Woolamai Newsletter - April 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
Presentation Night Tickets ~ Now on SALE!
IRB Crew and Driver camp
Bass Coast College 2023 SRC Course
Awards and member recognition
New Surf Rescue Quarter Zip Jumper
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,
We are nearing the end of the patrolling season at Woolamai Beach.
It has been a terrific season with many highlights and achievements by our members.
You can celebrate the season and see and hear about these at Presentation Night to be held at Silverwater Resort on Sat 20 May. Keep the date free. Look below for ticket details
Clubhouse clean up
As we near the end of the season, it is time to retrieve any personal belongings and food from the Clubhouse.
While there will be a number of events and training camps held throughout winter at the Club, we need you to help the Club do an end of season tidy up by removing anything that doesn’t belong there.
We have had some uninvited visitors to the Clubhouse who like to feast on any food left in the building so to keep these rodents away please take your food away -or it will be disposed of.
Easter at Woolamai
One very welcome visitor to the Clubhouse over Easter was the Easter Bunny who left a few Easter eggs for the Punchy Penguins Patrol.
A big thank you to the Punchy Penguins and the Hellfish for looking after the beach and the Clubhouse over Easter during atrocious weather conditions which saw the beach closed for 3 of the 4 days.
The Hellfish patrol looked like they were having a great time on Easter Sunday night at the Hellfish Hoedown where they played both kinds of music -Country and Western.
Congratulations to the 20 or so members who toughed it out in the surf during the Club’s Easter IRB Crew Course. If you can crew in those conditions, you are doing pretty well. A big thanks to the trainers who spent their entire Easter living in a wetsuit.
Meeting with Bass Coast Shire
Recently myself and fellow Directors Brendan Smart and Louise Smith met with Senior Officers of Bass Coast Shire.
We gave the Council and update on the Club, its programs and initiatives and we discussed a number of current issues including Clubhouse projects, waste management, Smiths Beach storage needs, grants and a few other matters.
We hope that this will be a regular occurrence as we seek to build and maintain relationships with other community organisations
Looking ahead to 2023/24
The Club Annual General Meeting will be held in July.
At this meeting the 2023/23 Board of Directors will be elected.
The Board is responsible for the Club’s governance, setting the Club’s strategic direction, goals and priorities, and for approving policies, strategies and budgets that reflect the Club’s objectives, and how they are to be achieved. The Board meets on a monthly basis in person and online.
You don’t have to be a patrolling member of the Club, but you do need to be a member to nominate for the Board.
If you are thinking of nominating for the Board, and want to find out what is involved give me a call on 0417 569 004 or an email on president@woolamaibeach.asn.au
There is a formal nomination process, keep an eye on upcoming newsletters for further details.
There are also many other leadership roles at the Club which we need to fill for next season. Speak to me or one of the current Board members if you are interested.
See you down the beach soon.
Regards,
Jason Close - President
E: president@woolamaibeach.asn.au
Board Update
Decisions
Club has purchased San Remo-Newhaven Lions Club barbeque trailer and will use this to raise funds at Nippers and public events. Club will need to decal it with Club logo and a small Lions Club logo to acknowledge its history, will be stored at Club residence.
Presentation Night ticket prices approved $70 for juniors and $80 for seniors. Ticket prices will largely cover venue costs. Club will cover cost of awards and after party.
General Business
Club has advertised for an Awards and Recognition officer but has not yet found a candidate. Position to be readvertised.
Annie Coleman to prepare a nomination for Woolamai to be considered as Victorian Club of the Year at upcoming Life Saving Victoria Awards of Excellence
Channel Challenge/Bass Coast Series close out -debriefing meeting held by events team. Improvements to Newhaven transition area proposed for next year. 10 Feb 2024 is a possible date. Events team always looking for more members to support and deliver the event. Good follow up with sponsors.
Swim Bike Run Event close out -Club thanked for its role -efforts of key Club members Ron Nicholson, Nick Reynolds, Campbell Smart, Terry Aslanidis acknowledged. More advance information from event organisers will assist process next season. Water safety has its challenges because of the spread out nature of the event over 4km.
