Woolamai Newsletter - March Edition
Telephone: 0467 475 263 Postal Address: PO Box 49, San Remo, VIC, 3925 Web: www.woolamaibeach.org.au Email: secretary@woolamaibeach.asn.au
In this Edition:
President’s Report
Board Update
Pink Zinc Patrol Breakfast & Awards
Channel Challenge Summary
Bass Coast Series Summary
Bar policy
Awards and Member Recognition Manager - Apply now!
New Surf Rescue Quarter Zip Jumper
Presentation Night ~ Save the Date!!
Callout for historic club items!
Wild About Wooli! A 50 Year History of the Club
How to get a segment in next Month’s Newsletter
President’s Report
Hi everyone,
Just over a month until the end of the patrolling season at Woolamai Beach SLSC, but still plenty to do.
Now, more than ever, it is really important that our members continue coming to patrols and some of the great events happening at the Club. Sometimes there is a bit of a drop off in patrol attendance towards the end of summer as work, school and other commitments take over -but we still have an important job to do keeping Phillip Island’s beaches safe.
There is plenty happening around the Club and some great social events still to come.
Put Saturday 20 May in you calendar -its Presentation Night to be held again at the Silverwater Resort in San Remo. All members, friends and family welcome to celebrate another very successful season. Who will win this year’s highly coveted patrol of the year award??? Be a part of a great night.
Channel Challenge
A huge thanks to Ron, Melina, Mick, Max, Graeme, Geoff and all of the Club members and friends who helped organise and deliver this year’s Channel Challenge after the race was postponed and then re-scheduled. It was great to see so many members doing water safety, first aid, race centre and transition area roles.
Without everyone’s input this fantastic community event which is also a great fundraiser for the Club couldn’t happen. Ron Nicholson and the team are always looking for help in the lead up to the event and on the day so if you haven’t got a role or you want to get more involved -put your hand up. It’s a lot of fun and you’ll enjoy some unique experiences -I even got to drive a flat bed truck over the bridge which was a personal highlight.
Some other highlights were seeing the diverse contributions of our members. It was great to see some of our younger members helping out at the drive through bottle shop handing out tee shirts and putting shoes in bags. Another special mention goes to our transition team of parents and friends who run the Newhaven side of the event -led by Scott and Russ.
Congratulations to Club members Mackenzie Wain for winning the Junior Female event and the Bass Coast Series and to Ava Close and her friend Sophie Stinear for winning the Channel Challenge Female relay event.
The record number of entries this year show the event continues to go from strength to strength.
Well done Michael
Recently I had some more very nice feedback from a member of the public.
Straight after the Channel Challenge some great feedback was passed on about one of our members, Michael Sorensen, who helped with water safety (tube swimmer). One of the competitors was finding the swim hard going, but Michael swam alongside her giving encouragement. Michael’s encouragement helped her finish the swim andmade the difference between her giving up or successfully finishing the race. He really made her day. Another example of one of our members going the extra mile. Well done Michael.
The Swim Bass Coast
On Sat 18 March, the inaugural Swim Bass Coast was held at Cowes. This event put on by SBR, Weekend Bass Coast and Elite Energy Events featured a 4km swim, 2km swim, 1km swim and 500m swim.
Thank you to Ron Nicholson & Brendan Smart for organising Club involvement and all of our Club members who assisted on the day with water safety and ensured the Club received a generous donation.
Well done Ron
This week we received an email from Mark Emerton, the CEO (Chief of Everything Officer) from Elite Energy Events, the organisers of Swim Bass Coast.
In his emails Mark thanked the Club for its role in providing water safety to make the event possible.
Mark also reserved special thanks for one of our Life Governors and event management extraordinaire, Ron Nicholson with the following words:
“And lastly, I hate to single out, but I get to travel all over the country with events and meet some amazing people. I don't need to tell you all what an amazing, warm and positively infectious man you have in your club Ron Nicholson. He is a true gentleman and a great asset to anything he is involved with. Thanks for everything, Ron.”
Smiths Beach mobility chair
It was wonderful to see some photos of the Smiths Beach mobility chair in action last weekend.
We have a chair at both the Clubhouse and the Smiths Beach tower to assist beach goers with mobility difficulties.
Thanks to the Islanders patrol for setting up the chair and making it available.
Help needed
There are lots of ways you can help the Club.
Please keep an eye out for ads for roles in our weekly newsletter.
In addition to the advertised roles, our Assets team are always looking for people who can help project manage building improvement and maintenance projects. We are also looking for people who can help with grants and sponsorships. Parents and friends are always welcome to take on these roles.
See you down the beach soon.
