Her focus has been on keeping it real and relative. After joining Newport SLSC as a Nippers mum, Bec has undertaken various roles in the club - everything from womanning the shop to looking after the littlies and now looking after members across the club structure as VP of Newport surf club.
Bec introduced 'The Top 5' at Newport, a newsletter featuring the top five stories for club members, when her role was Member Protection Information Officer, contributing a story for the first edition on Tips for Schoolies and how to stay safe if attending. The other 4 stories for that edition were about Newport athletes excelling at surf sports, a working bee on the garden at the front of the club, and the Return and Earn scheme for bottles the club had recently signed up to and Bec again penned an update on Taking 3 for the Sea the Nippers were involved in, setting up the under 7s, 8s and 9s to be current and future custodians of their own and any other beach they find themselves on.
Bec is also an athlete - especially in water sports; a love and passion that commenced when she was young and has been renewed through the opportunities being a member of a surf club provides for all ages and all genders.
Bec won Gold in the 2022 Aussies in the Champion Lifesaver event. That had been preceded by a Silver in the same event at the NSW State Championships in 2020. Bec also takes part in the Patrol Competition team event, again with great team results from Newport SLSC's volunteers working as one crew.
Silver medallist in Champion Lifesaver states 2020 with Phoebe Savage and Guyren Smith. Pic; SLS NSW
Gold medallist in 2022 Aussies in Champion Lifesaver in her age division. Pic; supplied
However, getting in the swim of things runs in the family with her daughter Abigail part of the next generation of athletes coming out of the club that sees commentators at Branch, State and National carnivals calling out 'Newport!, Newport!, Newport!' as competitors cross the finish line.
Surf sports have their grounding in honing the skills that enable surf lifesaver volunteers to save lives on the beach and in the water; everything from sprinting on the sand to being able to successfully complete a surf rescue via a range of equipment, and should that be needed, complete first aid and resuscitation once a patient is brought back to the shore.
The carnivals held locally and across Australia also bring together old friends and continue to foster the camaraderie of one team all working together to look after each other and the hundreds of thousands of people who visit our beaches each Season. This, in essence, creates an extended family centred in every surf club - a foundation available for all Bec says gives everyone a place to belong to because all are welcome as all belong - there is something you can do in your local surf club to help your community, help complete strangers, even if you are not an athlete.
This week a few insights into a Season at Newport SLSC from a lady who has undertaken 'Vigilance and Service' for over two decades on glorious Newport Beach.
The end of this year, 2025, and the 2025/2026 Season, will be the 45th year that women were allowed to become active volunteer Patrol Members. Have you been a member since then?
No, I grew up at Belrose and my mum and dad were both immigrants, so we didn’t have anything to do with the surf. It wasn’t until I got married and moved to Newport and my husband said we were close enough to the beach to not need a pool – that’s when I got involved with the surf club. Our Sam is 20 now so we’ve been part of the surf club for a few decades now. I did my Bronze Medallion in early 2015.
My children all did Nippers and all are still a part of the surf club and they all race in some form or another. The surf club has been awesome for our kids and has actually given them their own pathways.
My eldest one does lifesaving, like myself, and he is a coach, my middle one does IRB’s an loves the racing and motors, and my youngest is still in the ranks of the Kinghorn Academy.
I wanted to be able to surf and I wanted the kids to be able to read the surf, so it was a no-brainer for us. I had no experience in the surf before that.
So, from your point-of-view and experience the surf club grows great human beings; it gives them skills, knowledge, maintains physical fitness and mindful resilience?
Absolutely and also I think that in raising kids today you need more than just mum and dad. Although we were fortunate in having our parents nearby we’ve found that the Newport community has helped raise and guide our children.
Surf clubs often are an extended family for many members. There have also been a lot of times where the kids have gone to other members of the surf club before us with their issues, which is fine; that’s what it’s all about.
You are now Vice President at Newport SLSC – is this your first Seasons as VP? And why did you take on that role; that’s like another full-time job?
No, my second Season as Vice President. I don’t know why I did it. My role started years ago in the shop, soon after I’d had Abi – she would be playing in the shop and that was as close as I could get to the beach when she was a little one.
