2024 Awards of Excellence Winners
Surf Lifesaver of the Year
Awarded to: Scott Anderson (Quinns Mindarie SLSC)
Scott’s achievements this season have been outstanding. In his first year as Club Captain, he introduced several initiatives to improve the operation of patrol sessions.
He has been a hands-on member, assisting with difficult rescues both on the beach during patrols and as an IRB and RWC operator, and he has dedicated personal time to responding to 13SURF calls in the northern suburbs.
Scott also took on the role of Area Coordinator for the Mindarie abalone patrols, where he successfully planned and executed the four sessions without any major incidents.
Scott continues to prioritise personal and skills development to benefit the delivery of lifesaving frontline services. His passion and contributions are evident to all who have the pleasure to work and engage with him.
Young Surf Lifesaver of the Year
Awarded to: Lachlan Olive (Coogee Beach SLSC)
Lachlan has been a member of Coogee since 2016 and has achieved a considerable amount during this time, including Gold Level in Surf Life Saving WA’s Youth Leaders Program.
This season, in his capacity as a patrol vice-captain, he sat on the Club’s Lifesaving Committee. He undertook 125 patrol hours, regularly substituting for other members when patrol numbers were low and occasionally assisting patrols at other clubs.
He also served as Youth Coordinator, contributing to two successful camps aimed at preparing young members to join patrols and develop their interpersonal skills.
Lachlan was instrumental in the development and introduction of his Club’s Youth Program Information Booklet, providing youth members information on pathways available to them in the lifesaving space.
Volunteer of the Year
Awarded to: Mark Pager (Broome SLSC)
In over 18 years of service, Mark has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to Surf Life Saving, previously earning himself the National Medal in recognition of his significant dedication to patrol duties.
This season, he has volunteered across multiple areas of the club, including mentoring, community liaison, and serving as the Director of Life Saving.
Mark’s willingness to improve his skills and knowledge directly reflects his dedication and contributions to the overall improvement of the club and movement.
Coach of the Year
Awarded to: Andrew Mosel (Trigg Island SLSC)
As Head Surf Sports Coach at Trigg Island, Andrew’s dedication and vision have led to the continued growth and development of athletes and coaches within the club.
His programming focuses on his athletes’ physical and mental health and well-being, individually tailoring programs to ensure they are not overtraining during the extended surf season.
Through mentorship and guidance, he has empowered coaches to enhance their skills and contribute to the club’s overall success, evidenced as they took out Champion Club at the 2024 SunSmart WA Surf Life Saving Championships.
Andrew’s passion, expertise, and unwavering commitment have made a lasting impact on Trigg’s surf sports community, propelling the club to new levels of success.
Young Volunteer of the Year
Awarded to: Elise Stallard (Coogee Beach SLSC)
Elise has had an exceptionally busy season. She is the Director of Member Development at Coogee Beach, a role that involves coordinating over five hundred Nipper and Youth members.
As a Director, she’s worked hard on building relationships with other Clubs and external organisations. She organised the inaugural pink & rainbow patrols at Coogee Beach, applied for a number of grants on behalf of the club and worked tirelessly to develop their IRB program.
Elise also served on the Surf Life Saving WA Development Committee, assisting with state-based development initiatives and in January, was also a volunteer leader at Surf Life Saving WA’s Rise Up Youth Camp, showcasing her influence as a positive role model.
Lavan Club of the Year
Awarded to: Fremantle Surf Life Saving Club
Fremantle have worked hard to engage with its community and work closely with its local authorities. They have collaborated with other Surf Life Saving Clubs on several projects. Fremantle have strong focuses on the next generation and being an inclusive club. They have a strategic approach in delivering a whole of club program.
2nd – Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club
3rd – Dampier Surf Life Saving Club
Patrol Club of the Year
Awarded to: Quinns Mindarie SLSC
This season, the club has provided exceptional lifesaving services, focusing on catering to its local community’s needs. To match the increased public use of the beach and water, the club worked to increase the number of patrolling members on each patrol to allow for skill development without impacting patrol delivery.
The club focused on increasing the skills and qualifications available, including launching its drone program, continuing to grow its Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) crew, and maintaining a focus on advanced lifesaving skills, all critical in helping extend the range of its patrols, enabling the club to expand its services beyond the main flagged area.
