After 67 years, lifesaver Col Laing hangs up his Speedos

After 67 years of active patrol and keeping Central Coast beachgoers safe, Col Laing has officially hung up his Speedos, closing an extraordinary chapter in Australian surf lifesaving history.

The North Entrance Surf Club founder and Order of Australia Medal recipient holds the incredible title of Surf Life Saving Australia’s longest-serving active patrol member.

Laing’s journey began in 1958 when he earned his bronze medallion at The Entrance.

His determination led to the founding of the North Entrance Surf Life Saving Club, the youngest club on the Coast, which officially opened in 1978.

Now aged 83, Laing has finally stepped back.

“There does come a time when you’ve just got to give away the active part of it,” he said.

“Now I’ve stopped competing, I’ll probably end up stopping patrols, I’d say.”

Laing said the founding members gave the fledgling club 10 years to become self-supporting.

“And now we’re going on towards 50 years, so it’s been quite an achievement for all the people who have come through and followed us up from when we started,” he said.

Son Scott said he was there with his father from the first patrol, appearing in early pictures.

“Dad and Roy Crutcher, Frank Small, Alan Esley, Digger Hilton, and the Smiths, the Littlefields – all these local families helped build this surf club from the start,” he said.

Daughter Chantel said there were also photos showing her as “a little tiny tot” in early photos of the club.

“And they had a tent, basically, as a surf club back then,” she said.

The club has refurbished a reel from the early days to place in the bar in Laing’s honour, much to his surprise and delight.

North Entrance Surf Club President Czes Lawicki said Laing would “still be around”.

“We wanted to recognise and acknowledge a lifelong achievement, his direction, the support, the guidance, and his expert knowledge he’s given all of us,” Lawicki said.

“He’s spent his whole life (here), from 1958, when he first got his bronze, all the way through to this season.”

With Laing’s leadership and tireless commitment, the club grew, training generations of lifesavers and shaping a strong community spirit.

Surf lifesaving is a Laing tradition, passed down through children and grandchildren.

Most recently, that legacy came full circle on Easter Sunday when Laing’s granddaughter Airlie Chadwick-Laing performed a dramatic and life-saving rescue at Shelly Beach.

“Airlie did a rescue just the other week down there, and all from doing nippers at North Entrance Surf Club,” her uncle Scott Laing said.

“She saved two people – a father and son pulled from the surf; their lives would have been lost.”

The surf may change, but Colin Laing’s legacy of courage, commitment and community over almost seven decades will endure for generations to come.

Skaie Hull