Lifesaving Services - Jordan Kuerschner
It has been another big season for Woolamai Beach SLSC. The 2025/26 summer tested our capability, showcased the professionalism of our patrols, and once again proved the strength of a volunteer service that keeps watch over some of the most demanding beaches in Victoria. Across a long, busy season our members kept Woolamai and Smiths safe, responded to incidents well beyond our own flags, and welcomed new initiatives that will carry the service forward.
Woolamai remains one of the most dynamic and hazardous beaches in the state. Through large crowds and complex surf, our teams showed consistent vigilance, teamwork, and leadership. When the paid lifeguard service finished in mid-February, our volunteers carried both beaches through to Flags Down on Saturday 18 April, joined that day by Life Saving Victoria for a media event to close the season. This report sets out what we achieved, where we were stretched, and where we are heading.
The Season in Numbers
The figures below are the official full-season totals from Life Saving Victoria's Operational and Training Statistics report for 2025/26, covering the operational period 1 May 2025 to 30 April 2026.
Highlights, 2025/26
4,989 preventative actions across the season, keeping thousands of beachgoers out of trouble before it started.
29,627 people attended our patrolled beaches.
9,874.56 voluntary patrol hours delivered by our members.
7 rescues and 7 major first aid responses, alongside 22 minor first aid cases.
10 emergency call-out activations across Woolamai, Smiths, and the wider Phillip Island region.
Our operational statistics for the season are set out below.
These numbers tell the story of a busy, well-run season. The 9,874.56 patrol hours are consistent with the more than 10,000 hours our members delivered in 2024/25, and almost 5,000 preventative actions reflect the situational awareness and risk management that keep our beaches safe long before a rescue is ever needed.
Patrol Operations
Patrols ran across Woolamai Beach as our primary location and Smiths Beach as our outpost service. Core Woolamai weekend patrols consistently met full strength on the published roster, and the patrol team operated under our Manager of Patrols, Christos Argyropoulos and later Kadek Humphris, with Patrol Captains and their deputies leading on the sand.
The most significant operational shift came in mid-February, when the paid Life Saving Victoria lifeguard service finished for the season. From that point, coverage of both beaches fell entirely to our volunteers. To keep patrols staffed through a long season, the club introduced two practical measures that made a real difference:
A fuel reimbursement of $50 per patrol, launched on 25 March, for senior members travelling from Melbourne to patrol.
An improved Smiths Beach lunch reimbursement of $100 per patrol, which lifted willingness to nominate for Smiths late in the season.
A Patrol Captains meeting on 23 March brought more than fifteen leaders together online to prioritise Smiths Beach, confirm the reimbursement schemes, and flag mentoring for junior patrol captains. Easter weekend patrols were completed, and LIMSOC weekends on 4, 5, 6, and 11 April were supported. Internally, the Stack Teams App was adopted as our primary patrol communications channel.
Coverage was not without strain. After February, Smiths Beach was staffed week by week, and on 11 and 12 April it could not be covered due to limited volunteer availability, with Woolamai-only patrols running as scheduled. This is the clearest lesson of the season and is addressed directly in our plan for 2026/27.
Our Patrol Teams
The season is delivered by our patrol teams, each led by Patrol Captains and supported by vice and junior captains and mentors. Thank you to the leaders of all seven patrols for the time and care they put into keeping their teams ready every weekend.
Emergency Call-Outs and Cross-Beach Response
Woolamai Beach SLSC provides the emergency call-out service for Phillip Island and the surrounding coast. Activations flow through LSVcomms to our on-duty call-out team, and this season our members again responded well beyond our own patrol zone, including to Smiths Beach, Surf Beach, Punch Bowl, and Kilcunda.
These responses require rapid mobilisation of people and equipment, often outside patrol hours and in difficult conditions, and close coordination with other emergency services. They rest on a committed group of senior operators qualified across first responder roles. The recorded call-out and incident activations for the season are set out below.
Several of these activations, including those logged at Cowes, Corinella, Red Rock East, Newhaven, and Summerlands, were regional or cross-beach responses outside our primary patrol area, a clear reflection of the demand for support across the region and the trust placed in our members.
IRB Racing
A highlight of the season was the launch of a new joint IRB racing program with the Waratah and Inverloch clubs. Around seven Woolamai members gained competition experience for the first time, racing under the Waratah banner, with the Board approving the loan of one race-ready hull and one motor to support the team. Team management was shared across the three clubs, with Jordan Kuerschner leading the Woolamai contingent.
