Life's a Beach - Newsletter No.5 2008 - 2009

Club Presentation Night:
Saturday 16 May - 6.00pm for 6.30pm start. Catering for 90 to eat – subsidized cost $5/head (cost to club $16.25)

Let Club Secretary know by 8 May if you intend eating – E mail: wollongongcityslsc@bigpond.com

Format: Lifesaving Awards, Patrol Awards, Competition & Club Champion Awards, Major Trophies & Club Person of Year.
Come along with family & friends to support the wind down to another successful season at YOUR Club.

No Sticky Stuff:
Front doors & windows have been sun treated to reduce heat & glare so PLEASE, no signs/notices stuck to glass – they will leave non removable marks on tint that cost $1120.

Boaties Poker Night:
Great success - 65 attended, raised $2189 on the evening plus a matching sum from BHPBilliton Community Assistance Fund via Rod Latham (BHPB Illawarra Coal).
Special thanks to Justin, Phil & Shane for organisation & their lovely ladies Alissa, Niamh & Rebecca + Tim Jennett for keeping the players well hydrated during the intense pressure of trying to win the loot on offer.

3 Club members shared the final big bucks, Steve Boscoscuro $400, Brett Thomas $200 & Tyson Burcher $100 (who he had some difficulty reading the cards & with his all or nothing approach, had obviously never seen Paul Newman in `Cool Hand Luke` ).

Big Push By SLSA:
Short & to the point – Saturday Patrols will be re-introduced for all Illawarra surf clubs next season.
Every Patrol - minimum of 3 Bronze holders & to include IRB driver + ARC operator.
Submissions from Clubs on times/dates/alternatives to be finalized for agreement & sign-off by State Centre.

New Liquor & Gaming Licence:
We are 1 of only 2 Illawarra Clubs to comply with current laws – thanks to persistent work by Ken Lawrence.

Major change is that food & drinking water must be available at all times while serving alcohol – even `social sips`.

Looks like the 1st Aid Room freezer could become home to frozen pies, pizzas & spring rolls in future. Chips & peanuts don’t count.

Patrols:
Thanks to all members who participated this season – your efforts were appreciated at all levels of the Club & by the public at large.

A number of members achieved 100% attendance – congratulations. Some others were lax in their commitment to the roster system, with holes left to be filled too often by the Club Captain at short notice. Patrols rely on a team commitment.

Need to address – missed patrols, timeliness, uniforms, integration/mentoring of `rookies` to patrol operations, Saturday patrols,

IRB & ARC qualification, Silver Medallion – Beach Management for all Patrol Captains.

Club Championships:
Disappointed with poor attendance. Particularly from among the `rookie group` who were extremely well supported by the Club in their activities this season. (e.g. 15 at sleepover fell to 2 at Club Championships next day!!!!! - didn’t impress some people who put themselves out to support the rookie program).

It’s difficult to schedule 3 rounds of Club Championships in a very full competition calendar.

Any ideas to improve scheduling & participation in all age groups next season? . Let Tim Jennett know.

2 Lives Lost:
Disappointing to report 2 lives were lost on Wollongong City Beach in the last 2 months. Both occurred well outside operational hours of WCSLSC patrols & the WCC Lifeguard Service & well south of the club house. The Club was actively involved in the extensive search efforts for both persons. Sadly, only one body has been recovered to date. Our thoughts go out to the families & friends of the deceased. A third tragedy was averted late on a recent Sunday afternoon when a Zimbabwean male was pulled from the water down near the old club house & required resuscitation by the patrol before handover to the ambulance. It was a close call.

Rookies:
Recent activities included - supervised Club house sleepover for 15 (entertained by movies, pizza & music).
- white water rafting day at Penrith for 22 (subsidized by the Club for $2000 - cost to member was $20 + food/drink).

The Club Council is hopeful that the substantial financial support for the activities results in continued membership from the rookies plus efforts to induce their friends to join the Club, gain SLSA awards & progress to committed lifesavers at Wollongong City beach.

Bondi Icebergs Trip:
Keep Sunday 14 June free for trip to Bondi Icebergs to contest the annual 20-a-side Noel Schubert Memorial Relay.

Club will be taking a bus. Leave 8.15 - return 6.00. Guaranteed a great day – swim, food, friendship & tall stories. Very keen to get a full bus load to take on the ‘Bergs at their iconic home pool. Tell your Clubmates – we need swimmers, joke/story tellers or visual entertainment just a bit lower key than Toby Dawson’s self immolation act to effectively counter Lofty Petrie’s world renowned smoke in your glass eye socket. Let Michael Jennett know if you are going - ph. Mob 0414772127.

Bad Move:
Late submission of finance details for 2007-08 season to NSW Department of State Revenue resulted in an audit that exposed a liability of $75/year for non compliance in years 2001 & 2002. You think that’s not good - some other Illawarra clubs have outstanding reports for up to 15 years so they are in big $ trouble.

Big Thanks:
To NQX TRANSPORT for assistance in transporting the container to the Australian Championships in Perth for the 2nd year.

