Woolamai Newsletter - January 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
Life Saving Services Update
Nippers Summary
New Club Admin Officer - Welcome
SRC Course
Bass District Development Camp
Super Saturday
Club Champs
Gerries Patrol
Life Member’s and Member’s dinner (Paella Night)
Bass Coast series - helpers needed!
Bass Coast Series Kicking off
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,
“Its been a big week in football” -this was a phrase that Eddie McGuire used to open the Footy Show each week. Well it’s been an even bigger month in life saving at Woolamai Beach.
Welcome to the club!
Our busy month began with 3 Bronze camps held at the Club throughout December.
We had over fifty 13-14 year old members complete their Surf Rescue Certificate just after Christmas. Many of this group came from our Nippers program. It is so exciting to see this group receiving their uniforms and beginning to patrol with the Club. A fantastic effort by the trainers Izzy, Jaz and Emily and everyone else who helped with training and water safety.
Nippers
Nippers was back this season with many of the features that had been missing for the previous two Covid affected seasons. While the program retained many of its Covid-safe features such as split sessions and not sharing equipment between groups, many of the social events and the Nippers BBQ made a welcome return.
About Nippers participated in the program held at Cleeland Bight and Smiths Beach. A real highlight was seeing approximately 100 Club members (mostly new Bronzies and SRCs and former Nippers themselves) helping out with water safety and as junior age managers. It is great to see our young members giving back to Nippers.
A huge thank you must go out to our hard-working Nippers Director, Tanya Pinnock and her committee for the success of the program. Michael ‘Boo’ Butler and his team did an amazing job running the Smiths Beach program and thanks to Charles Tuchtan and Georgie Wettenhall for continuing to develop the junior age managers program and conduct training.
Events Summary
Saturday 7 Jan was ‘Super Saturday’ at the Club. Over 130 Nippers and life savers competed in our first Club Champs for 3 seasons. Congratulations to everyone who competed and to the Punchy Penguins Patrol for winning the patrol competition on the day. A huge thanks to Campbell Smart and Susan Fawaz for organising the competition events.
Following Club Champs was the eagerly anticipated Paella Night which saw over 200 members and friends enjoy and evening of Paella and drinks. A huge shout out to Alan McLean (Macca) for organising the event and to Brian Whittaker (Reggie) for stepping in with an inspiring speech about looking out for each other.
February is ‘Event month’ at Woolamai. The Channel Challenge will be held on Saturday 4 February and the Cowes Classic/Little Penguin Dash on Saturday 18 February. There are still water safety and other roles to fill. Ron Nicholson and the organising team are particularly looking for help in the race centre.
Upcoming Patrol Events
We have some very special patrol events coming up.
Our first ever Green Zinc Patrol is coming up on Sunday 29 January. There will be a sustainably sourced dinner on the Saturday night (28 Jan) and a beach clean up from 8.45-9.45am on Sunday before the patrol.
Rainbow Zinc Patrol will be held on Sunday 5 February . Rainbow Zinc is an all inclusive patrol, aiming to create a safe and welcoming space for all members, and to show support of the LGBTQIA+ community.
And don’t forget our 12th Pink Zinc Patrol will be held on Sunday 19 February.
Exciting Research
Over the first half of January the Club has assisted the Phillip Island Nature Parks, the French National Centre for Scientific Research and a consortium of international research organisations with the launch and retrieval of a floating drone.
The floating drone is used to survey penguin foraging grounds off Phillip Island. During its time off Cape Woolamai, the $250K drone collected valuable information on water temperature, salinity and fish movements.
As an acknowledgement of our Club's role in this important piece of scientific research, club representatives attended the official launch of the project by the French Ambassador to Australia at Newhaven on Friday 20 Jan (Penguin Awareness Day).
Clubhouse Housekeeping
Summer is a great time to be at the Club but we need to ensure that our junior (under 18) members are safe and have parental permission to be staying overnight at the Clubhouse.
If you are a junior member you may only stay at the Clubhouse overnight when patrolling or taking part in a Club camp or activity. Staying at the Clubhouse requires the express permission of a parent or legal guardian. The parent or legal guardian must nominate a senior member who is responsible for the supervision of the junior member. If this is not possible then the junior member may not stay at the Clubhouse.
If a junior member is staying at the Clubhouse, then they must stay at the Clubhouse and its environs, and may only leave with the express permission of the parent/legal guardian and the senior supervising member.
The Club residence is an option for parents and junior members to hire should there not be a senior member staying at the Club that can provide supervision.
