaweed in the water at that time.

Daphne was eventually taken to the beach by another surf ski and was safe. Jim’s body was found shortly after by horrified club members.

He was posthumously awarded a Sliver Medal and Certificate of Merit by the Royal Shipwreck Relief and Humane Society, but for some reason, has not been recognised by SLSA until this time.

In light of the fact that Jim continued the rescue at the risk of his own life, he has been posthumously awarded SLSA’s highest recognition for bravery – the SLSA Meritorious Award – Silver Medallion.

Jim’s sister, Margaret Thatcher, said no one could understand how it felt to accept the award on his behalf.

“In many ways Jim was ahead of his time as he was working on a quick release system for the belt before he died, which went on to revolutionise surf lifesaving rescue techniques at that time,” she said.

“For various reasons I haven’t been involved in the movement since Jim’s demise and now I am absolutely gob-smacked to find that the movement is still as strong as it was when he was involved,” she said.

Other meritorious awards were:

Caption:
A number of members of Point Lookout SLSC and the club itself were awarded for a rescue in 2006. Image courtesy SLSQ.

Both awarded the SLSA Meritorious Award - Bronze Medallion
Gavin Black and Bradley Truman - Point Lookout SLSC, Queensland
Both awarded the SLSA Meritorious Award - Certificate of Merit

Point Lookout SLSC awarded a group commendation for bravery

Chris Alagich - Glenelg SLSC, South Australia
Awarded the SLSA Meritorious Award - Certificate of Merit
Alex Carr - Glenelg SLSC, South Australia
Awarded a Commendation for Bravery

Greg Levy and Joe O’Keefe - Yamba SLSC, New South Wales

Andrew Baker and Michael Molony, Pambula, New South Wales, non members of SLSA
Both awarded a commendation for bravery

Hall of Fame inductees
Northcliffe craft legend Bruce Kolkka was on hand to be inducted into the SLSA Hall of Fame, joining more than 60 other individual and team greats.

The famed double ski team of Dennis Green and Barry Stuart was inducted in absentia. Click here for more information on these new inductees.

More info:
SLSA on 02 9300 4000