So I was in the shop for a few years then I was the JAC (Junior Activities Chairperson) for a few years, then the MPIO and it just went on from there. I am good friends with the current President, Guyren Smith, we train together and there’s a lot of chit-chatting when we’re training, especially when I was trying to get ideas for the JAC role. He has guided me through all my different roles for the surf club and when he asked my to be the Deputy I knew he’d help me there too. It’s nice to be surrounded by a great team at Newport; we all work well together.
What does the Vice President role entail?
A lot of things. Obviously being Guyren’s support in doing tasks he can’t get to in representing the club. Newsletter input, chasing up various things for members. At present I’m focused on the Nippers as we had anew JAC come in this Season and he needed some guiding in his role. So guiding people in their roles is also part of my remit and a big part of what I do. Also just being a face around the club; if Guyren’s not there then I am so everyone has someone to approach who is on hand if or when they need them.
What has surf lifesaving given to you?
Lots of fitness – before joining I was very much of not getting in the water unless it was 40 degrees, now I train most days whatever the weather. It as given me some amazing friends whom I probably wouldn’t have met along the way because our kids aren’t the same age or other things; so this has definitely given me a diversity of great people in that area. And it has give me a place to belong and to be a part of something bigger.
You mentioned training; what surf sports do you train for?
I do the Champion Life Saver and Patrol Competition with a great team and I have started to do Masters Competitions. So I mainly do the Swim, Board.
My second ever Masters Carnival was the Adrian Curlewis Twilight Masters Carnival held at Palm Beach a few weeks back.
Did you enjoy it?
Yes – I can’t say I like racing against men but get it when there’s not many numbers or there’s a mixed-team event structure, and it is good for Patrol Comp. because we do race against men in that. When we do the Patrol Competition Guyren and I are probably towards the older end of the team, and you are racing against Open competitors, and they don’t give you a bit, they can be pretty aggressive.
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Bec with other girls in the Newport Masters team at Palm Beach on January 3, 2025
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Competing in the 2025 edition of the Adrian Curlewis Twilight Masters Carnival
Will you be competing in the Branch, State and Aussie carnivals this year?
Yes.
Were you an athlete before you joined Newport?
As a child, when I was age 10, for around 10 years, I did synchronised swimming at an elite level. But I do more training now as an adult than I did back then - I didn’t appreciate how fit I was then, or how much time my parents dedicated just getting me to and from training.
Who were you doing the synchronised swimming with?
It was called the Cygnets back then, and they’re not around anymore. However, one of the women who coached the Olympic Squad for this is now a Masters Competitor at Mona Vale, Lisa Critoph.
We crossed paths doing our Gold Medallion last Season and Lisa said ‘I know your face’ - I said ‘you trained Pamela Burridge’ – so it’s interesting to come across some of those faces from then and see we’re all still involved in water sports in one way or another.
I’m near that time in my life where my children have become more and more self-sufficient and you get an extra hour or two in your day. Some people pick up a hobby of their interest whereas I’ve returned to watersports and Masters carnivals.
And you have a Gold Medallion? Not too many women have done that?
There are only a few, so far. I’ve had it for 2 years now; Guyren and Phoebe, who have grown me into a Patrol Comp. team member, and who both have it, said; maybe you should try for your Gold.
When we do the Patrol Comp. much of it comes naturally as you’re training to do that all the time, and so it was just a matter of getting the swims and the run and the board happening. We do do a lot of training in Winter in preparation for Coolangatta, so that keeps our fitness levels up year round.
Newport has been rising in local, state and national surf sports competitions for some years now – why is it so important to Newport to keep raising the bar in surf sports?
We have been very fortunate to have a community that has a lot of input into the training and strives to ‘Be the Best, enjoy it the most’. We also have competitors like Charlie Brooks, Jackson Borg, Annalise Kibble, who are born and bred Newporters who will never leave, plus the amazing Lizzie Welborne. Lizzie is very much ’let’s keep our competitors in NSW’. So having those sorts of athletes in Newport SLSC does retain the other athletes.
We’re lucky to have the Kinghorn Foundation that nurtures our athletes, keeps them together and gives them a community to belong to. Other clubs haven’t had that opportunity so we’re really fortunate to have that.