The Club will develop further policy in this area.
See you down the beach soon.
Regards,
Jason Close - President
E: president@woolamaibeach.asn.au
Life Saving Services Update
Woolamai Members,
How thrilled I am to see the season off to an amazing start! We have seen members on patrol in high numbers and the public flocking to the beach rapidly.
Over the Christmas and new years period the island became very busy and we had some minor rescues in this time which was good to see the service upholding its values and doing a good service for the community.
We are excited to see what is left for the remainder of the season and I can’t wait to see all your smiling faces down on patrol
Thankyou so much for all your service and support so far
Patrol Roster/Key Contacts: https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/2022-2023-patrol-roster
Regards,
Campbell Smart - Director of Lifesaving Services
E: lifesavingservices@woolamaibeach.asn.au
Nippers Summary
With 350 nippers on the beach this Summer, Woolamai Beach SLSC boasts one of the States largest nipper programs. If you were around Cleeland Bight Beach or Smiths from the 29th Dec to the 5th Jan you would have likely seen hundreds of Nippers and their families on the beach participating and learning surf awareness and life saving skills. We had over 100 hundred volunteers on the beaches ensuring the smooth delivery of a very professional program and over 50 trained water safety personnel supervising the Nippers, many having been former Nippers themselves. We have continued the JAMS program that has trained SRC and Bronze members under 18 that inspire and coach the Nippers. This year we saw the return of the BBQ, Movie Night, Champagne Sunset and a Dads’ Night all held at the club. A new addition to the program was a Sustainability Tent on Day1, run by a committee of dedicated members, with practical activities to educate the youngest members of our club. We also boasted record sales of club merchandise on one of the final days.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank the committee, the board and all the volunteers that we cannot do without, they made Nippers a huge success this year. Another thank you to the behind the scenes crew who assist with organising before the season and the set up of equipment before, throughout and after Nippers. Also a big thanks to the trainers who train the volunteers, also to the photographers, communication, admin and IT team as we work with approximately 700 people ensuring the smooth running and safety of the Nippers.
Lastly another note of appreciation to SMASH drink bottles and Western Port Water. We would also like to acknowledge the following local sponsors; Girls on Board, Cape Winds, Wildlife Coast Cruises, Phillip Island Nature Parks, Phillip Island Tenpin Bowling and Entertainment Centre, Purple Hen Wines, San Remo Fisherman’s Co-op, The Wooli Tavern, San Remo Hotel-Motel, Island Surfboards, Clip ‘n Climb Phillip Island, Fullcircle Surf, Latitude Trading, Phillip Island Chocolate Factory, Phillip Island Circuit, IGA San Remo, Rip Curl Phillip Island, and Silverwater Resort.
Regards,
Tanya Pinnock - Director of Junior Development
New Club Admin Officer
Congratulations to Carole Irving on being appointed our club's admin officer.
For any enquiries for bookings at the residence, please get in touch with Carole at secretary@woolamaibeach.asn.au and she will be able to confirm availability and pricing for you.
Cheers,
Christian Born
SRC Course
Congratulations to 50 of our newest Surf Rescue Certificate members who completed their award at the end of December! It is unbelievable how fast our club is growing but it is great to see our Nippers taking the next step in their lifesaving pathways by completing their SRC award. This season we reverted back to just 1, 4 day course. Moving forward we will continue to keep this model and hopefully grow the program.
We can’t wait to see you on the beach patrolling and doing your Bronze in the coming years! A massive thanks to our trainers Izzy, Jaz and Emily as well as our newest & returning Bronzies for helping with water safety. We couldn’t do it without you!
Terry Aslanidis
Chief Instructor
Bass District Development Camp
The Bass District Development Camp is a week-long program that has been designed to develop and enhance the knowledge and skills of current Bronze Medallion holders to the next level, while at the same time preparing them to take on more responsibility in their patrol teams, their home clubs and the wider community.
This is achieved by providing them with a higher level of award training, and exposure to a wide range of beach types, surf conditions and lifesaving scenarios. Awards offered on the program are:
Advanced Resuscitation Techniques
First Aid
Inflatable Rescue Boat Crew or Driver
Congratulations to the following members who participated on the 2022/23 Dev Camp.
Camp Co-ordinator: Campbell Smart
Camp Leaders: Ellie Ryan, Emma Gallagher, Michael Butler, Nellie Boyce
Camp Participants: Sienna Woodmason, Mackenzie Wain, Lucas Atkin, Luke Guilmartin, Alex Lee, Izzy Bulach, Emily Ross, Carisse Flint, Ava Freeman, Ava Close, Jasmine Kuerschner
Super Saturday!
