It was a busy day at the City of Bunbury Surf Life Saving Club on November 18 with activities that pointed to the future of the club and gave a nod to the club’s history.
The Barrett Half Mile Handicap Swim, now in its 36th year, began the morning’s activities. The event featured youth, seniors and Old Boys club members.
Beginning in 1982, the swim is named after long-time club member Errol Barrett and William Barrett and Sons Funeral Directors, which has a long association with the club.
The Barrett Half Mile is a swim of 800m and the conditions this year were choppy and cold.
Place-getters in the three age groups competing were:
- Seniors – James Duncan (1st), Luke Paolliello (2nd), and Kate Lockley (3rd)
- Juniors – Tristan White U/14 (1st) and Joel Doddy U/13 (2nd)
- Old Boys – Greg Underwood (1st) , John Drinkwater (2nd), and Andrew Taylor (3rd)
Looking to the future of the club, youth members continued their training to gain their Surf Rescue Certificate by learning the correct resuscitation techniques.
The Surf Rescue Certificate is the first qualification needed to be a volunteer surf lifesaver and become part of a volunteer patrol group.
This group of candidates will join the legacy of over 100 years of active patrols provided by the club.
With another eye firmly to the future, the Minnows – the youngest members of the club – joined volunteer patrol members in the patrol tower for their first step to becoming a volunteer life saver.
Amongst all this, regular surf club activities took place on the beach and in the water for Minnows, Youth and Seniors, culminating, as activities do each week, with the Old Boys swim.
All events were under the watchful eyes of life-savers on rescue boards, in the Inflatable Rescue Boats, in the patrol tower, and on the beach.
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