If you are going to have Open athletes at that level they need to train together; you can’t really have 2 here and then 2 at another club, because they feed off each others energy and efforts and inspire each other. They all navigate towards Newport because that’s where there is a setup to support them in that; we have some amazing coaches working with them as one team. When you get to that level you want tough coaches who will work to help them do their best. We have James Brooks, Nick Carroll and Trent Herring who have all come from a culture of training, we have Cluesy, who is an ex-ironman, so they know how to help our athletes excel.
The other aspect of Newport SLSC is the wonderful Programs that have come out of the club – the Special Needs Inclusive Carnivals commenced at Newport and last Season Newport’s and the NSW Polices’ 'Fit to Learn' program won the Branch, State and National Community Education Program of the Year and has also already saved at least one life. Why do you think Newport keeps leading the charge in so many outreach programs that extend the club into the community and great Sydney community?
The ‘Fit to Learn’ program was instigated by Guyren and Jess Menzies and is just an amazing program. Bringing kids that a) would not normally come to the beach, and b) are a little bit lost and equipping them with skills that empower them has been a gift. Being able to work with the Police has just been a boon for the club and those kids; to see their confidence rise and for them to understand they can do anything they want if they apply themselves; that they can learn something new, that they can get it done, it just inspires them to apply that approach in everything else that challenges them. For people who have never been near the water to learn not only about the conditions but be able to apply what they learn to save others, I think that’s amazing.
What do women bring to surf lifesaving?
We hold around 40% of roles in our surf club, so we’re a vital part of the club – the same occurs in our surf lifesaving clubs. There may still be a bit of the ‘old boys club’ element to some surf clubs but I think as the years have gone on that has lessened and will do so more. Women just get stuff done; so many of us are already running households, and work atop that. We have to be organised, so it’s easy to just continue that in other roles in the community. We already have a club that is really well organised, so I think women have a wider scope of all that needs to be organised and can apply that to their roles in surf lifesaving. Women are also nurturing, so we are aware of when someone may need a kind word, and so have a keen sense of how to bring wellbeing and caring to their role in a surf club too, which enriches them from that aspect as well.
We are lucky as we have some amazing guys in our surf club who are also attuned to others in this way too. They will pick it, at times, before we do that someone is not happy, and be able to reach out.
Women in surf clubs is also taking away that testosterone-only focus that once was part of surf clubs; which is happening in a lot of other places and sports as well.
What are you looking forward to this Season, now that we are at the peak time when so many are serving others during Summer Patrols?
Making sure Members can do their Patrols on the sand obviously; that that runs smoothly for them and they are supported in their roles.
Our next focus as a club will be the Branch Carnival, which has just been announced and will be hosted on Newport Beach this Season. This will be our second time consecutively hosting the Branch Carnival, so we know what this entails, and that there is a lot of coordinating to support that, which commences in February.
The surf boats will run at Palm Beach, which is a great beach for surf boats, but we get to look after everyone coming to the SLS SNB Branch Championships.
Once we get through that, and I’ll also be taking part as well in my own competitions, we’ll be focusing on the Awards Night, post Season.
I find the busiest part is June and July when we’re organising everything needed for the next Season is in place. Once we get to midway through the Patrols Season we’re organised and the club and all its volunteer members are running everything smoothly. It is the Winter when all the work to make that succeed starts. We have a lot to do in the off-season to help and support our members do what they do once the Season starts.
What are your favourite places in Pittwater and why?
That’s a really hard question – there are so many beautiful places here. I think we’re just so lucky to have so many great places to train at here as well. I do love Crossways (at Newport), and on a good day that is a great place to train at and I love to paddle out there. My daughter will leave me hanging on a board there while she snorkels for hours. Now that I’ve been on a ski, going into the flatwater of the Pittwater estuary itself has also become a favourite place; it’s so beautiful. So it’s a hard one, to name just a few, I just love all of it – anything to do with the water and I’m in.
What is your ‘motto for life’ or a favourite phrase that you try to live by?
What you do today determines what you will do tomorrow.
I use that one when I’m getting a little bit slack with my training; it gets me off the couch and into the water.
Notes
Artistic swimming (previously Synchronized Swimming) has been an Olympic sport since 1984. Donella Freeman (Burridge) and Lisa Critoph were the first Australian synchronised swimmers competing at the 1984 LA Olympics. Donnella is still competing to this day in the Masters category while Lisa is a Masters Athlete with the Mona Vale Masters Division.