Club Champs
Thank you to everyone who came down and competed in our annual club champs events. It was a ripper of a day followed by a fantastic turnout at the Life Members/Gerries Paella Night. This event would not have been possible without a few dedicated members of our club.
Big thanks to Susan Fawaz for running the nipper club champs at Cleeland Bight (Wooli Waters) in the morning. There was a great turnout from our young members and it was very pleasing to see them down at Woolamai cheering on their patrol teams.
Lastly, huge thanks to Campbell Smart for organising the event and liaising with the Gerries team to make club champs night one to remember.
Results
And the moment everyone has been waiting for. After tallying up the scores, we have deemed a new Club Champ.
Every member who competed received at least 1pt for their patrol regardless of where they placed.
3rd place received – 2 pts
2nd place received – 3 pts
1st place received – 4 pts
Final results for the 2022/23 Club Champions Event!
1st Place – Punchy Penguins 137 pts
2nd Place – Islanders 95 pts
3rd Place – Watermen 80 pts
4th Place – Hellfish 79 pts
5th Place – Sandman 51 pts
Congratulations to the Punchy's Patrol who took out this seasons Club Champs!
This event is only the beginning. We would love to see as many of you down for our other events throughout the season.
- 29th January - Green Patrol
- 4th February - Channel Challenge
- 5th February - Rainbow Zinc
- 18th February - Cowes Classic/Pink Zink Patrol
Gerries Patrol
A big thank you to the Gerries patrol for patrolling during the day and keeping our beach safe while the rest of the club were competing.
Life Members and Members RUOK Dinner (Paella night)
After Club Champs over 200 members and friends headed up to the club for our Life Members and Members RUOK Dinner (Paella Night)
The Paella was provided by Melbourne Paella Co. with 3 different options to be selected.
It was a great night overall and capped off a wonderful day
Thank you to Macca, Mick and many others for organising the dinner/night and making it happen.
I’m sure everyone can agree it’s great to be back together in person and having paella night again after a couple of years off due to covid.
Bass Coast Series - Helpers needed
We all know what a great event the Channel Challenge has been over nearly four decades for both the WBSLSC and the local Bass Coast community.
Three years ago, we mentioned in our review of the event that of the 14 helpers in the Race Centre 12 were 70+ and the other two were in their 60’s.
Well, guess what? They haven’t been getting any younger and the time has come for several of them to step down for health and other reasons.
After years of terrific service from this crew we have several stepping away from their usual roles at the Race Centre and we thank them for their great work.
We now need at least half a dozen new faces to help with the Race Centre – taking registrations, handing out race packs & tee-shirts, driving the shoe bags over to the transition area and taking the timing devices from the competitors at the finish line.
This year we intend to have the Race Centre operate over two shifts because of the early race start on Sat morning (11.00am) and the need to ease congestion by opening the upstairs area on Friday evening between 5.30pm & 7.30pm and then again on Sat morning between 8.00am & 10.30am – all done by Midday.
This worked well once before and the Friday night shift enjoyed a hot meal and cold drinks after knocking off.
On Saturday evening there will be a function back at the clubhouse (more info to come).
It is imperative that we replenish our staff stocks with some fresh blood and if you are available to help on either or both shifts, please contact Ron Nicho: 0416 133 655 ron@fullhousegroup.com.au
Cheers.
For those wanting to help out with water safety, first aid, or any of the other roles for both the Channel Challenge and Cowes Classic, please see rcent emails or posts made in the members page on Facebook.
Bass Coast Series kicking off!
With the Cape Paterson Aquathon running successfully this morning, we now turn our attention to the San Remo Channel Challenge, Cowes Classic and the Little Penguin Dash.
San Remo Channel Challenge
Saturday 4th February 2023 @ 11:00am
Cowes Classic
Saturday 18th February 2023 @ 2:00pm
Little Penguin Dash
Saturday 18th February 2023 @ 10:30am
$40 entry
Registration costs are consistent across all events!
Standard
Individuals 18 Plus - $60
Juniors U/18 - $40
Relay Teams - $90
For more information on each of the events please have a look at the website pages HERE
Website: https://www.basscoastseries.com.au/
Facebook: Bass Coast Series | Facebook
Instagram: Bass Coast Series (@basscoastseries) • Instagram photos and videos
Thanks,
Bass Coast Series team
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 February’s Newsletter - 8th of February
Cheers,
Ryan Box - Director of Communications