They have strived hard to improve upon community inclusion during patrols, with the addition of a new beach access wheelchair and a focus on providing support for older community members to access the water.
The club was also heavily involved with Abalone patrols, providing members, jet skis and IRBs in the Mindarie area to ensure safe sessions.
Trainer of the Year
Awarded to: Samantha McIntyre (Floreat SLSC)
Samantha is a passionate trainer who can connect with a wide range of people in a positive and engaging manner.
This season, serving as the Director of Education, Sam has run Bronze and Junior SRC Courses and facilitated a range of additional courses such as ART and Drone Operator. She consistently elevates program delivery standards and ensures every aspect of learning is attended to, setting a high bar for herself and her candidates.
She is an inspirational leader, especially for younger members, and ensures that Floreat has the appropriate range of skills necessary for the club.
Assessor of the Year
Awarded to: Gary Carthew (City of Bunbury SLSC)
Gary has been a dedicated member of Bunbury Surf Life Ssaving Club for over twenty years, fulfilling many roles during that time.
His experience and knowledge as an assessor, coupled with his patience and encouragement, is highly respected throughout the regional community. At his own expense and time, Gary travels between five regional clubs to provide assessment for IRB and Rescue watercraft. His expertise has also seen him assist in the assessment of the club’s qualifications, including bronze medallion, surf rescue resuscitation, ARCT certificate and gold medallion.
Gary’s impact on regional members is invaluable, providing the club and region with qualified lifesavers who serve the community with skill and pride.
Support Operations Volunteer of the Year
Awarded to: Joshua Colotti (Yanchep SLSC)
Josh has been a member of Yanchep for sixteen seasons and is the current Director of Lifesaving.
In addition to his lifesaving and board duties, Josh plays a pivotal role in the annual Abalone season as the designated area coordinator for the Yanchep zone, ensuring that it has sufficient resources, including equipment and personnel, across the four designated Abalone fishing days.
In addition to this hands-on role, he also reviews the Local and Regional Abalone Operations Plan and attends pre and post-session meetings.
This season, seventy-six rescues were performed across the six patrol zones, of which seventy-two were at Yanchep.
The leadership provided by Josh was nothing short of exemplary and his guidance and mentoring to the team contributed to the no fatalities outcome.
Official of the Year
Awarded to: Jacqueline McGregor (Mullaloo SLSC)
Jacqui has been a key figure at surf sports events across the season, dedicating countless hours as the Emergency Safety Officer, drawing on her expertise and extensive experience to ensure the smooth running of competitions.
Jacqui has also played a pivotal role in implementing new safety initiatives at carnivals and championship events, including the Search and Rescue kits and the introduction of the Safe 365 App, providing essential data regarding all aspects of event safety.
Jacqui’s skills, flexibility, and adaptability have made her a valuable asset across a wide range of events throughout the season. It is in recognition of her exceptional contributions and dedication that Jacqui is being honoured with the prestigious Official of the Year award.
Young Athlete of the Year
Awarded to: Amelia Rowe (Sorrento SLSC)
Amelia had an exceptional season, dominating the sprint and flag events, with her outstanding performances earning her a place on the Western Suns representative team and selection in the Super Surf Teams League.
At the 2024 SunSmart WA Surf Life Saving Championships, she took gold in the U17 beach flags, sprints and beach relay, and the Open beach sprints and mixed beach relay.
Moving on to the Aussies, she continued to impress, taking gold in the U17 beach flags, sprints, and U17 female beach relay, plus bronze as a member of the open mixed beach relay team.
Amelia’s dedication, skill, and perseverance have made her a standout surf sports competitor and one to watch.
Athlete of the Year
Awarded to: Jake Smith (Trigg Island SLSC)
Jake is a back-to-back winner of Athlete of the Year, demonstrating outstanding achievements across the season despite being hampered by injury and illness.
At a state level, across the 2024 SunSmart WA Surf Life Saving Rescue and Surf Championships and the Pool Rescue Championships, Jake took two individual gold, and a bronze, as well as contributing to five gold and three bronze as a member of Trigg Island teams.
Going on to compete at the Australian Pool Rescue Championships, Jake took three gold, two silver and two bronze in the individual events, plus three gold and a silver in team events.
