January 1 - 31, 2025: Issue 638

 

Summer in Pittwater: First Week of January 2025 Means Crowded Beaches, Lifesavers on Patrol, Surf Lifesaving Carnivals, First Pittwater Ocean Swims

Warm Days = A Crowded with Visitors Pittwater

A few pictures taken when out and about records residents are not the only ones who appreciate a beautiful place of green and blue where you can exhale and enjoy the views. 

For those who live here the heroes of this Season are all the volunteers who give up their own Summer to look after residents and visitors - particularly those on the water, in the form of Marine Rescue Broken Bay and Marine Rescue Cottage Point, along with the thousands who work on the sand as Patrol Members, and behind the scenes as  Members of local surf lifesaving clubs ensuring First Aid kits are ready to be used and surf clubhouses are ready to do all the thousands of things Members will use them for. 

Some of these surf lifesaving clubs even welcome visitors for a meal or a cold drink with a view and put on music of a weekend so you can enjoy the best of Pittwater from their balconies. 

A few pictures:

   

Palm Beach SLSC Hosts the Adrian Curlewis Twilight Masters Carnival + Within Club BBB's Carnival for 2025

Adrian Curlewis Twilight Masters Carnival 2025

Held Friday January 3 this year, the Adrian Curlewis Twilight Masters Carnival, named for a founding member of Palm Beach SLSC and who was called 'the father of surf life saving in Australia', kicks off the beginning of 2025, and the surf life saving carnival Season, with a great lead-into the Branch, States and Aussies carnivals. The Adrian Curlewis Masters is the third local Masters Carnival, running after the October carnival hosted by Mona Vale SLSC and Freshwater SLSC's November edition, and the final stretch of the legs, arms and paddles prior to the SLS SNB Branch carnival (February 8 and 15 on Newport Beach), the 2025 NSW Surf Life Saving Championships (February 28 - March 16 with 12-13 of March 2025 allocated for the Masters Championships to be held at   Queenscliff SLSC), and the 2025 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships will be held on the Gold Coast, Queensland at North Kirra SLSC and Tugun SLSC from 29 March – 6 April.

Some interesting facts provided by PBSLSC's Masters athlete Gordon Lang, Founder and Organiser of the Adrian Curlewis Twilight Masters Carnival:

  • This was the 13th running of this event – we lost one year to COVID and another to pollution
  • There are a number of competitors here who competed in the first carnival – thank you
  • This year, we have 136 competitors in 36 teams from 11 clubs competing with a total of well over 8,000 years’ experience
  • Ages ranging from 30 to 72
  • Average age of approx. 50 
  • 42% female and 56 % male
  • I have taken the liberty of calling this the Next Best Masters Carnival in Australia.


Palm Beach SLSC's Brats, Brutes, Bruisers Carnival 2025

A within the club members only carnival that brings together Brats (Freshers), Brutes (serving Patrol Members) and Bruisers (older and Masters Members) to have some fun together while taking part in some unusual events with a focus on fun. This ups the camaraderie within the club, forms and grows connections between the generations and is one of many reasons Palm Beach SLSC has a membership that works so well as one team and sees people join in serving the community and visitors as volunteers, and never leave - many of PBSLSC's Members have been a part of the Palm Beach landscape for several decades. 

One example - 96 years young Peter Blomfield, pictured here with Alexandra Tyrell, (President) and James Riley (Captain).

Another great example of the club's members working together is a raffle Boat Captain Peter Spence oversees each year to raise funds to send the multiple-medal winning surf boat crews to Branch, States and Aussies each year. The prize is always something everyone wants, although some winners have donated this back to be re-raffled the following year. With such a strong surf boat team representing the club and NSW across all age divisions, the 'Palmy Army' can have costs for accommodation when a part of the Australian National Championships (Aussies) that is over 50 thousand dollars alone - add to that transportation, entrance fees and equipment for all the carnivals the team goes in. Spence explains the annual raffle ensures the PBSLSC's Boat Division is able to fund itself and costs the club nothing each year to grow the next generation of surf sports athletes, all who are learning great lifesaving skills and become part of the movement, as well as being supported to become their best selves as part of the team and Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club - it's a win-win that persists even outside the competition Season. Go Palmy!

At PBSLSC you also meet generations of family serving within the club - this youngest son pictured here with his mum and dad for instance:

More PBSLSC's first week of January 2025 pictures run below.

Adrian Curlewis Twilight Masters Carnival 2025


Album available at: photos.app.goo.gl/QYsB3F6RnANgY7n98

Palm Beach SLSC's Brats, Brutes, Bruisers Carnival 2025

Newport SLSC's 2025 Pool to Peak Ocean Swims

Thousands of ocean swimmers are expected to descend on Pittwater for the annual Pittwater Ocean Swim Series, which started with the Newport Pool to Peak swims on Sunday 5 January. These are followed by Bilgola on the 12th, then Mona Vale 19th. The Big Swim from Palm Beach to Whale Beach will be on Australia Day 26 January and presents a unique ocean swimming challenge. 

The Newport Pool To Peak Ocean Swim is the first Sydney ocean swim of the new year and one to kick off your ocean swimming new year’s resolution in style. Organised by experienced ocean swimmers, the Pool to Peak is known as the friendly and affordable swims with an emphasis on safety and fun.

This ocean swim offers three different swim distances; 400m for 10 years and over, 800m for 13 years and over and 2km for 13 years and over. Great prizes are available via a lucky swimmer draw and medals are presented to category winners and placegetters. Fresh fruit is provided for swimmers on their return to the beach and there is a succulent BBQ.

The 400m ocean swim is a kids-sized circuit out around the buoys and back into the beach.

The 800m ocean swim course is a simple circuit out and around the buoys and back. This course is great for beginners or as a warm-up for the 2km ocean swim if you are wanting to do the double on the day.

The 2km ocean swim course takes you out away from the beach, before turning north, and following a rectangular route around the beach – from pool to peak – eventually bringing you back to shore near the beginning.

The 2025 Newport Pool to Peak swims PON Album for participants is available at: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBX3Tn