Our lifesaving team is always busy on our beach and this past month has been no exception. Our competitors are often training on the beach either early in the morning or late in the evening and this seems to be the time that our community needs us the most. Just this week our Boatie and lifesaver Kai Jones rushed to rescue and bring in a lady in distress during a training session. A reminder of just how vital our after hours rescue equipment is and for all members to be vigilant when down there, regardless of the day or time.

On Australia Day long weekend, Patrol 12 found themselves with an extremely packed beach, topped with bluebottles stings and a medical episode occurring during the morning and afternoon patrol handover, requiring an ambulance call. While continuing to keep a close eye on the flash rips, it finally culminated in a large crowd of swimmers being swept out to sea.

The team, led by Simon Torsellini our Director of Lifesaving, jumped into action to rescue about 20 people. Using all our resources of boards, tubes, the IRB, the lifeguards Jetski and multiple Maroubra lifeguards on boards, this mass rescue put all to the test including our youngest members who supported a number of distressed
swimmers with first aid afterwards. A big congratulations for being recognized by Branch and winning Rescue of the Month. Congrats to Simon Torsellini, Ashleigh Breaden, Matthew Evans, Kirsten Newrick, Simon McCartney, Lisa Morgan, Mark Arbib, Andrew McCabe, Molly Menzel, Zachary Messis, Gavin Savage, Jake Torsellini, Max
Torsellini, Cara Kane, William Lee, Owen Lloyd-Jones, Joey Menzel, Rory Muldowney, Ned Panlilio, and Nate Schembri.

Our education team have also been busy with an another SRC course underway, as well as a Bronze course. We also have another IRB Crew course starting soon. These courses continue to be vital to provide our lifesaving teams with valuable new skills and people. We are very appreciative of our education team and the knowledge they have.

Coming up we have the opportunity to again celebrate our wonderful ladies in lifesaving, whether they are water safety mums and sisters or patrolling our beaches. Come and join the Special Patrol celebrating International Women’s Day on 8th March from 8.30am – 1.30pm, or stop by and give your thanks to these amazing ladies.

Members, with the Christmas Holidays now well behind us and students back at school after a long break, its full steam ahead on all fronts at the club.
Here’s a short summary of the last 2 months;

• Our Patrolling members have carried out a remarkable job tending to record crowds, significant first aid cases and blue bottle stings and on some patrols numerous rescues in challenging conditions.
• On the 27th January, Patrol 12 led by Simon Torsellini confronted massive crowds and challenging surf conditions resulting in a big group of swimmers being washed off a sand bank and into a massive rip. It was fantastic to see the team swing into action on rescue boards, IRB and tubes alongside Lifeguards. This mass rescue was recognised by Sydney Branch as their Rescue of the Month. Well done team and a great lesson for all our lifesavers to be vigilant and competent on rescue boards and in the surf.
• After hours rescues have featured this year and great to see members and the public chip in to help swimmers in trouble. Also in the month of January, our after hours rescue gear was utilised by the public to rescue a swimmer in the south end rip. Please always keep an eye on our beach whenever down at the club.
• Congrats to Murph Renford on his successful completion of 30+k Derwent River Tasmania marathon swim to raise funds for the Rainbow Club. Over $50+k raised by Murph, what an effort!
• Branch Championships have been run and won at Wanda, well done to the many members who excelled. A great test to see where we sit against other clubs and work needed as we head towards State and Australian Titles.
• Our Sportsperson Day was simply the best. Thank you to those members that were part of the sell out crowd and thank you to our guest speakers, event donors and members that helped to pull this together.
• A big South Maroubra welcome to our new surf boat sponsor Warren, Hazel, Alex and Anne from Ultra Randwick and Fast & Ezy, your local store along with Jordan and Dorian from Kamber Construction. We had a wonderful Christening of this fantastic boat with Fr Paul O’Donohue.
• Well done to our IRB Leadership Team who conducted a very successful ‘ Have a Go Day’ last weekend and distributed their 2025 Competition Plan. I’m sure existing IRB Drivers and Crew would be welcome to join this off season competition team. Enquiries to Brett Gibson.
• State Titles commence in 2 weeks, best of luck to our very big Nipper, Masters and Open teams. The club was excited to provide all team members with a full touring uniform.
• SPONSOR NEEDED CAN YOU HELP? Our magnificent Surf Club bus is due for changeover after Aussie Title travel commitments in April. We will be purchasing a brand new replacement bus and now searching for one or two sponsors to advertise on one or both sides of our NEW bus, sponsor branding can take the full centre area of  the bus on both sides, an excellent PR and advertising tool as this bus travels throughout Sydney and interstate.
  