Presentation Night -venue booked and paid for. Awards confirmed. Club Champ major awards to be awarded on night but in future will be on the day of Club Champs. Nick Reynolds is helping Terry Aslanidis organise but representatives from each patrol required to help organise the night.
Clubhouse Accommodation Policy for Junior Members is a work in progress.
Clubhouse Male Showers are to have privacy screens installed in response to increased use by schools and shared use by adult/child members
Bass District Clubs leadership day to be held at Cape Paterson (originally scheduled for 22 April -now postponed to 27 May)
National Surfing Reserve committee -Club may soon seek an EOI for a second representative to represent Club, along with Graeme Clauscen.
Director Update
See below updates from the board:
President - Jason Close
March has been another busy month for the Club with the rescheduled Channel Challenge and the Club providing water safety at the Swim the Island event at Cowes. Thank you to all members who have supported organising and played key roles at these events.
Our patrols have continued to provide great service to the community on the beach and it has been pleasing to hear some great feedback about some of our members and how they go about things on the beach and representing the Club.
The past month has seen further work done to progress our dune stabilisation, revegetation and retaining wall project, but we need to wait until a planning permit is issued before works can commence.
Over the coming month or two, the Club will be applying for some small grants for a number of related projects to improve the clubhouse environs. If you are interested in getting involved in grant applications please get in touch.
I recently had the pleasure of doing a tour of the Inverloch SLSC to see some of the opportunities and challenges facing the Club. I also caught up with Club Presidents from Inverloch, Waratah Beach, Cape Paterson and discussed a number of issues of common interest and shared some ideas. While each Club is very different in its cultures, membership, facilities and operations, we have many things in common and can all learn from each other.
Louise, Brendan and I met with senior Bass Coast Shire officers and gave a presentation about the Club and its activities. We also discussed a number of issues of interest such as our building projects, grants, waste and recycling collection and Smiths Beach storage.
Vice president - Brendan Smart
I am currently working on a number of exciting workstreams including:
SBR Event
Thank you to the following Members for their help with the SBR event: Ron Nicholson, Campbell Smart, Terry Aslanidis, Christian Born, Michael Butler, Nick Reynolds, Erin Close, Lucas Atkin, Bonny Dickie, Kaidyn Eberhardt, Lachlan Casey, Luke Guilmartin, Mackenzie Wain and Sophie Hungerford.
Organising repairs to the jet ski shed roller door and boat ramp
Thank you Alan ‘Aquamole’ Hails for your help
Negotiating a lease of a section of the San Remo Recreation Centre (SRRC)
Emailed Chris from the SRRC on 22nd March for an update.
Re-negotiating the Clubhouse lease with Phillip Island Nature Park (PINP)
Other Grants
Applied for a grant for a Wooli Wipeout’s board rack
Applied for a grant for a large TV to replace the aged 9-screen TV wall
Applied for a grant to complete a number of minor capital works around the Clubhouse
Applying for a grant to complete a number of revegetation works around the Clubhouse
Residence
Sparky installed additional power point for DVR. NBN came and installed WIFI.
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
No update this month
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
Presentation night tickets out!
Member Development - Terry Aslanidis
Received new training rash vests. These will be used for our trainers conducting water safety on camps/courses.
Compiling all our training data over the 2022/23 season. (Will be presented in Annual Report)
SEAL’s Program to make a comeback. Stay tuned to the weekly updates for more information.
U13 Development Camp: Oscar Tuchtan participated in the U13 Development Camp that took place at the YMCA Lake Dewar Discovery Camp. Oscar is one of our future lifesavers within the club and can not wait to participate in the Surf Rescue Program next season.
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
Channel Challenge event successfully held, Bass Coast Series comes to a close for the season.
Sustainability - Louise Smith
No update this month
Presentation Night Tickets ~ Now on Sale!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Presentation Night is a chance for our members, partners, families and supporters to reflect on the season that was. It’s a time to welcome our latest brigade of Bronzies, to celebrate the new awards strived for and achieved, to recognize the difference our service makes and to honor those members who have made outstanding contributions in 2022/23 season.
