July 5 - 11, 2015: Issue 221
SLS Sydney Northern Beaches Branch Awards of Excellence 2015
Junior Life Saver finalists as flag bearers at the SNB Branch Awards of Excellence 2015 at Dee Why RSL Club
Surf Life Saving Sydney Northern Beaches Branch Awards of Excellence 2015
He’s the man of the moment in Surf Life Saving Sydney Northern Beaches Branch.
Long Reef Surf Club member and local builder Adam Kent won the prestigious URM Life Saver of the Year Award at the Branch Awards of Excellence at Dee Why RSL Club on June 26. Adam will now represent the Branch at the SLSNSW Awards of Excellence in Sydney on August 29.
And to think Adam only got serious about lifesaving again 10 years ago when his kids became Nippers.
“I became an age manager and from then everything just took off,’’ he said. “Next was gear steward, then I was on the committee and, after doing my Bronze, I became a Trainer and Assessor.’’
Adam has since taken on the role of Nipper co-ordinator and Director of Lifesaving. “It’s about bringing the Club together and working on patrols so we can do our core thing, which is lifesaving and helping the community,’’ he said.
During winter, Adam is training on the jet rescue ski and has plans to become a Duty Officer.
Commenting on the award, he said: “It’s unreal, it’s awesome and it’s about everything why I joined the organisation.’’
The Dematic Young Life Saver of the Year saw joint winners – Dee Why’s Adam Hockley and Manly’s Sita Mason.
“I really didn’t give myself much chance of winning, although it was my fourth year in a row as a finalist,’’ Adam said.
“I thought Sita would win it as she does so much.’’
Adam is looking forward to become a Patrol Captain at Dee Why next season and has ambitions to later earn positions at Branch and State.
It was certainly a big night for the Dee Why Club. Dee Why were Streets Most Outstanding Club for the second year running, Most Outstanding Club in Education and Matt Molinia was named Northern Beaches Landrover Jaguar Trainer of the Year.
North Curl Curl also tasted their share of glory. Louis Tassone was named the URM Competition Official for the second successive year , Clare Hagon was Northern Beaches Landrover Jaguar Facilitator of the Year, Ray Merton the Northern Beaches Landrover Jaguar Assessor of the Year and Gary Beauchamp, the Harry Ragan Award winner.
It was a first for Manly’s Mel Pelly when she was named the Westfield Warringah Mall Volunteer of the Year.
“It is really nice to be recognised and for the work that I do above and beyond patrols,’’ Mel said.
The Thredbo Initiative of the Year went to South Curl Curl for the 100 boats, 100 years Gallipoli re-enactment at Collaroy.
And the Dee Why RSL Rescue of the Year went to North Narrabeen’s Bruce Kelly for his heroics at Narrabeen Beach on Friday, February 13.
During her speech, the Hon. Bronwyn Bishop referred to it (the rescue) as “Lucky Friday and not Black Friday’’ when Bruce saved the lives of Ross Hill and two of his children Yacoub and Amelia who were being swept out to sea.
Bruce used his trusty old wave ski to rescue them that evening. Bruce’s amazing efforts received a standing ovation from the audience at the Dee Why RSL Club.
North Narrabeen were also the Streets Most Improved Club, jumping from 17th place last year to eighth.
The Lipton Iced Tea Patrol Assessment winners were North Steyne, an award they also won the previous season.
Newport, as expected, cleaned up in Surf Sports. Trent Herring was the URM Coach of the Year, Georgia Miller the Athlete of the Year, Charlie Brooks the Young Athlete of the Year and Newport Taplin teams (Open, under 19s and 17s) were Team of the Year.
Despite his strong involvement and outstanding results with Manly before moving to Newport last season, Herring had never won the Coach of the Year before. ‘’It really is made me look good,’’ he said.
The URM Masters Athlete was Michael Kirkby (Freshwater).
There were seven new Life Members – Newport’s Michael King and Peter Finch, Freshwater’s Lindsay Davis and Bob Asser, Keith Abraham (North Steyne), Graham Cook (Narrabeen Beach) and Brian Ward (Queenscliff).