  •  3 years sponsorship @ $25k plus cost of advertising decals. Can you refer us to a suitable sponsor? Please email [email protected]
• Our club very much appreciates the support of our sponsors and supporters. Friday week we will be hosting our annual sponsors lunch on the balcony of Horizons with fine food, refreshments and great company.  Invitations should be received shortly.
• Our Social Sundays and Private Functions have proven to be a big hit for members and locals alike. A beautiful, peaceful  place to bring families and friends whilst enjoying wonderful service from our bar staff and ambience of the area. We’re open every Sunday 10.45am to 7pm and for your Private Functions simply refer to our website or email [email protected]

See you at South Maroubra SLSC, the best club in the east!
Paul ‘Stretch’ Fownes APM OAM
President

Dear Members and Friends,

With less than a week left before Christmas, schools now in the process of breaking up for the year, families embarking on their annual holiday, our own Christmas Scramble and final 2024 Nippers is this Sunday (22nd December), on behalf of the Board of Management I would like to extend a very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year to each of you. I also take this opportunity to thank our dedicated lifesavers who will be heading into a busy and often treacherous time of the year keeping bathers safe over the festive summer season, please if you’re rostered for patrol make every effort to attend or get a substitute.

To those that may be alone this Christmas please remember we’ll be opening the Bernie Kelly bar on Boxing Day 26/12 and invite you to come down and join us for a Christmas snack and a refreshment whilst watching the Sydney to Hobart yachts fly past around 12.30pm.

Whilst the first half of the season is now behind us, a great deal has been delivered to the membership which I’m sure most of you will have seen including the complete transformation of the old lifesaving room into a new multi-purpose/education room. Much hard work and time went into renovating that room, all we ask in return is that any room user please simply keep it in the condition you find it. In addition to this room, we successfully transitioned into the new Lifesaving Facility within the amenities block. What a great job done by a small group of members to turn that space into a productive, modern lifesaving facility all clubs would be proud to own. Thank you to those members that helped create this new space and again, lets all work together to keep the facility clean and safe.

So far this season, we’ve seen so many positive achievements in addition to the above. We said goodbye to Michelle Lo our Office Manager after 10 years running the office and hello to Tracey and Jen both bringing expertise with them plus 5 days per week in which the office will be open to service the 2,200 + members. 

I’ve also been thrilled to see our competition section, senior and nippers including beach, water plus our boat section all excelling. Its so exciting to see a whole of club effort to achieve the best we can be. Thank you to coaches, sweeps, water safety and all those who contribute in some small way to ensure our success.

On that note you will have seen a number of dispatches via social media and emails looking for a corporate or private sponsor for  a new Surf Boat which is being delivered very soon.  As we enter the season of giving, can I appeal to each of you to consider this sponsorship opportunity of $40k which is a 4 year sponsorship term with a variety of payment options available. If you can open a door or have a suggestion please, we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] .

You might be interested to know that our Social Sundays are on fire, with so many positive comments including the introduction of our members discount electronic card courtesy of much hard work by Uri the Finance Director. We have been enjoying record crowds each Sunday and Public Holidays and our functions in the Heritage Room have been at record levels so clearly were doing something members and the public really enjoy at a place they feel safe and comfortable at. By the way our annual Octoberfest was a great success with our other important fundraisers start in February 2025 with our Sportsperson Day (02/02/25).

