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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-02-03 Daily Xml
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Motions

Surf Lifesaving Clubs

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (12:57): I move:

That this house—

(a) acknowledges the important role the surf lifesaving clubs in South Australia perform in keeping many of the state’s popular beaches safe over the summer months;

(b) recognises the many volunteers that serve on surf lifesaving patrols each weekend and on public holidays;

(c) recognises the important role that first-aid officers and training officers perform to ensure club patrolling members are proficient each season; and

(d) recognises the volunteer junior committees and age group managers that run junior nipper programs to teach the next generation how to be beach safe.

Across Australia, nearly 174,000 members and 314 affiliated surf lifesaving clubs represent the largest volunteer movement of its kind in the world. On a local level, Surf Life Saving has a proud and long history here in South Australia, as I have previously mentioned in this place, with the first club being formed at Henley in 1925. Over the last nearly 100 years, Surf Life Saving has taken off in South Australia. We now have 22 clubs across the state and membership consistently growing, and we can truly appreciate the remarkable effort that Surf Life Saving SA and its members make each and every year to keep our beaches safe.

However, the movement does not just protect our beaches: it also produces great community people. I want to share a couple of quick examples of members of my local surf lifesaving clubs who are doing extraordinary things in their community. Recently, you may have seen in the news that two local West Beach surf lifesaving lads, Marcus Morgan and Rhys Highett, were hailed as heroes after saving a 13-year-old boy who had been swept 600 metres out to sea at Goolwa.

Marcus and Rhys, who are 15 and 14 years old respectively, were on their way home early on Sunday afternoon with Rhys's family when they were waved down by a woman in distress whose boy had been swept away. They had been members of the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club since they joined as nippers at six years old, and they leapt into action, saving the boy. I have been incredibly impressed by Rhys and Marcus and the bravery that they showed during this rescue. It is outstanding and a reflection of them, their families and their club.

I would also like to briefly celebrate one of Henley Surf Life Saving Club's young members, Layan Saadeh, the youngest vice-captain of the Henley Surf Life Saving Club in its nearly 95-year history, who was recognised as South Australia's Young Citizen of the Year this year. It is an amazing achievement by somebody who is intimately involved in many community groups in my community through the Henley Surf Life Saving Club and her many respective roles there, through the Henley Football Club and, more broadly, through the Henley High School.

Congratulations to Layan on her award, and congratulations and good luck to all our surf lifesaving club members for their patrolling last season, continuing through this season. I know that everybody in this place admires, respects and thanks them for the great work that they do on our beaches each and every year.

Motion carried.

Sitting suspended from 13:00 to 14:00.

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