The team contested rounds through the Autumn, finishing 6th overall in the under-23 division for the season. The longer-term goal is to build an independent Woolamai racing team, using this year's participation as the foundation.
Gear, Equipment, and Assets
Behind every patrol is the quiet, constant work of our gear and equipment officers, and 2025/26 was a strong year for the fleet. The pre-season gear inspection passed on 8 November, with two new Thundercat IRB hulls entering service, several motors and hulls serviced, and older assets sold through a disposal cycle to keep the fleet current.
A major boost came from a $32,000 Geoffrey Evans Trust grant, which funded a new IRB hull, a new Tohatsu 25hp motor and a new beach trailer from TTG Trailers. Routine servicing through Topwater Marine and a radio repair through Life Saving Victoria kept the rest of the fleet operational. New external public-access defibrillators were installed at both Woolamai and Smiths Beach by Darrell Clark, a valuable addition for the wider community and a real boost to cardiac response capability across both locations.
Looking ahead, the club is pursuing a VESEP grant for 2026/27 to replace an ageing side-by-side vehicle. Consolidating all of our assets, IRBs, motors, the ATV and SSV, boards, radios, defibrillators, oxygen, and first aid kit, into a single equipment lifecycle plan is a priority for the off-season.
Recognition and Thanks
None of this happens without people. Our Presentation Night was held on 30 May at Silverwater Resort, recognising patrol hours, training achievements, and competition results from across the season. Thank you to everyone who put the work into making the night, and the season, a success.
Particular thanks go to our Manager of Patrols, Christos Argyropoulos and Kadek Humphris; to the senior call-out team who answer the phone at all hours; to Brendan Smart for driving our grant applications; and to James Lester for restructuring the club accounts so each portfolio now has clear visibility. Our gear and equipment officers keep the service ready to respond week after week: Lifesaving Equipment Coordinator Daniel Reynolds, First Aid Officers Isabel Bulach and Janine Lloyd, IRB Officer Lucas Atkin, Mobile Equipment Officer Evan Richter, and Radio Officer Campbell Smart. Above all, thank you to every patrolling member, patrol leader, and volunteer who gave their time on the sand this season. Your dedication, professionalism, and genuine care for the community are what make this club what it is.
Farewell and Thanks to Erin Close
This season we farewell Erin Close, our Co-Club Captain and Director of Member Wellbeing, who is stepping down to travel and to live in Denmark.
Erin has been a steady hand at the centre of this club: a senior member of our operational team, a trainer and assessor, and a leader who consistently put the wellbeing of our members first. Her judgement, reliability, and genuine care for the people around her have shaped the club we are proud of today, and she leaves it stronger than she found it.
On behalf of every member, thank you, Erin.
Challenges and Areas to Strengthen
An honest review names the hard parts as well as the wins. Four issues stand out from 2025/26, and each has a clear owner and a plan:
Smiths Beach coverage. Splitting a single patrol across two beaches after February proved difficult. We will look into rostering two patrols per weekend, one dedicated to each beach, with a named Smiths rotation confirmed before the season starts.
Operating procedures. Our Operations Manual and call-out policy are due for a refresh. Publishing a current 2026/27 edition, cross-linked to emergency response procedures, is a key off-season task.
Looking Ahead to 2026/27
We will build on a strong foundation while fixing what this season exposed. Alongside the operational priorities above, the following initiatives are proposed to strengthen patrol culture and coverage:
Two patrols rostered per weekend after February, one for Woolamai and one for Smiths, supported by a Saturday-night patrol challenge to build camaraderie across teams sharing a weekend.
A bidding process for themed patrols (Pink Zinc, Blue Zinc, Rainbow Zinc, Sustainability), with a $250 allocation to the host patrol, shifting ownership to patrol level.
A new patrol entity for members in their mid-to-late twenties, bridging the gap between the junior patrols and the Gerries and keeping experienced members active.
Clear parameters on patrol budgets, and a clubhouse accommodation and supervision arrangement for busy patrol weekends.
As we look to next summer, we will keep strengthening our response capability, mentoring new leaders, and adapting to the evolving needs of our beaches and the community we serve. I am proud of what we achieved together this season and genuinely excited for what comes next.
Jordan Kuerschner
Co Club Captain and Director of Life Saving Services
Woolamai Beach Surf Life Saving Club