by Rogers Sayers OAM, ABSLSC Life Member
Three Life Members, Geoff Searl OAM (Club Historian), Warren Young OAM (past President), and Roger Sayers OAM (Chair Heritage Committee), had the pleasure of hosting students from Year 2 (ages 8, 9) Maria Regina Primary School Avalon Beach on a school excursion to the Avalon Beach SLSC Surf Club in the first week of June.
Geoff entertained the children with a slide show featuring historical photos of the early years of the Club, this being its 100th year, its first Bronze Medallion squad, rescue equipment then and now, including some scary photos of a giant squid in the rockpool - a prop for a movie called “The Beast”. Geoff pointed out the difference between old methods of surf rescue such as the belt and line, and the vast improvements made possible by the IRB and Warren Mitchell OAM at Avalon Beach SLSC.
Warren talked about surf safety, including showing the various Signage used to warn beachgoers of dangers (Rips, Flag location, Rocks etc), and also showed them the first aid room, radios, and the (always popular with children) shark alarm.
The visitors were able to get up close to an IRB, and Roger explained its various parts, innovations added by Warren Mitchell OAM, and how IRBs are used for surf rescues, comparing it to the Club's historic belt and line surf reel.
The children were encouraged to ask questions and were in turn asked questions by the three hosts.
Many of them already knew, as Nippers members, while other young students learnt answers to important questions such as:
- The safest place to swim at the beach? Between the red and yellow flags. If you go to a beach without the flags up then it’s not a safe place for you to swim because no one is there to help you if you get into trouble;
- What should you do if you’re caught in a rip? - Put your hand up and wave it to attract attention
Among their questions, and Information volunteered by them:
- Is the giant squid real?
- Is that rock out there the end of Australia?
- My dad’s got his bronze medallion and he’s a lifesaver and he’s 41!
June Reflections
Avalon Beach SLSC 's 100th Anniversary celebrations are continuing throughout this year.
Each month the club recalls significant events that have been part of its history.
June 1997
Damien Geyle received the Governor General's Commendation for Bravery, SLSA's Meritorious Bronze Medallion, and the Royal Humane Society's Silver Medal for the rescue of a boy in extremely dangerous conditions - the most rescue awards for a single rescue by any ABSLSC member. Total rescues and preventative actions were down for the season because of bad beach weather conditions, but this also created conditions requiring a number of outstanding rescues.
8-11 June 1998
Australian IRB Championships were hosted by Avalon Beach SLSC
75 surf clubs from around Australia and New Zealand and 700 lifesavers competed at our beach.
Club Life Member Warren Mitchell OAM attended and was welcomed by all for his outstanding innovation and role in the development of the IRB for surf rescues here at Avalon Beach SLSC - The Home of the IRB.
9-11 June 2000
75th Anniversary Weekend - Dinner, Get together, and Exhibition, all thoroughly enjoyed by all.
20 June 2019
Club announced NSW Community Club of the Year
In 2019, Avalon Beach Surf Life Saving Club was named the NSW Community Club of the Year by Sport NSW. The ABSLSC was recognised for its outstanding achievements in saving lives, fostering a strong community, and embracing diversity and equality. The club's mission is "to save lives, create great Australians, and build a better community," and their recent season showcased strong competition results, charity fundraising, and events that drew thousands of participants.
The ABSLSC's success is attributed to its focus on youth development, strong management, and the dedication of its members across various areas of the club. They are known for embracing the "one club, one movement" ideal and facilitating the transition between youth and senior members. The club's commitment to community engagement and their success in surf sports, including two Aussie Gold Medals, have further solidified their position as a top club in the state.
President Ash Cardiff accepted on behalf of the Club. Nice work Ash!
The citation stated:
''The ABSLSC core mission is ‘to save lives, create great Australians and build a better community.’ The recent season has seen outstanding competition results, charity fundraising and numerous events attracting thousands of participants to engage positively with the Surf Life Saving movement. The club embraces diversity, gender equity and equality, has a strong focus on its young members, and has seen robust growth both financially and in membership.''
Club President Ashley Cardiff said "Another great night. We were the only Surf Life Saving nominee to be successful on the night."
The Sport NSW Community Club of the Year Award makes it a fantastic trifecta year for Avalon Beach SLSC, having won both State and National SLSA Surf Life Saving Club of the Year earlier.
"That's going straight to the pool room!" Ash said.
June 1949: Avalon Beach full of Jam Melons
From the pages of the past:
Surf Full Of Melons
Hundreds of big jam melons that had been carried out to sea by the Hawkesbury River flood, were washed up in the surf at Avalon Beach yesterday.
Most of them were in sound condition despite their long journey- possibly 50 miles.
They were quickly snapped up by scores of local residents and visitors.
Mr. Ronald Hogg, who lives nearby, said that people went to the beach on foot and in cars and trucks, which they loaded with melons. Others staggered away with chaffbags full.
Apparently the melons had been swept by floodwaters from farms along the upper parts of the Hawkesbury. Surf Full Of Melons (1949, June 20 - Monday). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18119781
Avalon Beach circa 1949 - summertime
The Jam Melon is a now near impossible to find variety of melon that was commonplace in the 1930's, 40's, 50's and 60's. It was grown specifically for jam making and made popular by IXL who made a version that was very popular but discontinued in the 1980's.
The citron melon (Citrullus amarus), also called fodder melon, preserving melon, red-seeded citron, jam melon, stock melon, Kalahari melon or tsamma melon, is a relative of the watermelon. It is from the family Cucurbitaceae which consists of various squashes, melons, and gourds.
Native to arid landscapes of sub-Saharan Africa, it has been a wild source of nutrition and hydration for humans for an extraordinarily long time. Its fruit has a hard white flesh, rendering it less likely to be eaten raw in the modern era; more often it is pickled or used to make fruit preserves, and is used for cattle feed. It is especially useful for fruit preserves, because it has a high pectin content.
Avalon Beach, circa 1949 - painting by Herbert Badham (1899-1961)
Herbert Badham was born in 1899 in Watsons Bay, a suburb of Sydney, Australia to Herbert Lewis Badham (c. 1870 – 1937) and his wife Mary. He was one of five children in the family. He enlisted in the Australian Royal Navy in 1917 to serve in World War I. From 1925 to 1938, he studied painting at the Julian Ashton Art School, where he was tutored by Julian Ashton, George Washington Lambert and Henry Gibbons.
He was a realist painter, and focused on painting scenes of everyday life; "People in crowds, in the streets, in pubs, waiting, playing, watching others, travelling to and from work."
His work was exhibited at the Society of Artists from 1927 to his death. Later, in 1939, his first solo exhibition took place at the Grosvenor Gallery, Sydney. A review of the exhibition described a collection of portraits in pencil and a series of oils. Of particular note, the work Travellers was described as "bustling plebian." In a similar vein, another review praised Badham's ability to paint "aspects of Sydney life which few painters have the courage to tackle."
Badham taught painting at the East Sydney Technical College from 1938 to 1961. He published two books about Australian art, A Study of Australian Art, 1949, and A Gallery of Australian Art, 1954.
By April 1950 he was living at Darling Point Road, Darling Point. He married dressmaker Enid Wilson in Sydney in 1927. Their daughter, Chebi Badham, became an artist and animator.
Currently, two of his paintings are exhibited at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney. Another painting is found at the Art Gallery of Ballarat in Ballarat. Another painting is exhibited at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. The above painting changed hands in 2017 for almost $10000.00.