Regards,
Jason Close - President
E: president@woolamaibeach.asn.au
Board Update
Decisions
Bar Policy adopted and will be implemented immediately. Objectives of the policy are to ensure: that members and guests can experience a safe and pleasant experience; the Club serves alcohol responsibly and in compliance with the requirements of its restricted club licence; and to ensure the bar operates efficiently and in accordance with agreed procedures. Policy to be publicised in newsletter.
Hi vis rash vests to be purchased for training
Zip up patrol jumpers to be purchased after orders taken from members
General Business
Board updated on progress of retaining wall. Costs have risen. Club will need Phillip Island Nature Parks to affirm timing of its share of project before entering contract. Planning permit and Marine and Coastal Act variation lodged. A meeting will be held between members of Club Board and Bass Coast Shire Council CEO and Senior Officers in April
Post Channel Challenge event to be held at Clubhouse on Sat 11 March. Pizza dinner free of charge for members. IRB camp will also be on at same time and participants welcome
Presentation Night is likely to be held at Silverwater on Sat 20 May. Cost is of some concern. Discussion of alternative venues, their limitations and the amount of organising required eliminated most others. Club to look at costing of event. Will need 150 to attend for it to be financially viable without Club effectively subsidising the event. Other venues to be considered for future seasons.
Swim the Island Event water safety -due to lack of contact and confirmation from organisers looking likely not to proceed or for Club to be involved (since Board Meeting, organisers have confirmed event and Club will be assisting for payment.
Director Update
See below updates from the board:
President - Jason Close
February and March have been busy months with special events and patrols. A lot of people have supported these events with water safety and other roles so if you haven’t helped out at one, please come along and help at the Channel Challenge.
Rainbow Zinc and Pink Zinc patrols and events have been well attended and its great to see our Club demonstrating our inclusive culture.
Lots of running repairs have been carried out at the Clubhouse by our hard working Assets team. It is exciting to know we are only weeks away from having a new roof on the Clubhouse.
We have finally been able to lodge our planning application to gain final approval our dune stabilisation and retaining wall project. We already have Marine and Coastal Act consent and an Aboriginal Cultural Heritage exemption secured. However, it has taken some months to obtain a native vegetation report and planning report. We will now wait for the Bass Coast Shire to consider our application and hopefully issue a permit. Once a permit has been issued we are expecting to be able to formally appoint a preferred contractor to start works in the off season.
A new Bar Policy has been prepared and will be implemented shortly
Vice president - Brendan Smart
I am currently working on a number of exciting workstreams including:
Negotiating a lease of a section of the San Remo Recreation Centre,
Re-negotiating the Clubhouse lease with Phillip Island Nature Park,
Wide brim hats and sunscreen ordered as part of a grant
Applying for a grant for a Wooli Wipeout’s board rack
Applying for a grant for a large TV to replace the aged 9-screen TV wall
Applying for a grant to complete a number of minor capital works around the Clubhouse
CCTV installed at the residence. Sparky to install additional power point for DVR. Campbell and Boo dug trench and laid conduit for NBN lead in for Wifi. Waiting for NBN to come and install.
I also completed a number of other workstreams / projects that the Membership is already aware of via email / Facebook and I am working on a number of other minor workstreams / projects that don’t warrant being written here but that will be communicated in due course.
Vice president - Annie Coleman
Thank you to everyone who came to Rainbow zinc patrol and Pink zinc patrol. Both were fantastic events, and it was wonderful to see our Club positive, inclusive culture on display.
Please keep your eyes out on the weekly updates for a new leadership role coming to Woolamai soon – Awards and Member Recognition officer. More info over the coming days
Administration & Finance - Christian Born
This has been a good month for grants, and the team is working on a number of others to help maintain and improve our facilities. However, specifically for February we’ve received:
$39,396 from LSV, on behalf of the Victorian Government, for the Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program 2022 which has allowed us to purchase our new SSV and IRB trailer. A big thank you!!
$8,250 from LSV for the 2022/23 Admin Grant. Thank you LSV!!
$700 from the Victorian Government for the Community Shade Grant. Thank you!!
This has also been a big spending month on clubhouse repairs/maintenance, of which we should be able to recoup the majority of later in the year thanks to other successful grants.
Lifesaving Services - Campbell Smart
I would like to express my gratitude for all of our lovely volunteers and members who are continually giving up their time for patrols, special events and to help with club maintenance and gear and equipment repairs.
Our club is driven by the actives and the members who not only show up and put on the yellow and red, but to the people who run the club behind the scenes, people who prepare for next season already, people who work on bettering the club in their own way. To all our members I thank you
I also would like to thank my fellow board members for all their tireless work behind the scenes. Your service to the club is impeccable.
