Coast scoops pool at surf lifesaving awards

Umina and Terrigal surf clubs have taken out major awards at the Australian Surf Lifesaving Awards, held on November 9.

From a pool of 198,000 volunteer surf lifesavers nationwide, Mollie Murphy of Umina SLSC was named Surf Lifesaver of the Year and Terrigal SLSC won the prestigious Club of the Year award ahead of 314 clubs from around Australia.

Members from across the nation gathered for Surf Life Saving Australia’s annual night of nights, celebrating the exceptional achievements of lifesavers who have gone above and beyond in service to their communities.

The event recognised outstanding contributions across lifesaving, sport and education, with awards going to those whose dedication and skill have made a lasting impact on beach safety and community wellbeing.

“Each year, the Awards of Excellence is a fantastic opportunity for us to recognise the achievements and contributions of surf lifesavers across the country,” Surf Life Saving Australia President John Baker said.

“Never before have our surf lifesavers been asked to do as much.

Mollie Murphy, a dedicated member of Umina SLSC since her nipper days, has logged an impressive 781 patrol hours since 2012, with 147.5 hours this season alone.

She’s the club’s Director of Lifesaving and lead Patrol Captain of all 12 patrol teams, together contributing to more than 68,000 preventative actions and 300 rescues.

Passionate about youth development, Murphy champions programs like the Under-15 Leadership Development and Women’s Patrol, inspiring young members and fostering leadership.

Her resilience shone through during a difficult incident on Christmas Day, where her support strengthened her team.

Through innovative initiatives like Pink and Rainbow Patrols, Murphy has created an inclusive and vibrant culture at Umina SLSC, reinforcing community engagement and team spirit.

Terrigal Surf Lifesaving Club is well known for its completion results, a discipline that extends into its beach patrolling and education programs too.

“This is a truly momentous occasion for our club and all our members,” Club director of Administration Julie Redfern said.

“It is an unimaginable reward.

“We are proud to represent the Terrigal community, the Central Coast and the whole of NSW in receiving the award.

“We went through a complex process of winning at Central Coast then NSW and now Australian level.

“It has been a transformational year and we are very proud.

“We have been working so hard to improve our governance and the diversity of opportunities offered at our club.

“We are also finally delivering a major renovation of our clubhouse that has been in the planning for almost 20 years.”

Terrigal has 274 strong and trained patrolling members, serving a beach with large tourist numbers.

They performed 22 rescues this season but this number could have been significantly greater as they were able to mitigate more than 2,000 situations that could have escalated due to their vigilance on the beach.

Director of Lifesaving Tim Pittolo said all club members should be proud.

“We offer a vast array of opportunities to be involved and have members aged five to 98,” he said.

“We have adopted a something-for-everyone philosophy whilst maintaining our core focus on keeping the public safe.”

The club has also been actively engaging the wider community through a host of key events not only for locals but for the region as a whole, and has leant on strong, distinguished leadership through its Board of Management to secure critical facilities upgrades and mentoring for future leaders of the club.

Club President Richard Green said he couldn’t be more proud.

“Despite all being volunteers, we have worked so hard,” he said.

“To be named the top club in Australia makes me happy beyond words and I am so excited about the future, with an all-new clubhouse opening later this year – this is the start of even bigger things to come.”

The award citation said the club was undergoing enormous positive change with three strategic directions:

Inclusion – the club’s Something-for-everyone philosophy includes member engagement, retention and enjoyment strategies that are expanding opportunities within and beyond surf lifesaving, offering free first aid courses, drone and rescue training, and a focus on nipper and youth programs bringing fun to numerous family fun events;

Governance – a new constitution and policies with improvements in the life membership nomination process, voting rights, documentation and communication, as well as experienced Board directors mentoring new committee members;

Community leadership and partnerships – including initiatives like the Ocean Swim and the Cancer Council Daffodil Dip, which raised $34,000 for the Terrigal Club and $40,000 for the NSW Cancer Council.

State Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch said it was a very significant achievement for a non-metropolitan club to win the highly competitive award.

“This is a big win and goes to show all the incredible volunteer work that they have put in,” he said.

“Also the great work done by Surf Life Saving Central Coast has done as a branch, with 1.2 million people visiting beaches here on the Coast every year.”