THE Tea Gardens Hawks Nest Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) held its night of nights at the surf club on Saturday 10 May, celebrating another successful season of keeping Hawks Nest’s main attraction safe.
More than 110 members and family, several of whom hail from the inland towns of Dungog, Maitland and beyond, were joined by special guests including MidCoast Mayor Claire Pontin and Port Stephens MP Kate Washington.
The event began with a dramatically-scored video of past endeavours by patrol members and Nippers, compiled from video and drone footage of the season, before President Rebecca Curtis kicked off the rundown of the year.
“We have had a really big year, with lots of ambulance calls and some serious incidents,” Rebecca said.
“It is a credit to all here… the level of professionalism, the mentoring and helping out. All have gone above and beyond.”
Community engagement for the past season was also celebrated, with Secretary Kerrie Moore elaborating on several generous donations from local organisations.
Palm Lake Resort (Tea Gardens) residents, Motorfest and Boomerang Bags made donations to keep programs running, while over $8000 was raised from the recent Easter pig races at Tea Gardens Country Club.
St Andrews Church has also pledged funds to support the Nippers program in 2026.
“Our ‘pie cart’ and gear shed got a lot of upgrades, Nippers grew and grew, and the volunteer-run bar got its cool-room installed, finally!” announced the club’s Amanda Osmond.
“We cannot thank David Lau enough, who tirelessly kept the MobiMats usable almost everyday,” she said of the club’s accessible beach access mats.
“It is so beautiful to see the smiles on those who could not access the beach now able to get there.”
On the sand, the season saw three local nominations for Rescue of the Month at Hunter Surf Life Saving, with a spectacular win over 129 other clubs in December 2024.
Strong partnerships were fostered with Merewether SLSC, and more than 1500 preventative actions were undertaken this season.
“We saw more than 32,000 visitors to Bennetts Beach this season, a 50 percent jump on last season, with 400-plus rips recorded, and 112 first aid calls, three times more than last year,” Club Captain Wayne Bower announced.
The UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) program also reported strong statistics.
A total of 563 flights were undertaken over 10 weeks, spotting flocks of sting rays, fish and dolphins, endangered turtles, and 16 shark sightings, half of which led to beach closures.
Saturday’s main awards presentation saw several Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB), Bronze Medallion and Silver Medallion certifications given out, as well as awards for members who completed 100 percent of patrol service during the season.
Award winners:
Life Saver of the Year: Luke Rochester;
Jnr Life Saver of the Year: Anna Fortunaso;
Patrol Person of the Year: Craig Shelton;
Outstanding Service: David Lau;
Rookies of the Year: Trisha Oswald and Elisha Whitburn;
Club Person of the Year: Amanda Osmond;
Rose Dunlop Award: Shannon Keighran;
Jnr President’s Award: Jack Alterator;
President’s Award: Debbie Booth.
By Thomas O’KEEFE