Event Details
When: Saturday, 20th May 2023
Where: Silverwater Resort - 17 Potters Hill Rd, San Remo VIC 3925
Time: 6:30pm arrival for a 7:00pm start - 10:00pm
Dress Code: Formal Attire
Limited parking is available at the venue. A bus will be provided, to transport members between the clubhouse and the venue for no cost! For those wishing to use this service, please meet at Woolamai Beach Surf Life Saving Club no later than 6:00pm. This transportation is limited and will only involve a single trip in each direction.
Tickets
To purchase a ticket, visit our events page. https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/events
Cost includes a 2 course meal (dinner & dessert) as well as pre dinner nibbles. Drinks are at bar prices.
Ticket Prices
Junior Members - $70
Senior Members (18+) - $80
**Please note: Tickets are limited so get in quick to avoid missing out! Tickets MUST be purchased before 29th of April to secure a spot.
All payments must be received by Saturday 29th of April in order to confirm numbers. There will be no option to purchase tickets on the night. For all further enquiries, please contact Terry Aslanidis at: memberdevelopment@woolamaibeach.asn.au
After Party
Following the formal presentation night, all members are welcome to join us back at the club for more drinks and a boogie! Drinks and nibbles will be available at the bar.
Sincerely,
Presentation Organising Committee
IRB Crew and Driver Camp
After a record breaking Bronze Camp we had a massive interest in our Crew and Driver Camps. This season we separated the 2 courses to allow for more members to apply for the Crew course. As always, we had a great team of trainers and trainee trainers help to deliver these critical awards to our members.
IRB Driver Camp - Labour Day Weekend
Each year we continue to provide high quality training to our members, to ensure we uphold our standards and reputation at Woolamai Beach. After training for 2 weekends in the best conditions possible, we saw 9 new members obtain their IRBD award!
The future is looking very bright for our patrols.
IRB Crew Camp - Easter Long Weekend
It wasn’t long for our trainers to get back into the swing of things as Easter was just around the corner. After an amazing first day at Woolamai the nice weather decided to go on holidays. It was a long, wet and windy 4 days with our 20 IRBC’s battling the challenging conditions. Everyone did an amazing job on assessment day having very little exposure to Woolamai. We can’t wait to train with you all next season!
“Congratulations to all the wooli members who braved freezing conditions, rain and crazy waves to successfully complete their irb crew certification. It was a weekend for only the tough and resilient. Big thank you to the training team who again gave up their Easter to train our new crewies. ”
Courses/Camps don’t run by themselves. It takes a special person to give up their holidays, their weekends and their families and time to volunteer for a course. Thank you to our dedicated IRB Training Team for your ongoing support and willingness to upskill our members each year. We also welcome 2 new members to the team!
IRB Driver and Crew Trainers
Terry Aslanidis
Alan (Aquamole) Hailes
Darrell (Clarky) Clark
Mark Bain
Liam Comber
Evan Richter
Lachlan Casey (trainee)
Nellie Boyce (trainee)
All the new Drivers who assisted throughout the camp
Photos from the March and April Camp can be viewed in our Photo Gallery - https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/photo-gallery
Bass Coast College 2023 SRC Course
We welcomed back the Bass Coast College for their second year of doing the SRC course with us at Woolamai!
The 3 day camp was run early April which saw 37 students and 3 teachers from the Bass Coast College in Wonthaggi and San Remo complete their SRC/Bronze qualification.
The Bass Coast College has 2 campuses located in Wonthaggi and San Remo. Yeah 9 students from both campuses are given the opportunity to complete their SRC qualification through the advanced program offered at school.
We are very thrilled to be working with the college and educating our local members on the importance of Surf Rescue on Phillip Island and other coast lives in Victoria.
We can’t wait to have you back for the 2023/24 season.
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.
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 May’s Newsletter - 8th of May
Cheers,
Ryan Box - Director of Communications