It carried 2 boats (Wollongong City & Corrimal) + numerous boards & skis (ours & North Wollongong). Shane Harloff pulled the deal together. Makes the WA trip so easy - turn up at the beach & the container is there just waiting for you to unload.

Boat Trailer:
Anyone in need of a registered, fully galvanized, Australian made boat trailer in A1condition – suits 26 foot long surfboat.
Contact Boat Captain. Phli Lazzari ph. Mob 0431014176.

The Next Day:
Members requested to assist in clean–up on Sunday morning after the Presentation Night.
Don’t leave it to the same old crew – should take 1 hour max. stacking tables/chairs & prep. work before cleaners come.

BJA State Championships (Swansea Belmont):
Mackenzie Hynard U/14 – 1st Board, 1st Iron Man, 5th Surf
Brock Scrivener U/9 - 1st Beach Sprint, 1st Beach Flags
Congratulations to medallists & all City `Penguins` on their fine performances at the Titles.

NSW Masters Championships (Swansea Belmont)
Gina Crick 2nd 50-55 Female Beach Sprint, 3rd Female Beach Flags
120 yrs Surfboat 2nd Brett Dingwall, Darrin Deboynton, Justin Wolters, Shane Harloff,
Damien Brunton
110yrs Board Relay 3rd Tim, Michael & Larry Jennett
30-34 yrs Board Reascue 4th Tim & Michael Jennett
55-59 yrs Board Race 5th Larry Jennett
Paul Buttel (competing for Wanda) also was successful, winning gold in the 30-34 yrs Ski & Iron Man .
A number of members made it through to finals of their events. Well done to all who proudly wore the Maroon & white in Masters & Open events

NSW Championships (Swansea Belmont):
Jordan Wallace 2nd U/17 2km Beach Run
Will Edmonds 3rd U/17 Beach Flags
U/17 Female Beach Relay 3rd Ainslie & Kaitlin Christlo, Clara & Emily Bonin

SLSA Masters Championships (Scarborough):
Gina Crick: 50-54 yrs 2nd Beach Sprint 4th Beach Flags
Tim Jennett 30-34 yrs 3rd Board Race 5th Iron Man
Michael Jennett 30-34 yrs 6th Board Race 7th Iron Man
Larry Jenett 55-59 yrs 7th Board Race
Mick & Tim Jennett 30-34 yrs 3rd Board Rescue
Tim,Mick & Larry Jennett 110 years 5th Board Relay
Paul Buttel (competing for Wanda) 30-34 yrs 2nd Iron Man 2nd Board Rescue 4th Rescue Tube, 5th Ski
110 years 2nd Board Relay 3rd Ski Relay

SLSA Open Championships (Scarborough):
Mackenzie Hynard 1st U/14 Board Race Representing NSW at Interstate Championships
Finalist U/15 Surf, Board & Iron Man
Semi-Final U/.15 Rescue Tube
Will Edmonds Semi-Final U/17 Beach Flags Quarter Final U/17 Beach Sprint
Open Boat 4th Round A Crew - Greg Hale, Rod Latham, Phil Lazzari, Trent Lawrence, Darren Thompson
Port Elliot Aussie Gold:
Sister Club, Port Elliot S.A. celebrated hugely with Mickey Mason winning gold in the U/15 - 2 km beach run at the Australian Championships. The entire Port Elliot team, including a number of young members at their 1st Aussies visited the Wollongong City boaties tent at Scarborough WA.

SLSA Pool Rescue Championships (Homebush):
Mackenzie Hynard 3rd U/15 50 Metres Swim with Flippers

Bad Form:
Wet toilet paper wars in male change rooms don’t make it any easier for the volunteer cleaners. Please STOP.

What Ski?
Q. What noise does a surf ski make when it is propelled along the bitumen for 15 metres at 20 kmph under the front wheel of a Ford Falcon driven by Ken Lawrence ?
A. A very sickening one for the ski owner (Larry Jennett) who had just finished fitted a new rudder & prepared the ski ready for use after 6 months out of the water. Ouch

BJA Committee:
At their Annual General Meeting, the BJA elected the following to guide their section for 2009 – 10 season.
Chairperson: John Hickman Vice Chairperson Matt Hennessy
Secretary Linda Vugrek Treasurer Creg Dodd
Registrar Janelle Mowbray Competition Brad Hynard
Beach Capt. Mark Fox Water Capt. Dave Forst
Gear Steward Steve Lawson
Thanks to outgoing leader Brad Hynard & his committee for a successful season for the Penguins.

They’re Baaack:
Saturday Patrols – by order SLSNSW . Illawarra clubs must make steps to abide by SLSA/SLSNSW requirements. Minimum patrol Strength – 3 Bronze Medallion holders (to include IRB Driver & ARC qualified persons). Clubs is devise a strategy based on core hours, beach attendance, patrol configuration & service support for submission to SLSI & sign off by SLSNSW,

Passed Away:
William (Bill) Edmonds – Squadron 153, father/father in law of Bill & Linda & grandfather of young members Will & Lara passed away on 20 February. Condolences to the Edmonds family.

