Surf Lifesaving

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton) (15:47): I am extremely fortunate to have kilometres of the metropolitan coastline along Adelaide as part of the western border in what is my beautiful electorate. While it has been battered as a result of our recent storms and the colour of the water is not as it should be, it is a valuable part of Adelaide that is enjoyed not only by my constituents but also the many thousands of South Australians who travel to enjoy our beaches.

I know that not just my constituents but many South Australians who visit our beaches are thankful for the role played by our magnificent surf lifesaving volunteers in protecting lives and making our beaches safer than they otherwise would be. I know that I also speak on behalf of all members of this chamber when I say how proud I am of our surf lifesavers and how grateful I am for the service that they provide.

I am fortunate to have two surf lifesaving clubs in my electorate—the Henley Surf Life Saving Club and the Grange Surf Life Saving Club. Not too far out of my electorate (and one where many of my constituents are members) is the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club. Henley has been a recipient of the facilities funding, as has Grange. Grange's new premises are now under construction, and we hope that, in the passage of time (not too long a time), West Beach will be a recipient of the facilities funding.

You may not be aware, Deputy Speaker, that I was an active member of the Henley Surf Life Saving Club for many years and, in fact, started with the club as a nipper in the very first year that nippers became part of the surf lifesaving movement. I was also an active member of the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club from the early to mid 1980s, when I was the club's running coach. In fact, I coached the member for Reynell's brother, Luke, who was a magnificent runner; and, indeed, coached the member for Reynell when I was a running coach. I have been privileged to have coached very many good athletes at both the Henley and West Beach surf life saving clubs.

It goes, then, that I fully understand and appreciate the amount of training and the level of fitness required by our surf lifesavers to discharge their duties to the high standards that they do. I am also acutely aware of the sacrifice made by our surf lifesaving volunteers in maintaining their proficiency and the many, many hours they give to patrolling our beaches.

One of the changes in surf lifesaving since my time when I first joined, in South Australia and, indeed, across Australia, has been the massive increase in female participation and membership in surf lifesaving. This has occurred in what is in reality a short period of time. I remember not that long ago when women could not be active serving members and were relegated and isolated to being a part of the social or fundraising auxiliary committees. We can see that today female surf lifesavers are not only equal in numbers to their male colleagues, but are a most vital ingredient in ensuring that our beaches are protected and our beachgoers are safe.

Female surf lifesavers have also had, and continue to have, a positive impact on the club's administration. For example, at Henley Surf Life Saving Club, eight of its 13 committee members are women. At Grange, six of the 12 committee members are women, and I do not expect that it is any different at the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club as well.

Henley has recently elected Rae Lawson as its President. I think she is the first female president of the Henley Surf Life Saving Club, replacing Phil Hogan, who did a great job during his tenure. I am sure that Rae, with the support of her committee and club members, will do an equally good job. Grange also has a magnificent committee, headed up by Robert Thompson, a club legend. But it is not isolated to committee positions. Women surf lifesavers have joined their male counterparts by putting their hands up to assume leadership positions in patrolling, competition, instructing and nipper surf lifesaving, and these clubs are better for their involvement.

I want to finish off by saying that, as summer approaches—and we know that we do not really get four seasons in Adelaide as we have had winter and rain and probably next week we will go into summer without there being a spring—this is the time when many thousands of South Australians will go to our beaches to enjoy the amenity, to enjoy the water and to enjoy everything that you can about our beaches in metropolitan Adelaide and throughout South Australia.

To that extent, I want to thank and pay tribute to our surf lifesavers, who without fear or favour will be patrolling our beaches to make sure that they are safer than otherwise would be the case and that our beachgoers are adequately and properly protected. Again, I want to thank, on behalf of everyone in this chamber, surf lifesavers for the magnificent role they play in South Australia and, indeed, across Australia. It is a magnificent job that they do.