Nearly 600 volunteer lifesavers and their supporters have celebrated the season that was and congratulated their fellow members at the annual Surf Life Saving NSW Awards of Excellence in Sydney on Saturday 16 August.
Sydney Northern Beaches Branch also racked up five winners, the last of which perhaps being the perfect full circle story. Jemma Smith of Newport SLSC picked up the Athlete of the Year award, seven years after her third straight Youth Athlete of the Year award in 2017 earmarked her as one of the sport’s next big things.
Jemma had many outstanding achievements this season, starting with a huge win at the Coolangatta Gold long course, before moving on to captain the NSW state team to another victory in the Interstate Ocean Championships.
She qualified for the Iron series, and bagged a total of 9 gold, 6 silver and 1 bronze medal at the State and Australian Championships. The highlight of this was winning the Champion Lifesaver for an incredible 11th year in a row.
Jemma has been competing at the top level for well over a decade now. Not only is she an amazing athlete, but she is also a person who displays great leadership skills and continues to give back to the sport and the community at large.
Further highlights on the night included the roar from the crowd when the Magnificent Old Blokes (Queenscliff SLSC) were crowned the Services Team of the Year – including Barry Antella, Graham Lugsdin and Dave Torevell, the boys who many would recognise from most Branch and state surf sports carnivals - Dee Why SLSC were awarded the Rescue of the Year award, Patrol Captain of the Year is Julian Clarkson (Manly LSC) and the Youth Surf Lifesaver of the Year is Nicholas McGibbon (Bungan Beach SLSC), who was also nominated in 2023.
Julian Clarkson et al with his award
Dee Why SLSC - Rescue of the Year award, pictured here with Mackellar MP Dr. Sophie Scamps and Surf Life Saving NSW President, Peter Agnew AM
Dee Why SLSC's Award recognised the extraordinary efforts of Patrol 14 and other DY SLSC Members during a rescue in January 2025, along with significant contributions SNB Branch Duty Officers, NSW Ambulance, the SLS NSW State Operations Centre and the many others who in some way contributed to the rescue.
Patrol Captain Herve Vichemont gave an excellent speech on the importance of CPR training and persistence, which was received to huge applause from the 600+ people in attendance. All Dee Why SLSC members in attendance were grateful and appreciative of the many kind words received from our SLS life-saving peers and the State and Federal dignitaries in attendance.
Lifesaver(s)/Lifeguard(s) involved: Herve Vichemont, Chris West, Craig Katen, Dave Spink, Matthew Molinia, Jeremy Ferguson, Colin Kjoller, Adam King, Bailey Dickinson-Bubb, Mark Rosenthal, Jenny Graves, Hamish Pankhurst, Lee Wellings, Matilda Langtry, Toby Hagon.
The citation reads:
'On 25 January, the Saturday of the Australia Day long weekend, members of the Dee Why SLSC patrol were setting up at around 8.45am ready for their shift when a member of the public alerted them to a potential incident unfolding on the southern end of the beach, where a swimmer had potentially come off the rocks.
Patrol Captain, Herve Vichemont first asked Chris West to paddle out and assess the situation, before engaging Matt Molinia and Dave Spink, who were at the beach to conduct IRB proficiencies and training, to launch the IRB and assist.
The IRB crew drove the rescue craft in a search pattern from the last known location by the rocks and quickly found a woman face down and in black clothing, below water level. This set the Patrol team into action, with the IRB immediately calling in the incident as a rescue.
With the assistance of Council lifeguards and Paramedics, the Dee Why Patrol team delivered CPR on the beach for a total of nearly 40 minutes before a pulse was detected and the woman was taken by ambulance to Northern Beaches Hospital.
The successful rescue was the sum of all its parts, with each member of the Patrol - Herve, Chris, Dave, Matt, along with Craig Katen, Jeremy Ferguson, Colin Kjoller, Adam King, Bailey Dickinson-Bubb, Mark Rosenthall, Jenny Graves, Hamish Pankhurst, Lee Wellings, Matilda Langtry, and Toby Hagon – playing a part. '
The gala award ceremony in Darling Harbour signed off in signature fashion – by crowning the 2025 Surf Lifesaver of the Year. Fairy Meadow SLSC’s Michael Russo became just the fourth winner of the night’s blue-chip category to come from the Illawarra region, and second in four years after Wollongong City SLSC’s Shannon Fox – now a SLSNSW Board Director – won in 2022.
Michael’s award – coming with fervent celebrations from his fellow lifesavers – was the 24th and final on a night in which volunteers from clubs up and down the NSW coastline came together to recognise the achievements of more than 83,000 members across the state and announce a new crop of award recipients.
Interestingly, Michael’s title came as Illawarra clubs bookended the night’s award announcements, with Windang SLSC’s Alyssa Norris taking out the first category of the evening – Youth Volunteer of the Year.