This Sunday will be another Social Sunday plus live music from 11.30am to 4pm we hope you can join us plus we’ll be open Boxing Day and every Sunday in January including Australia Day on the 26/01/25 for our famous national day of celebration.

In closing, thank you to all that have made this year probably the best in recent times, we look forward to welcoming you into 2025 and please remember, we’re all volunteers, sometimes things don’t go as we would like but the best clubs put adversity aside, the members stick together and find solutions to the many challenges we will continue to face as a big diverse club.  

Cheers to you all and a very Merry Christmas.

Paul ‘Stretch’ Fownes APM OAM

President.

Announcing the Flooring Xtra Triple Crown Ocean Swim Series!
Attention ocean swimmers of South Maroubra SLSC: Mark your 2025 calendar to
swim the Flooring Xtra Triple Crown Ocean Swim Series, bringing together three
popular local swims to help raise funds for great causes, including our surf club.
What’s more all swimmers taking on the series have the chance to win one of two
$1,000 cash prizes!

Whether you're an experienced swimmer or just looking to challenge yourself in the
open ocean, this is your chance to compete in three of Sydney's most iconic ocean
swim events and potentially walk away with extra cash in your pocket, courtesy of
the generous team at Flooring Xtra.

The Triple Crown Ocean Swim Series includes three spectacular events:
- Murray Rose Malabar Magic
- Coogee Island Challenge
- South Maroubra Ocean Swim
To qualify for the $1,000 Prize Draw:
1. Enter and complete all three swims, one from each event in the series.
2. Be 10 years of age or older.
3.Be present at the Prize Draw during the South Maroubra Ocean Swim Prize
Ceremony on April 27th, 2025.

Two prizes will be awarded—one for a qualifying male swimmer and one for a
qualifying female swimmer. Read the full Terms & Conditions here.

Why Join the Flooring Xtra Triple Crown Ocean Swim Series?
​
Each event is unique, offering its own challenges and stunning coastal scenery.
You’ll swim alongside like-minded ocean enthusiasts, test your endurance, and
create memories that will last a lifetime. Whether you’re racing for a personal best or
simply enjoying the experience, completing the series is an accomplishment to be
proud of—and the chance to win $1,000 makes it even sweeter!

Enter all three swims here, grab your goggles ready and start training for the 2025
Flooring Xtra Triple Crown Ocean Swim Series. See you at the starting line!

Dear friends in our community,
 
Clovelly Community Bank has just launched our annual community Christmas present drive and we would like to invite you and our local supported community groups to mobilise their members to give a gift to someone in need in our community this Christmas.
 
Now in it’s 5th year, last year we were able to pass on 1,500 donated gifts, toys, toiletries, and food hampers directly to those in need.
 
5 local charities have been invited to receive the donated gifts this year. These charities will choose from the donated gifts and pass them on directly to those in need in their care.
 
The local charities we are collecting gifts for:
 

• The Lokahi Foundation (local domestic violence charity),  
• Bayside Women’s Shelter (local domestic violence shelter),
• The Deli (local domestic violence charity),
• Project Kindness (To help those struggling in our community),
• Caring Kids charity (toys for child carers)

 
We gratefully receive all donations however you would like to donate!
 
Either directly under the Christmas Tree at the bank, open Monday – Friday 9.30 – 5pm.
Or we can arrange a specific time for you to drop the gifts off at the bank with a photo opportunity, to thank your groups on our socials.
Or if you want to collect the donations yourselves, we can organise to collect. Just let me know.
 