2015 Naming Category Winner Club
Alan Fitzgerald Branch Championship Point Score Shield MANLY MANLY
Lionel MacDonald Branch Championship Handicap Point Score PALM BEACH PALM BEACH
Bennett Boards Overall Carnival Handicap Point Score NEWPORT NEWPORT
Cedric .T. Walton Award Competition Recording Robyn Holt Queenscliff
The Harry Ragan Outstanding Service Award Gary Beauchamp Dee Why
The Raymond Matthew Brown OAM Radio Operator’s Award Lorelle Kinsey Warriewood
URM Waste Management Competition Official of the Year Louis Tassone North Curl Curl
URM Waste Management Coach of the Year Trent Herring Newport
URM Waste Management Youth Athlete of the Year Charlie Brooks Newport
URM Waste Management Masters Athlete Michael Kirkby Freshwater
URM Waste Management Athlete of the Year Georgia Miller Newport
URM Waste Management Team of the Year Open, U19, U17 Taplin Team Newport
Bill Buckle Northern Beaches Training Officer of the Year Matt Molinia Dee Why
Bill Buckle Northern Beaches Assessor of the Year Ray Merton North Curl Curl
Bill Buckle Northern Beaches Facilitator of the Year Clare Hagon North Curl Curl
Westfield Warringah Mall Volunteer of the Year Mel Pelly Manly
Thredbo Initiative of the Year 100 Years 100 Boats South Curl Curl
Dematic Young Lifesaver of the Year Sita Mason Manly
Dematic Young Lifesaver of the Year Adam Hockley Dee Why
Dee Why RSL Rescue of the Year February 2015 North Narrabeen
Dee Why RSL Presidents Award Narra Water Rats Narrabeen Beach
URM Lifesaver of the Year Adam Kent Long Reef
Lipton Iced Tea Patrol Assessment Competition 1st place North Steyne North Steyne
Lipton Iced Tea Patrol Assessment Competition 2nd place Nth Palm Beach Nth Palm Beach
Lipton Iced Tea Patrol Assessment Competition 3rd place Narrabeen Narrabeen
Lipton Iced Tea Patrol Assessment Competition 4th place Newport Newport
Lipton Iced Tea Patrol Assessment Competition 5th place Freshwater Freshwater
Lipton Iced Tea Patrol Assessment Competition 6th place Avalon Beach Avalon Beach
Lipton Iced Tea Patrol Assessment Competition 7th place Mona Vale Mona Vale
Streets Most Improved Club North Narrabeen North Narrabeen
Streets Most Outstanding Club Categories
Streets Support to Surf Sports Collaroy Collaroy
Streets Education Dee Why Dee Why
Streets Youth and Member Development Collaroy Collaroy
Streets Life Saving Newport Newport
Streets Administration Freshwater Freshwater
Streets Most Outstanding Club 1st place Dee Why Dee Why
Streets Most Outstanding Club 2nd place Collaroy Collaroy
Streets Most Outstanding Club 3rd place Newport Newport
Streets Most Outstanding Club 4th place Freshwater Freshwater
Streets Most Outstanding Club 5th place North Curl Curl North Curl Curl
Garry Fox Queenscliff Outstanding
Peter MacMahon Collaroy Outstanding
Brett Picknell South Narrabeen Distinguished
Lindsay Davis Freshwater Life Membership
Bob Asser Freshwater Life Membership
Brian Ward Queenscliff Life Membership
Michael King Newport Life Membership
Peter Finch North Narrabeen Life Membership
Graham Cook Narrabeen Beach Life Membership
Keith Abraham North Steyne Life Membership
Lifesaver of the Year - Adam Trent
Director of Life Saving Adam Kent wins the most prestigious Sydney Northern Beaches Branch Surf Lifesaver of the Year awarded Friday 26th June, 2015 at the SNB Branch Awards of Excellence dinner.
Adam joined Long Reef in 2005/06 season gaining his Bronze Medallion under then Chief Instructor Andrew Robson. Adam like many parents joined Longy with his kids doing Nippers and soon got heavily involved becoming an Age Manager and Patroller.
Since then it has been a family affair with wife Belinda and Adam working tirelessly for others in the club whilst their kids Jess, Liam and Copper have all enjoyed Nippers, Cadets and recently starting patrols.
Adam has a great work ethic and in recent seasons has thrown himself into club activities helping wherever possible to improve the club. He has been on the Board of Management for several seasons running Nippers for two seasons with the commencement of afternoon Saturday Nippers, running and growing our Sunday Cadets program and this season taking on the role of Director of Lifesaving.
Adam has become an instructor and assessor in SRC, BM and IRB. He has assisted and encouraged countless of new Surf Lifesavers to gain their awards, develop their skills, join our patrols and enjoy life of the beach.
Adam is a hands on person and has directly contributed to improving club facilities and equipment including work in the hall, courtyard, grass area, gear sheds and new equipment including both nippers, education and patrol equipment.
On the beach Adam has been a Patrol Captain for the last 5 or 6 seasons and always leads by example keeping his patrol motivated, always wearing the full uniform and racking up 250 patrol hours, more than any other member at Longy this season.
During season 14/15 Adam was also a finalist for the Warringah Citizen of the Year, finalist for the NSW Volunteer of the Year (Northern Sydney region) and recipient of a Paul Harris Rotary Fellowship for services to the community.