In recognition of his exceptional talent and dedication, Jake was selected to captain the Western Suns Pool Rescue team, and was also selected as a member of the Australian Life Saving Team, which competed in the World Cup in Germany.
Surf Sports Team of the Year
Awarded to: U17 Female Beach Relay Team: Akayla Fairclough, Amelia Rowe, Ava Yujnovich and Zahra Buckley (Sorrento SLSC)
U17 Female Beach Relay Team, Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club
The U17 Female Beach Relay team, consisting of Akayla Fairclough, Amelia Rowe, Ava Yujnovich, and Zahra Buckley, demonstrated their winning speed and teamwork, claiming gold at the SunSmart WA Surf Life Saving Championships before going on to repeat this success, with a convincing victory at the 2024 Aussies on the Sunshine Coast.
Further establishing their reputation as rising top-tier athletes, the team also reached the Aussies’ final in the U19 Female Beach Relay, finishing in fifth place.
Community Education Program of the Year
Awarded to: Silver Salties (Trigg Island SLSC)
Since 2021, Trigg has been developing its Silver Salties Program to engage the 65 years and over members of the wider community.
The Silver Salties meet year-round, participating in an inclusive program that fosters a sense of belonging and community. While fitness is the main priority, the program also provides a social platform, with each session ending with a morning tea and conversation.
This season, the program saw a significant growth in membership and now boasts more than 172 regular participants, many of whom have gone on to become Club members.
Age Manager of the Year
Awarded to: Christie Jones (Scarboro SLSC)
Christie is an integral part of the Woodside Nippers Program at Scarboro Surf Life Saving Club.
Undertaking the role of the Under 10 Age Manager, she has overseen the development of over fifty Nippers this season. With a strong focus on teamwork and inclusivity, she has fostered a vibrant community that saw participation rates increase.
Christie also mentors other Age Managers within the club, helping them develop their surf sports skills and knowledge.
With a consistent can-do attitude and problem-solving approach, Chrisite is a worthy recipient of this award.
Woodside Nippers Club of the Year
Awarded to: Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club
Sorrento has worked hard this season to increase retention and grow its Nipper membership, focusing on delivering a quality program and ensuring all Nippers and their parents have a positive experience.
They introduced new initiatives to drive the program’s success, including age group integration, an under-thirteen leadership program and a collaboration with a leading children’s charity, The Magic Coat, to help ease Nippers’ anxiety on the beach.
With a strong focus on competition and quality sportsmanship, they also claimed the Champion Nipper Club title at the 2024 SunSmart WA Nipper Championships.
Woodside Nippers Program Coordinator of the Year
Awarded to: Graham Jones (Scarboro SLSC)
Graham has been highly influential in the growth and development of the Woodside Nippers Program at Scarboro Surf Life Saving Club.
This season, in particular, Graham has focused on helping to transition under 13s into youth members by delivering sessions and activities designed specifically for this cohort.
Through his drive, enthusiasm, and leadership, the club has had a very successful season in terms of engagement with parents, retention of Nipper members, and improvement in participation and performance in inter-club competitions.
Woodside Nippers Program Volunteer of the Year
Awarded to: Kevin Giles (Coogee Beach SLSC)
Kevin’s commitment to the Woodside Nippers Program does not go unnoticed. What originally began as a hobby now sees a high level of commitment, with Kevin spending his spare time servicing and maintaining program equipment where necessary.
On Sunday mornings, he ensures the beach is ready to go and then spends the session managing water safety in each arena. Once the program is over for the day, he ensures all equipment is put away and ready for the following weekend.
With Kevin’s strong work ethic and dedication, the Club’s Woodside Nippers Program runs successfully each week.
Bernie Kelly Medal
Awarded to: Matthew Colliss (City of Perth SLSC)
An exceptional performance at the 2024 SunSmart WA Surf Life Saving Championships saw Matt amass an impressive collection of medals.
Renowned for his prowess in surf swimming and board paddling, taking out gold in the Open Surf and Board Races, Matt’s standout achievement came in the pinnacle ironman event, as he showcased skill, determination, and speed across the sand to overtake the race leader in a sprint finish to claim the gold.
He then finished out his Championships campaign with a further three gold, two silver and a bronze in the team events.