“I did not come in here with any expectations, when I heard my name I was so surprised,” Michael said.
“What this means to our club is massive, we’ve got maybe 35 active members. So to win this not only at Branch level but now State, it’s great.
“Hopefully this draws more people to our club and this space, let’s see where things go from here!”
It was a strong night for clubs and Branches in the north, too – Mid North Coast Branch accounting for five category wins, including Branch and Club of the Year (Port Macquarie SLSC), and Cudgen Headland on the Far North Coast having three winners across Surf Sports (Coach of the Year – Scott McCartney, Team of the Year – U17 Male Taplin Relay) and the night’s second major award, Volunteer of the Year (Adam Mills).
“Only once before has our Branch (Mid North Coast) ever won five awards, so this is a big night for us,” Brienna Elford from South West Rocks SLSC, a club on the Mid North Coast said.
“We’re a small country Branch but our eight clubs work together so well.”
“Cudgen Headland is just a club that’s so welcoming,” Scott McCartney, Coach of the Year winner said.
“We’re patrolling on the beach, we’re racing, but we’re about that family culture at Cudgen – once you’re in there you don’t want to leave.”
A very deserving victory for Anthony Bellete from Batemans Bay SLSC in the Support Operations Member of the Year category after a year in which he masterminded a dramatic improvement in incident response time in the region through the establishment of a call out hub.
The spotlight was also shone on Maroubra SLSC’s Phil Carter – a man who has contributed across multiple levels and portfolios within Surf Life Saving, including current roles as a Branch Duty Officer and Club President in Sydney. For his many years of service, he was honoured with the prestigious President’s Medal.
Minister for Emergency Services, Jihad Dib congratulated all the finalists on the night and thanked the state’s volunteer lifesavers for their commitment to keeping the coastline safe.
NSW Minister for Emergency Services, The Hon. Jihad Dib presented the award to Surf Lifesaver of the Year – Michael Russo
“It’s so difficult choosing just one winner out of a group of Surf Life Saving volunteers who sacrifice their precious time to help keep our beaches safe over the swimming season,” he said.
“These awards are a great way of bringing our amazing Surf Life Saving volunteers together to celebrate them and everything they do to keep us safe while we enjoy our beautiful beaches and other waterways.”
Surf Life Saving NSW President, Peter Agnew AM congratulated all winners on the night, and highlighted his pride at the wide representation of finalists from across all Branches.
“Every year I am blown away by the calibre of candidates up for recognition at our Awards of Excellence; it’s a fantastic representation of how capable we are of providing a meaningful community service across the entire NSW coastline,” he said.
“I’m very proud to be leading a growing organisation that represents so many people who have no hesitation in giving up their time to protect the lives of others.”
Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby, Mackellar MP Dr. Sophie Scamps and Wakehurst MP Michael Regan all attended the gala and contributed in congratulating all the award winners
2025 AOE WINNERS
YOUTH
Youth Surf Lifesaver of the Year – Nic McGibbon (Bungan Beach SLSC)
Youth Volunteer of the Year – Alyssa Norris (Windang SLSC)
Youth Athlete of the Year – Kaitlin Rees (Swansea Belmont SLSC)
MEMBERSHIP
Innovation Award – Cultural Connections (South West Rocks SLSC)
Services Team of the Year – Magnificent Old Boys (Queenscliff SLSC)
Administrator of the Year – Vicki Thomas (South West Rocks SLSC)
EDUCATION
Trainer of the Year – Laura Barnett (Dixon Park SLSC)
Assessor of the Year – Paul Rayner (Tacking Point SLSC)
Facilitator of the Year – Josh Douglas (Kiama Downs SLSC)
Community Education Program of the Year – Blackspot Project: The Entrance Channel (North Entrance SLSC)
SURF SPORTS
Official of the Year – Robyn Carr (Bondi SBLSC)
Coach of the Year – Scott McCartney (Cudgen Headland SLSC)
Masters Athlete of the Year – Hayden Smith (Terrigal SLSC)
Surf Sports Team of the Year – Cudgen Headland U17 Male Taplin Relay
LIFESAVING
Lifeguard of the Year – Ruby O’Leary (Bega Valley Shire)
Patrol Captain of the Year – Julian Clarkson (Manly LSC)
Support Operations Member of the Year – Anthony Bellette (Batemans Bay SLSC)
Rescue of the Year – Dee Why SLSC (January 2025)
MAJOR
President’s Medal – Phil Carter (Maroubra SLSC)
Branch of the Year – Mid North Coast
Club of the Year – Port Macquarie SLSC
Athlete of the Year – Jemma Smith (Newport SLSC)
Volunteer of the Year – Adam Mills (Cudgen Headland SLSC)
Surf Lifesaver of the Year – Michael Russo (Fairy Meadow SLSC)
Report and photos by Surf Life Saving NSW
The Magnificent Old Blokes (Queenscliff SLSC)