Volunteers’ efforts celebrated at annual awards

Surf Life Saving Western Australia (SLSWA) capped off another successful year, recognising the hard work and commitment of its thousands of volunteer members at the annual Awards of Excellence on Saturday night.

Joined by SLSWA Chief Patron, His Excellency, the Honourable Chris Dawson AC APM, Governor of Western Australia, more than 450 attendees representing WA’s 31 surf life saving clubs, corporate and government partners, and guests celebrated the past season and the efforts of members.

SLSWA President Heidi Gan OLY paid tribute to the dedicated and passionate volunteers who make up the nearly 25,000-strong movement in Western Australia, dedicating their weekends and holidays to helping keep Western Australian beachgoers safe.

“Tonight is about celebrating the volunteers who are the lifeblood of this great movement, committing countless hours of service to uphold our mission of saving lives and building great communities,” said Ms Gan.

“Because of the contributions of our dedicated members, and with the support of our partners, I am proud to say that no lives were lost between the red and yellow flags this season.”

Kicking off the evening, Ms Gan named Secret Harbour’s Garry Williams as the 2025 President’s Medal recipient in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to powercraft operations at a state and national level.

Among the individual award recipients on the evening was Coogee Beach Surf Life Saving Club’s Patrick Rivers, named 2025 Surf Lifesaver of the Year. Recognised for his leadership and passion for continuous improvement, including utilising new technologies to improve lifesaving outcomes, Patrick’s contributions extended beyond just his club and will continue to impact all levels of Surf Life Saving.

Taking out the coveted Lavan Club of the Year title, including a cheque for $10,000, Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club had a year of success across all areas of Surf Life Saving with the awards selection committing highlighting their commitment to building a thriving club culture.

“Sorrento has developed a culture that encourages every member to contribute, lead, and thrive. Not only do they offer a range of programs to youth members so they can all find an area of interest, their community programs are seen as important to the fabric of their membership. The club motto of ‘win as a team’ spreads across all areas of the club”.

Young Surf Lifesaver of the Year was awarded to Busselton’s Kai Libricky. In addition to taking on multiple roles at his club, the seventeen-year-old completed an impressive 161 volunteer patrol hours across the season and was praised for his can-do attitude, which saw him regularly take on additional opportunities to grow his knowledge and skills and to serve his community.

In surf sport, Sorrento’s Patrick Eley finished out the year on a high, taking home both Athlete of the Year and the Bernie Kelly Medal in a season that kicked off with a win at the World Lifesaving Championships in the Open Male Surf Ski, before dominating the local racing scene which culminated with three individual gold, including the iconic Ironman event, and three team gold at the WA Championships and a team bronze at the Australian Championships.

City of Perth’s Grant Trew was named Volunteer of the Year in recognition of his selfless provision of time and expertise to the benefit of club members and the wider Surf Life Saving community, while Swanbourne Nedlands’ Jordana Broomhall took Young Volunteer of the Year, the twenty-two-year-old recognised for her outstanding contributions across club development, youth engagement, and education.

City of Bunbury Surf Life Saving Club had a fantastic evening, taking home three awards, including Woodside Nippers Club of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Young Athlete of the Year.

The winners of the following awards will go on to represent WA at the Surf Life Saving Australia Awards of Excellence in November: Surf Lifesaver, Young Surf Lifesaver, Volunteer, Community Education Program, Official, Coach, Athlete, Young Athlete, Trainer, Assessor, Surf Sports team, Lifeguard, and Lavan Club of the Year.

• See the full list of 2025 winners here
• Check out all the winners profiles here
• View all photos from the evening here.