All of this whilst running his own building business, being husband and father and President of the Cromer King Fishers Junior Rugby League Club.
This is the 3rd time now a Long Reef SLSC member has won this award. Previously it has been won by Kristie Thomas (Debney) in 2002/03 and Doug Lucas in 2003/04 and 2004/05. Certainly an impressive history for this great club to achieve since the award was instigated in the early 1980s.
Over winter Adam has been looking to diversify his involvement in SLS commencing Jet Ski training with fellow club member Craig Phillips in order to join the SNB Branch Support Services team. He has also applied to become a SNB Branch Duty Officer. Such roles enhance individuals skills and experiences but also continues to fly the club flag at the Branch level.
Adam will now take part in interviews with each of the other Branch winners for the NSW Surf Lifesaver of the Year which will be announced later in the year.
Life Member - Michael King
Michael King was just a young man when his late father Bert[the legendary boat sweep] was bestowed Life Membership of Sydney Northern Beaches Branch.
Thirty five years down the track, Michael joins an illustrious band to be honoured by the Branch for his services to SNB surf life saving.
He started out as one of Newport's original nippers in 1965 and, while he has been a former President of the Newport Club, his passion, like his father before him, is surf boats.
Michael has been a Branch Board of Surf Sports member for nine years and a member of the SLSA Surf Boat Commission.
''It's a great honour to become a Life Member of my club and now a great honour to become a Life Member of the Branch,'' Michael said.
''It was definitely a surprise.
"Surf life saving was such a huge part of dad's life and he understood the great service surf life saving was and it basically made him.
''Dad didn't have to push too hard to get my brother and I involved in surf life saving because we were always down there at the beach and involved since we were toddlers.
"Fortunately my kids are involved, my wife was a surfer and she married a clubbie and now she's a clubbie. It has been wonderful and it is a great honour to be recognised like this.''
Not forgetting Michael's stepmother June King. She became a Life Member of the Branch in 2011.
Avalon Beach SLSC Under 23 Boys are SLS SNB Boat Premiership Branch Champions - The Bert King Trophy
Life Member - Peter Finch
Peter Finch is a new Life Member of the Branch. "Totally unexpected. I had no idea,'' he said.
While he was chuffed about the honour, Peter, who is currently at Newport but spent many years at North Narrabeen, said: "I don't do what I do for awards. I do it for enjoyment and I'll continue to keep doing it until I stop enjoying it.''
Peter is a jet ski and IRBtrainer for the Branch. Picture: Peter with wife Robyn.
Bennett Boards have been a great supporter of Sydney Northern Beaches Branch for more than a decade now. This year's winner of the Bennett Board went to Newport as the overall handicap domestic carnival point score winner. Newport finished ahead of Manly and North Curl Curl.
Picture: Greg Bennett (left) presents the racing Malibu board to Newport's Nick Carroll at the Awards of Excellence.
Coach of the Year - Trent Herring - Newport SLSC
Young Athlete of the Year - Charlie Brooks - Newport SLSC
Athlete of the Year - Georgia Miller - Newport SLSC
Team of the Year - Newport Taplin teams Open, under 19s and under 17s - Newport SLSC
Trent Herring described his inaugural win as Coach of the Year as a "big thrill'' at the Sydney Northern Beaches Branch Awards of Excellence. His move to Newport from Manly paid rich dividends.
''I had a lot of great years at Manly but I had only ever been nominated once before,'' Trent said. ''First year at Newport. It was a really amazing year. A better year than I could ever have wished for. The athletes were the ones who made me look good to be honest. It all came together and was just a fabulous year.''
Newport cleaned up in the Surf Sports Awards, with Georgia Miller being named Athlete of the Year, Charlie Brooks the Young Athlete of the Year and the Newport Taplin teams Open, under 19s and under 17s sharing Team of the Year.
Charlie Brooks, who was Male Athlete at the Aussies, added yet another trophy to his collection.
''It was pretty good getting it in front of all my clubmates,'' Charlie said. Georgia, unfortunately, couldn't attend the function at Dee Why RSL Club on Friday as she was recovering from an operation.
Picture: Young gun Charlie Brooks with gun coach Trent Herring.
Newport won the Team of the Year at the Sydney Northern Beaches Branch Awards of Excellence. The club's three teams, Open, under 19s and under 17s shared the award.
Newport's open team did what many thought wouldn't happen - knocked off the great Northcliffe to become the newly crowned Aussie champs to add to their Branch and State titles.
Picture: Newport SLSC members Back Row: Tom Atkinson, Guy Rees, Charlie Brooks, Jackson Borg, David Euers. Front Row: Mitchell Trim, Max Brooks
Report by John Taylor SLS SNB, photos by and courtesy SLS SNB and Chris Hopton, 2015.