More than 70 outstanding young members from across WA were recognised for their achievements at Surf Life Saving WA’s (SLSWA) annual Nipper & Youth Awards, presented by the Scottish Masonic Charitable Foundation of WA, on Saturday afternoon.
Over 280 guests, including SLSWA Chief Patron, His Excellency, the Honourable Chris Dawson AC APM, Governor of Western Australia, gathered at this year’s event to recognise and celebrate the achievements across various areas, including lifesaving, surf sports competition and volunteering.
Chairman of SLSWA partner, the Scottish Masonic Charitable Foundation of WA, George Buchan, said the organisation was proud of its longstanding partnership providing support to SLSWA’s youth programs, which builds the confidence, skills and instils lifelong values for every young person involved, to create future leaders, not only in Surf Life Saving but in their local communities.
Amongst those recognised on the day was Secret Harbour’s Iona Alsop, who was named Surf Life Saving WA’s Youth Member of the Year. Iona’s commitment and passion to Surf Life Saving was demonstrated through leadership roles at the club, mentoring younger members, excelling in surf sports, all the while completing over 90 patrol hours this season!
For the second year running, Quinns Mindarie Surf Life Saving Club produced the U14/U15 Lifesaver of the Year. This year, Charlee Brown was recognised for her dedication, all-round contributions, and leadership, exemplifying the values of Surf Life Saving, while also completing nearly 100 patrol hours over the season.
Recognised for her leadership within surf sports officiating, Trigg Island’s Indiah Reidy was named Youth Official of the Year, due to her vital role in mentoring and supporting emerging youth officials while being extensively involved across various carnivals, including making history as one of the first Youth Officials to officiate at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships.
In the Nippers arena, it was Scarboro’s Lachlan Jones who was named Nipper of the Year in recognition of not only his leadership, mentoring and dedication to all areas of the Woodside Nippers Program, but also for his awareness and responsibility in the beach environment, encouraging others to make safe decisions in and around the water.
Download the full list of winners here (opens in a new tab) and view photos here (opens in a new tab)