Women's involvement in surf lifesaving began long before 1980, but it was still considered "men's work". In 1980, the Australian Surf Life Saving Association (SLSA) allowed women to become active members.
However, some clubs were resistant to admitting women, and the first women to join faced verbal abuse and ostracism.
Women's involvement in surf lifesaving has grown significantly since 1980, and women now make up a large percentage of lifesavers.
Photo: Four of the first official women to patrol our beaches were welcomed at Whale Beach SLSC in 1980. (Sara & Jill Peters, Marion Robb and Tina Gowing. Photo WBSLSC)
Prior to three women’s events being added to The Aussies carnival women used to compete with the men in the Surf Ski, Ironman, Boat Races and IRB races.
Excerpt from the Evolution of an Icon; 100 Years of Surf Lifesaving In NSW book pages 76-83:
One of the most significant changes to surf lifesaving in its history was the eventual acceptance of women as active members. The final defeat to the opposition to full female participation began as part of the broader social shifts of the early 1970s.
The issue of women in surf lifesaving had been discussed since the establishment of the movement in 1907. Until the 1970s, women’s perceived lack of ability to participate in rescues and the entrenched attitudes of a male-dominated administration had held sway. But in the 1970s, women’s rights were being promoted in a broad range of social activities. The federal and state governments began to respond to the social discussion and to stimulate further changes. In 1973, for instance, the Federal Labor Government of Gough Whitlam appointed a women’s adviser, the first government to do so. Many women throughout Australia were now increasingly frustrated by surf lifesaving’s refusal to recognise their potential and by the consequent lack of opportunity for them to participate in an activity they enjoyed. They wanted to take their place as active members, and they were supported by many men.
In 1974 Don Dunstan, the premier of South Australia, made an ultimatum to the South Australian State Centre – integrate women or lose core government funding. South Australian officials acted, and they decided to pressure National Council to consider the necessary changes. In New South Wales, members of the Far South Coast Branch agreed at their 1974 annual general meeting that:
The Surf Life Saving Association permit the introduction of Female Membership and that they be required to obtain their Qualifying Certificate. Their role shall be deemed fit as set down by a Committee to investigate such matters appertaining to their introduction.
This motion forced New South Wales, the most powerful and one of the more intransigent states, to appoint a committee to report of full membership for women. Other New South Wales leaders, like Alan Fitzgerald, president of the Manly-Warringah Branch, and Jack O’Reilly supported full membership for women. These men were both experience and respected in surf lifesaving, and their support was crucial.
Wider social changes relating to the views of women’s capabilities reinforced the attitudes of many frustrated women, and male supporters of change, within surf lifesaving. The media also took up the cause. Papers reported cases of women keen to complete their bronze course. For example, after the authorities refused to examine two women in his course, the coach of the Ballina Club noted ‘It’s all because of a few old die-hards who want to see lifesaving as the last fortress of male supremacy to fall to women’…
By 1979 the majority of New South Wales clubs had agreed to a NSW SLSA motion to National Council allowing women to gain their Bronze Medallions and to become active members. National Council agreed and decided that integration would be implemented from 1 July 1980. There was one concession: clubs could choose whether they accept women on that date or later. However, in a strong hint to local intransigents, it noted:
‘The National Council does call upon all sections to recognise the strong social, moral and political pressures in the subject of equal opportunity of female participation. It is not considered to be in the best interests of the Association as a whole, or sections individually, if Club restrictions remain upon Membership, Office or Award – solely on the basis of their gender.’
So it was that on 1 July 1980, the SLSA finally admitted women as full members. The entrenched attitudes of many male members and their clubs had through force of reason, expediency, simple political will and clout, been persuaded that women could save lives, participate in competitions and administration, and carry out all the responsibilities and enjoyments of surf lifesaving just as well as men.
Despite lingering informal opposition from some members, the official position was clear. Women were welcomed to full participation in surf lifesaving in New South Wales by administrator Ernie Davis, who also noted that the state’s Nipperettes Association had affiliated to New South Wales Ste Centre through the New South Wales Junior Association.
In 1981 Gus Staunton wrote that ‘one of the most far reaching items of legislation, within the Surf Life Saving Association’s history, was of course the decision to allow female[s] to obtain the Bronze Medallion’.