President
By Robert Murphy, President
I feel honoured to have been given another opportunity to lead you all this year. Woolamai is a very special place, it’s built on friendship, loyalty and support. It’s a place you come to make new friends and catch up with old friends. For some of us this stretches over decades.
As I reflected on the year that was, and the moments that I wanted to share with you tonight, 3 words came to mind: courage, compassion and connectedness.
Some of the events we’ve experienced this year have drawn on real courage from our life savers and the broader community. I’d like to express my pride in all our members who attended the tragedy in the waters off colonnades on Christmas Eve. It is an absolute tragedy when someone drowns and my deepest sympathy go out to their family and friends.
The work we do as lifesavers can be dangerous, it takes real courage and strength. Keeping the beachgoers safe can be challenging and can create enormous risk that can be underestimated by the community we serve.
None of this was truer over Easter when we lost two of our own colleagues in Port Campbell whilst they put themselves at risk to help someone in trouble.
Some of you will have known Ross and Andrew Powell and members of our club were involved in the response to the incident — it saddens me to think of the family and friends that have been left behind and the whole that will be forever in their community.
As rescuers and first responders we are not exempt from the sense of tragedy or loss and the upset that these thoughts and emotions bring can impact us all. Please make sure you all take time to look after your own wellbeing and utilise your friends, senior members within the club or the Lifesaving Saving Victoria support services if you need. Asking for help is a sign of strength.
Right across our club our members continue to inspire me, not just with the professionalism they show towards patrolling the beach or their skill in the water at Woolamai and Smith’s but the kind and selfless acts that show such compassion for others.
Being present and connected to the community of Philip Island is one of our strategic priorities. This year we took another giant leap forward patrolling out of the new Smith’s Beach Tower and running competition training at Smith’s Beach pre-season for our Island based competition team.
This year we also ran our very first pilot nipper program for children with disabilities. The children came down to Wooli Waters and were supported by four lifesavers to participate in a modified program. The kindness, enthusiasm and patience our lifesavers showed towards the children was incredible and had the participants paddling on boards, unassisted by their parents for the first time ever.
We are committed to growing our inclusive program and on Easter Saturday 50 children and 25 parents gave up their time and participated in the filming of an interactive online book. to be launched later in the year. This Woolamai initiative is a first of its kind in Australia and will provide learning and support tools for all new participants in nipper programs, especially targeted at children who suffer anxiety and autism to help them mentally prepare for a day on the beach.
One of the great strengths at Woolamai is our ability to put square pegs in round holes. We embrace our diversity and accept our family for exactly who they are. It’s a place to come and grow, to challenge yourself and give something back to the community. There are plenty of opportunities available to all our members and I welcome all of you to think about your own growth and development to date and then ask yourself what’s next?
It takes a community of people to deliver on the successful accomplishments we’ve made this year. You are all part of the ‘Woolamai Family’. Life members, mums and dads, social members, nippers and our active life savers and I thank you all.
I’d like to finish with a special mention to the leadership team I had the privilege of working with this year: Jason, Jeremy, Mark, Max, Smarty, Stafford, Tia and our hard working secretary Rochelle who keeps us all in line. I look forward to the next part of this journey.