Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the Somerton Surf Life Saving Club open day and season launch. It was an action-packed afternoon with hundreds of volunteers and members in attendance. Club membership looks likely to reach over 600 again this year. This will certainly keep new club president Warwick Holland and his committee busy, and I wish them all the best for the months ahead.

I would like to thank immediate past president Mark 'Curly' Williams for his support. I worked closely with Curly to secure an election commitment for solar panels for Somerton to help reduce their $30,000-a-year power bill. The club made a co-contribution to purchase an even larger solar panel system, and I'm delighted to see the panels up and running.

Reducing power costs means that Somerton can stop worrying about their power bills and instead focus on what they do best: keeping us all safe at the beach. This is what our wonderful young and not-so-young volunteers do over thousands of hours each summer. Senior club members teach younger members the importance of volunteering, beach safety, exercise and teamwork. They also help to keep our community strong by supporting one another. These are senior club members like Robin and Tony Kidney, who founded the Somerton Surf Life Saving Club in 1960. They have volunteers like Bob Hood, who on Saturday was recognised for 50 years continuous service to the club, and he's still going strong. All the best to Somerton Surf Life Saving Club for the season ahead. I thank you for the wonderful work you do for our community.

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