Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to congratulate the member for Gippsland on bringing this very important motion to the House. I would also like to acknowledge the role that the member for Bass has played over many years within surf life saving, being the executive of both Surf Life Saving Australia and Surf Lifesaving Tasmania. In addition, he is a life member of both those organisations. Since he came to this parliament we have a parliamentary friends group—Parliamentary Friends of Surf Life Saving. I thank the member for Bass for his role along with the member for Gippsland in raising awareness of surf life saving and the valuable service that it provides to our community.

Surf Life Saving Australia is the largest volunteer organisation in the country. There are countless people throughout Australia that give of their time because they believe in the philosophy of surf life saving and also because they love the beach and the culture that exists around surf life saving. Today I am going to spend my contribution talking about the Hunter branch of Surf Life Saving Australia. But I would also like to acknowledge the role that Central Coast Surf Life Saving plays and the fact that many people within the Shortland electorate are very closely linked to both Soldiers Beach and Lakes Entrance Surf Life Saving Club, which are fantastic organisations. The member for Dobell is here and I know that he will concentrate on those areas.

Hunter Surf Life Saving Club was established 105 ago. There are 7,500 members in the Hunter and 4,000 junior members. In fact, my grandson is a member of Caves Beach, but I think he might be changing to Belmont Swansea next year because some of his friends from school go there. Surf life saving clubs play a very important role in promoting water safety and educating the community about water safety. Hunter branch runs very strong programs for rookie and youth development. In addition to that there are programs for area managers, and an age managers course, so that those volunteers who are involved with the Nippers program can look after them and provide the appropriate training and management of the teams. There are programs for trainers and assessors, a spinal management program, Surf Life Saving New South Wales applied first aid, which is a very advanced certificate, and certificate 2 aquatic safety, which is actually the Bronze. I see the member for Bass has taken the chair so I reiterate and thank him for the role he has played in surf life saving during his time.

The Hunter branch had 62,233.25 patrol hours in the 2011-12 season, 512 rescues, 15,886 incidents and 798 first aid interventions. The clubs in the Hunter branch that are in the Shortland electorate are Redhead, Caves Beach, Belmont Swansea and Catherine Hill Bay. Redhead is the oldest of the clubs. It has 750 senior members and about 400 juniors. It was established in 1908. It was the second club established in the Hunter branch. Caves Beach has 720 senior members and in excess of 300 juniors. Caves Beach is one of those clubs that is a real family club. It has a very strong commitment to safety and to promoting a consistent safe environment in the surf. Belmont Swansea was established in 1927. It has 700 members and 350 juniors. And Catherine Hill Bay has 480 members and in excess of 200 juniors.

One aspect I would like to concentrate on is that in Shortland electorate there has been some deaths where rock fishermen have been washed off the rocks. Surf lifesavers are trained to patrol the beach. Surf lifesavers do that brilliantly. Surf lifesavers enjoy competition. But one of the things that they do not expect to be involved in is body retrieval. Members of Catherine Hill Bay in particular, supported by members of Caves Beach, have been involved in body retrieval more than they should be when rock fishermen have been washed from the rocks. It was only three months ago that three people lost their lives. Three years ago, five people lost their lives when they were washed from the rocks. Those brave, brave members of Catherine Hill Bay and Caves Beach went out there and they retrieved those bodies.

I was talking to the CEO of the Hunter Surf Life Saving, Rhonda Scruton, who has been there for 15 years and does an absolutely fantastic job. I would like to pay credit to her. She said that these guys have got hearts like elephants. They do not question; they get in there and they do the work that they are not actually trained and expecting to do. In Australia we have a very low rate of deaths in our surf. That is really because of the work that is put in by surf lifesavers around the country. I was looking at some figures for Asia. In Asia 350 people lose their lives each day in the surf. The fact that we do not have those sort of figures in Australia is a tribute to the work that is done by Surf Life Saving Australia. I am proud to be a member of the parliamentary friends group that was established by the member for Bass.

Surf lifesaving is part of the culture of Shortland electorate. Each and every year, I go to the presentation days and hear about the feats of bravery, the total commitment to ensuring that the beach is patrolled each and every day. It always surprises me, although it should not, how many members of the various patrols have 100 per cent attendance. This shows that it is a commitment that is beyond just doing your duty and being involved in the organisation. It is really believing in what surf lifesaving is about. Surf lifesaving has grown. Actually, my grandfather was the first person in my family that was a member of surf lifesaving. He was a member of surf lifesaving at Cronulla. I think he was one of the first members down there. My sister is very involved with North Coast Surf Life Saving up there and so are her two boys. To them it is about making a commitment to the community. To them it is about keeping the beaches safe. To them it is about a way of life.

I think our Australian culture is so intertwined with the surf and the beach culture. Everybody sees themselves as being associated with that, with the surf. That is where the surf lifesaving comes in: makes the beaches safe. They are supported by councils throughout the country, and in Shortland electorate Lake Macquarie Council provides a lot of support to the surf lifesaving clubs there. I thank them for the commitment and the way that they support them. Similarly, Wyong Shire Council supports the surf lifesaving clubs on the central coast. I thank each and every member of surf lifesaving, not only within Shortland electorate but throughout Australia. I know that they will continue to keep our beaches safe and educate our community about surf and beach safety.

See this speech in context