Member Development - Terry Aslanidis
We have some exciting new patrol merch coming our way very soon! As we approach the cooler months of the season, the club has designed a surf rescue quarter zip for members to wear whilst on patrol and conducting water safety. To pre-order yours, please follow this link https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/weekly-updates/weekly-club-update-16-3-2023
U13 Development Camp Applications have closed and it is great to see 1 of our members (Oscar Tuchtan) in the program. We cant wait to see what skills Oscar can learn and bring back to the club.
U15 Development Camp Applications are still open. If you are interested in applying, please follow the link for more information https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/weekly-updates/weekly-club-update-16-3-2023
Assets - Darrell Clark
No update this month
Competition - Susan Fawaz
No update this month
Junior Development - Tanya Pinnock
No update this month
Communications - Ryan Box
Bass Coast Series promotions have been underway over the past few months. It’s been great to see the email campaigns and social media posts taking off and boosting engagement for the series this year. A special thank you to Erin Close for her amazing efforts on the social media front and helping promote the event.
We’re always looking for people to join the team! If anyone want’s to get involved please reach out or send me an email communication@woolamaibeach.asn.au
Sustainability - Louise Smith
No update this month
Pink Zinc Patrol Breakfast and Awards Summary
On the weekend of the 18th and 19th of Feb, Wooli joined clubs across Victoria to celebrate Pink Patrol, all about celebrating and empowering women in lifesaving. Myself, Erin Close and Phoebe Clark were lucky enough to attend the first ever Bass Coast Pink Patrol brunch.
The brunch was held at Inverloch SLSC and organised by Ella Arnold and Alice Webb, and was an open invite to members of clubs from bass and beyond, to come together and enjoy their morning celebrating women in lifesaving. There was a panel of 5 incredible women from Bass clubs who have been pioneers and successful leaders in lifesaving, and Woolamai are lucky enough to call 3 of these women our own: Hannah Tzimokas, Annie Coleman and Michelle Murphy.
This panel had a wide range of pathways for us to ask questions and listen to these womens’ stories including chief lifeguarding, training, completion, presidency and governance, diversity and inclusion, as well as pathways beyond lifesaving. The brunch then finished up with some awards for women within each club for a ‘rising leader’ and ‘change maker’.
After our brunch, we went back to Woolamai and had our Pink patrol SLUMBER PARTY. The night saw everyone dressed in pink eating some lasagne before engaging in some typical slumber party activities such as nail painting, henna, anklet making and watching a movie with pink snacks. This was the perfect way to get ready for our Pink Zinc patrol on the Sunday, beautifully captained by Maddie Woodmason and Phoebe Clark, and with every role on the whiteboard being fulfilled by a female.
We had a wonderful Pink patrol weekend feeling empowered and encouraged by female lifesavers all around, and can’t wait for lifesaving to continue to become a more inclusive and equal space every year- Ellie Ryan
A extra special congratulations to Ellie Ryan and Louise Smith for receiving awards for their incredible leadership and contribution to lifesaving
Channel Challenge Summary
The 37th Channel Challenge has now been completed. A few words from one of the organisers Mick Sullivan.
The dust has settled and Channel Challenge 38 completed. I wanted to send an extremely large shout out to everyone who assisted, supported, made themselves available and helped with the event. Equally loud shout out to the legends who kept the beach safe on Saturday!
It takes an enormous amount of work, preparation and execution to host all the events- the Channel Challenge the biggest one of course.
It doesn't feel right singling out certain individuals, because I'm humbled by the overwhelming presence by our members across the various elements in play. To the Race Centre Crew, Water Safety Crew, First Aid Crew and Transition Area Crew. THANK YOU! Unbelievable effort by all.
But it goes beyond the "crews" on the day...the appreciation extends to the Board and Admin Team, to the Training and Member Development Team, to the Nippers and SRC Crew, to our Life Members. Everyone has made a contribution before, during and after the event dates. It's ongoing and relentless.
But please bear with me. If I can please be as bold as to name some names, because their special efforts made sure the event got up in the summer of 2022-23 (almost summer still...), and their contribution helped me personally enjoy being a part of that process. So here goes: Georgie Wettenhall, Jason Close, Michael Butler, Max Eldridge, Scott Donnelly, Adiran Koller, Ellie Ryan, Ryan Box, Ron Nicholson, Melina, GB, Rusty, Connor, and Geoff. As well as the countless other helpers who made the day possible.
“I often get asked by people who aren’t part of the lifesaving movement “are you still doing lifesaving?”, “why do you do it?”, “when are you going to stop?”.
The reply(s) is pretty simple; Yep, i love it, and i’m never going to stop.
The driving force behind that response is the PEOPLE in our club. Simple.
Thank you to everyone! Let’s finish the season strong.
Cheers”
And of course let’s not forget the huge effort Mick himself has put in for the Channel Challenge as well as with the rest of the series.
Thank you to our sponsors!