Specific requested items from the charities are outlined below: 
For Children: Toys, sport balls, LEGO, arts & craft supplies, board games & puzzles, school stationery, backpacks, water bottles, beach towels, goggles. 
For Teenagers: Gift vouchers in smaller nominated amounts for K-mart, Woolworths, Rebel, etc. 
For Adults: Toiletry packs, perfume, moisturiser, aftershave, 2025 diary or journal, water bottles, gift vouchers for food, botany pool vouchers, movie & bowling vouchers. 
Other Notes: No perishable foods for Christmas Hampers, gifts 30c of less in size unwrapped - optional gift tag or card, donations to be place underneath the Community Bank Clovelly Giving Tree until December 15th. 

Community Bank Clovelly 222-226 Clovelly Road Coogee NSW. Monday – Friday 9.30 – 5pm.
 
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT 

On the 12th of October, a group of our South Maroubra Youth competed on the Gold Coast at the Coolangatta Gold Youth Challenge. Congratulations to the following members for their fantastic results. 

• U13 female iron person - Sophie 3rd
• U13 male ironperson - Billy 8th
• U11 female iron person - Grace 19th
• U17 male iron person - Aidan 19th
  

Welcome again to our September Bluing edition where we hope you take the time to keep up to date with the club latest news.
 
On that note you’ll be please to know that I’ve returned in one piece from a long trip overseas and ready to get stuck into the many challenges rapidly approaching at the start of the season including;
 

• Preparing the new Lifesaving Room for occupation. Phase 1 of contracted works have been approved to facilitate the movement of gear from the old room into the new room. Phase 2 will see the set up of the engine maintenance secure area. We know you will be thrilled with the final product.
• As we work towards setting up the new lifesaving room we also start work on our new multi-purpose room (the old lifesaving room) that will see the secure cage area become storage for a range of gear. You’ll see the room transition into a comfortable  and well equipped education room with audio visual, all lifesaving training gear, carpet, tables chairs, whiteboard etc. Plus we will trial the room as a meeting room for our younger members where it will serve as a social hub. Exciting isn’t it?
• Patrols start in September along with training courses, recruitment of new patrolling members, start of season gear inspection, so plenty happening on the red and yellow front.
• Gotcha4life mental health fundraising was an amazing success last weekend, led by our Vice President Linda Perrin. South Maroubra along with other surf clubs participated as a team to help the Gotcha4life and organiser Gus Worland during this major annual fundraiser. We managed to raise over $7,000 and rowed over 1000 km! You can still all the action by going to our Facebook site and you’ll see posts and clicking here to make a donation into the South Maroubra account.
• Octoberfest a fun day in the park and major fundraiser for our Summer and Winter competitors is on again Sunday 27/10. German oom pah band will be firing up, followed by good old Aussie rock and roll band, beers, food and fun so please put this in your diary. Children's rides, spring festival and refreshments will all be on as well. Spread the news and put it in your diaries.
• Sponsorship required: We’ve gone ahead with an order to purchase a new traditional racing surf boat which is now under construction. We’re searching for one or several sponsors that might like to have an exclusive of shared naming rights. These boats are big, so much like a mobile bill-board, they reflect the history and culture of surf lifesaving, feature regularly in media so a great PR opportunity. With a big membership could you bounce this around your place of work or perhaps open a door or two we can walk through to pursue a sponsorship. The boat will be ready in a month or two so we must act quickly! Enquiries to [email protected]
• Launch of 2024/25 surf season – will coincide with the start of nippers 13th October. All patrolling members will be invited to some live music and a refreshment to mark the start of summer!  
• Lastly, Social Sundays have proven to be a big HIT. Don’t miss out on one of the nicest spots on the coast. Family, friends are all welcome in our beer garden and remember we now have special members prices but you must apply to be part of the Members Loyalty Program. See within this report further information on how to join as we are launching SOON. Any enquiries or queries to [email protected] so please do NOT miss out as no discounts will be provided within your loyalty pass presented at the bar!

 
See you all soon
Paul ‘Stretch’ Fownes APM OAM
President