Not Well:
Les Hawkins, Life Member of Bondi Icebergs, champion R&R coach & long term friend of many WCSLSC members suffered a stroke at home & is in rehabilitation at Prince of Wales Hospital . Quick action by his wife Liz in getting paramedics to the scene quickly will greatly enhance his prospects for full recovery.

Club Gains ASRL Championships:
Our Club has been selected to stage the Australian Surfboat Rowers League (ASRL) Australian Championships for the next two years. A committee has been formed to run the event – will need commitment from ALL members & supporters to be successful on & off the beach. We previously staged the ASRL Championships in 2005 – to repeat that success would be tremendous. It’s up to us.

Suggestion:
Club stage patrol rescue scenarios 2-3 times per year per patrol to hone member’s skills & alleviate boredom.
Run by Patrol Captain with assistance. Focus on awareness, resource allocation, prevention, combined skills, presentation.
Team to observe, record, review & feed back - suggest alterations/improvements to patrol procedures. Your thoughts ?

How Lucky Are We?
Don’t want to hear any complaints about cost of membership or Club drink prices – look at comparison below:
City of Perth SLSC – Active Membership $175, Beer $5/ bottle, Soft Drink $2.50/can
Wollongong City SLSC – Active Membership $55, Beer $2/bottle, $2/middy glass, Soft Drink $1/can. How good is that!

Steelers AGM:
Club was well represented at the Steelers Club Annual General Meeting. In fact, we comprised 20 % of the total attendance & were instrumental in enabling a quorum to be present for the meeting to proceed. Our support was noted by the Steelers Board of Directors who continue to support us with an annual equipment grant & permission to run the weekly Surf Club meat raffle.

Quote for Thought:
You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream. CS Lewis.
Half the people in the world are below average. Anonymous

Big Thank You:
To Brad, Mackenzie & Emerson Hynard, who were left with the unenviable task to re-pack & secure the boards/skis into the container for the return trip home from WA. Well done. Obviously, Melinda supervised the job.

Boat Banter:
Possibly 7 crews next season - 1 x A, 3x B, 1xU/23, 1xU/19, 1 x Female.

Need top confirm interest & numbers ASAP.
Contact Phil Lazzari - Mob. 0431014176 (especially anyone interested in U/23,U/19 & Female crews).

Now is the time to learn to row or sweep – it’s too late starting in September.

2 Minute Showers???
Hot water usage 1/11/08 to 30/3/09 – Ladies 9433 litres Men 52302 litres = Total 61735 litres = Gas Cost $252.50
(Could reduce Ladies x 50% & Men x 10% if taps turned off securely after use). 2 minutes max. in showers please.

Looking At The Big $ - March ‘09:
Income$7185 - Hall Hire $1880, Steelers Raffles $488, Poker Night $2189, Board Payment $2034
Expend $16077 - Electricity $1590, Air Conditioner $2188, Glass Tint $1120, MV Insurance $792, 1st Aid Supplies $290
Rubbish Removal $538, Board/Ski Racks $ 3322, Aust. Champs Entry $ 660, Shelving $308,
Security $198, Telstra $109

Steelers Raffle Roster:
Don’t forget to ensure your group attends it’s rostered Friday afternoon raffles at the Steelers Club. To have no one front is both embarrassing & costly. Arrange to swap with another group if unavailable.

Classic Omission:
Disappointed that Ted Tobin’s classic story about his big wave on a longboard at Shellharbour Carnival in the 1950’s didn’t get a run in the Mercury Weekender feature on his achievements. Just hope the `big wave` was much larger than the wave in the story photo of Ted & Bob Little (brother in law & fellow Life Member). Looks like Ted is having difficulty staying upright on a mushy 3 footer.

Club Photos: Seeking photos for inclusion in 2008-09 Annual Report. Advise/E mail to Club Secretary – Paul Buttel. See below

Coming Events:
Club Presentation Evening Saturday 16 May 6.00 for 6.30 Family & friends welcome

Bondi Icebergs Trip Sunday 16 June 8.15 – 5.30 Advise Michael Jennett

SLS Illawarra Awards of Excellence TBA

WCSLSC Annual General Meeting Sunday 23 August 10.00 am Consider nominating for a position -Executive/Club Council


Support the Club Sponsors
Steelers Club, City Diggers, Illawarra Leagues Club, Abico Insurance Brokers, Asset Copier & Equipment Service, Complete Hydraulic Services, Martin Morris & Jones Real Estate, Players Smash Repairs, National Hire/Cat Rental, Class Kitchens & Joinery

Club Presentation Function
Saturday 16 May 6.00 pm for 6.30 pm start at Wollongong City Surf Club
Members, families & friends invited to join in celebrating the 2008-2009 season

Dinner available @ $5/head (advise numbers to Club Secretary by 8 May latest)
E mail: wollongongcityslsc@bigpond.com

Presentations: Lifesaving Awards, Patrol Awards, Competition & Club Champions
Major Trophies, Section Awards, Club Person of the Year.