And of course a special thank you to our sponsors who continue to sponsor us year on year.
WBSLSC member Tom Baird watching over all the competitors competing in the 37th Channel Challenge
Bass Coast Series Summary
All 3 legs of the Bass Coast Series have now been held.
We’d like to thank everyone for all their help in ensuring these events have happened. It takes a lot of hands to make this work
Times for the series can be found at mytimes.com.au
There’s plenty of work to be done in the off season so please reach out if you want to get involved!
Bar Policy - CLICK HERE TO READ
The Woolamai board has come up with an updated RSA and Bar policy to ensure that we are meeting all legislative requirements and ensuring that the bar operates smoothly and efficiently.
There’s lots to look forward to with Rex Mynott being the new bar manager, bringing in a range of new drinks to satisfy your thirst!
It is important that everyone must follow these policies.
The bar will also only be operated by an RSA holder who is:
In the RSA facebook group
Has a current RSA
Has sent ta copy of their RSA to administration@woolamaibeach.asn.au
If anyone would like to get involved in the group, please speak to a board member, Rex Mynott, and send an email with your current RSA qualification to administration@woolamaibeach.asn.au
Thanks,
Woolamai Beach Board
Awards and Member Recognition Manager - Apply now!
Directly reports to: President and Vice President(s)
Responsibilities:
Preparing and submitting award applications to LSV and other bodies
Keeping track of and organising long service awards
Sourcing and organising awards for Presentation Night
Keeping the honour boards up to date each season
Creating new ways to recognise efforts of the membership
Liasing with the Board regarding the above
Key skills and attributes:
Organised with strong attention to detail
Clear communicator
Strong understanding of day to day patrolling, as well as the ‘behind the scenes’ work
Takes initiative to complete work and process awards and applications
Click HERE for a PDF of the role
Sound like something you could do?
Fill out this short form
Thanks
New Surf Rescue Quarter Zip Jumper
The club is excited to promote our own club Surf Rescue Patrolling (Quarter Zip) Jumper! These jumpers are to be worn by patrolling members when on patrol or conducting water safety throughout the season.
These jumpers are excellent for those cold, windy, inclement days on the beach. We are hoping to purchase stock into the future however for now, please click on the button below to pre-order your jumper.
Presentation Night ~ Save the Date!!
The club is happy to announce that we have booked Silverwater Resort for the second year in a row for our presentation night on Saturday 20th May 2023!
Presentation Night is a night where we come together to celebrate all our members achievements throughout the 2022/23 season. This is one of the clubs biggest events and we would love to see as many people make it for this special occasion.
Further details and tickets to the event will be emailed and posted in the near future.
If you have any questions, please contact memberdevelopment@woolamaibeach.asn.au
Presentation Night Committee
We are still looking for helpers to make up this years organising comittee. Roles that need filling are:
Visuals (PPT)/Audio
Ordering Awards
Creating Certificates
Contacting Special Guests
MC’s
If you are interested in any of the above roles or want to be a part of the committee please email memberdevelopment@woolamaibeach.asn.au
Callout for historic club items!
Hello to all Woolamai Members
From Graeme Clauscen, Club Historian
From the Archives a little bit of History !
S.L.S.A. Poster from 1977
Woolamai Aerial Photo 1987
I am currently working on the Club’s archives and cataloguing a lot of new items that have been given to the Club.
It is proposed that all of the items in the Club archive will be digitized and uploaded to Victorian Collections where anybody can access all of the items, on line.
The family of Dennis Harris recently provided a large number of photos and documents collected by Dennis over many years.
This is an appeal for donations of items of Historical interest to Club Members past and present. I am looking for the following:
Club Garments
T Shirts, Tops, Shorts, other Any item of clothing with the Club Name/Logo on it, condition not important.
Photographs
Color or black and white photographs of Club activities over the years 1959 -2022. Where possible, detail of, Location, Date, Names, and any other relevant info.
General Memorabilia
Any item of Club interest, Medallions Trophies Certificates Pennants etc. In other words if it is part of Woolamai History I would like to know about it and see it.
IMPORTANT. PLEASE PROVIDE – NAMES DATES TIMES LOCATION AND ANY RELEVANT INFORMATION
If you would like to donate any item that would be great, if not we will photograph the item and return to you.
Best Wishes
Graeme Clauscen
If you would like to contact me, 0412 789 499
Wild About Wooli! A 50 Year History of the Club
Want a segment in next Month’s newsletter?
Hi all,
If anyone would like to submit something for next month, the best way to do this is send me an email at communication@woolamaibeach.asn.au with a title for the segment, and text of what you’d like to be included as well as any pictures or images and I’ll be sure to add it in.
Deadline for April’s Newsletter - 8th of April
Cheers,
Ryan Box - Director of Communications
