Lifesavers swap swimmers for formal wear at their night of nights

Annual Awards of Excellence honour season’s finest achievements.

There wasn’t a rubber duckie in sight as some of the state’s finest surf lifesavers swapped swimmers for formal wear to celebrate the season that was in Sydney on Saturday night.

The Annual Awards of Excellence were the biggest show in town as the Surf Life Saving community got the full a-list treatment while honouring the season’s finest achievements.

The 2014/15 season has certainly been one worth celebrating for the movement. Their dedicated patrolling lifesavers again did an outstanding job keeping people safe on our beaches.

Surf Sports too celebrated a momentous season, with 2015 marking 100 years since the hosting of the first Major Championships on Bondi Beach.

On the night, surf lifesavers were recognised for their efforts in the fields of education, member services, surf sports and life saving. It is a reflection of the state-wide strength of the movement that the winners came from a diverse range of branches.

Sydney took home the most awards with a total of six, including North Bondi’s Rosemarie Taliano being crowned Surf Life Saver of the Year, while her club-mate Lizzie Welborn was named the Young Athlete of the Year.

It was a good night for Coogee Surf Lifesaving club, with Beck Mister (Trainer), Craig Howie (Assessor) and Julien Vincent (Young Lifesaver) all taking home awards.

Cudgen Headland on the State’s Far North Coast was named Club of the Year, while Sydney Northern Beaches was acknowledged as Branch of The Year.

Newport’s strong competitive season in the water was recognised with three awards. Georgia Miller was crowned Athlete of the Year, the Newport Taplin Men’s team was named Team of the Year, and Miller’s coach Trent Herring took home the coaching title.

The Central Coast’s Glenn Clarke, who is president of The Entrance Surf Life Saving Club, earned two awards. He was part of the team that took home Initiative of the Year and was also crowned Volunteer of the Year.

Surf Life Saving NSW President Tony Haven said the Awards of Excellence was the perfect opportunity to honour not just the award recipients, but the membership as a whole. “Now that the sand has settled for another season, I believe we can all look back with pride at the 2014/15 season as a job well done,” Mr Haven said. “While the award ceremony honours those who achieved particularly highly throughout the year, their efforts would not be possible without the contribution of every single one of our 76,000 members,” he concluded.

As the 2014/15 season moves into the history books, clubbies everywhere are getting ready to do it all again come September 19, 2015 when the flags are raised once again.

2015 SLSNSW Award Of Excellence Winners:

Educators

Trainer of the Year - Beck Mister (Coogee SLSC)

Assessor of the Year - Craig Howie (Coogee SLSC)

Facilitator of the Year - Rod Balkin (Ballina-Lighthouse SLSC)

Education Program of the Year - Project 291, Bellambi SLSC.

Member Services

Administrator of the Year – Joanne Hawkins (Tacking Point SLSC)

Team of the Year – Newport Men’s Taplin Teams (U17,19 & Open)

Initiative of the Year – Adopt-a-Nipper (Warren Evrard and Glenn Clarke, The Entrance SLSC)

Surf Sports

Masters Athlete of the Year – Paul Lemmon (Terrigal SLSC)