Supporting Lotteries Saves Lives

Resuscitation is a skill all Surf Lifesavers learn, so when the Southport Patrol was called to a suspected heart attack case in the surf on January 31, instincts and training kicked in.

A gentleman in his 60’s, who had been swimming with his family, was rescued just north of the flags.  He was found face down in the water and with no signs of life.  Surf Lifesavers, within thirty seconds of the rescue, initiated and continued CPR for twenty minutes until ambulance officers arrived.

Southport Patrol Captain Craig Jones said it was through the quick thinking and actions of his team that they were able to bring the man back to life.

“Each patrol member performed a role in the rescue, each patrol member showed initiative when it was needed and each patrol member when asked, went beyond what they thought they could do.

“The important thing is that our patient is a husband, father and granddad and he can still be those things to his family.”

The support you give by purchasing lottery tickets helps to ensure that there are trained Surf Lifesavers on the beach whenever they are needed.

Nipper Receives Two Medals for Bravery

Surf lifesaver Mitchell Lewis is no ordinary teenager. His exceptional act of bravery last year has been awarded with not one, but two awards including a Pride of Australia Medal and an Excellence in Surf Lifesaving award.

At 13 years old, Mitchell was too young to be classified as a fully fledged lifesaver, but that didn’t stop the courageous Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club nipper from rescuing two people from dangerous surf conditions last year.

It was late afternoon and Mitchell’s patrol was packing up for the day when two of the club’s members saw a group of swimmers caught in a strong rip. Club patrol captain Kenny Lloyd and chief instructor Scott Andrews each grabbed a rescue tube and swam out to assist but it soon became clear they would need help bringing the struggling swimmers safely back to shore.

Without hesitation, Mitchell grabbed a rescue board and paddled out to help one swimmer. Moments later, he was ordered back out to rescue a second man. Mitchell managed to pull the exhausted swimmer onto his rescue board and surf a wave into the beach.

The teen braved two metre swells to save the two adult men but Mitchell said he was only doing what anyone else would do in the same situation. “The adrenalin starts to rush and you don’t even think about what you’re doing, you just rely on your training,” he said.

CEO of Surf Life Saving Queensland Tony Scanlan praised Mitchell’s courageous efforts. “For a youngster of 13 to go into the water and save somebody is just phenomenal,” he commended.

Mitchell credits his Surf Life Saving Club’s nipper program for teaching him the vital lifesaving skills and courage he needed to save the lives of two men. Of course, the training and rescue equipment that Mitchell and many other volunteer lifesavers call upon each year comes with a big price. If not for our community supporters, who generously donate to the Surf Life Saving Foundation, we could not cover the cost associated with training l

Nipper Saves Seizure Victim - Her own mother

Four years of Nipper training proved a real lifesaver for a school girl from Port Douglas, QLD.

Baylie Fletcher is just 11-years-old and recently saved her mother from further injury following a seizure. The courageous girl found her mother Tracey, 38, unconscious and face down in the family home. Tracey, who had no previous history of seizures, had smashed her eye socket and cheekbone after collapsing on a tile floor.

The blood streaming from her mouth and nose could have obstructed Tracey’s airways. But because Bailey is enrolled in the Port Douglas Surf Life Saving Nipper program and has often watched the first aid training of older surf lifesavers, she knew exactly what to do to save her mother’s life.

Baylie began by rolling her mother into the recovery position. After checking for a pulse, she started administering CPR and then called an ambulance. QLD Ambulance and Mossman area director Warren Martin praised Baylie’s quick thinking, “She’s done an excellent job. It appears her training has come to fruition in a real event.”

Of course Baylie’s mum couldn’t be more grateful. “I’m so overwhelmed and proud about what she did and how coordinated she was,” Tracey Fletcher says.

Baylie’s family and the team at Surf Life Saving aren’t the only ones who are proud. You should be too. Your support helps to provide First Aid and surf safety training to up-and-coming Nippers like Baylie. Thank you!

International Star Saved

Teenage volunteer surf lifesaver, Sam Doonan, will never forget the day of his first lifesaving rescue. For Sam and his brother Joe, Sunday, October 21 was supposed to be a day for a leisurely swim at Kings Beach, Caloundra QLD but this shortly turned into a dramatic surf rescue.

For New Orleans singer/songwriter Jon Cleary, his plan for this Sunday morning was also a swim at Kings Beach, before performing as a major act at the Caloundra Music Festival later that night. However, Jon’s enjoyable swim at the beach turned into fear when he became caught in a major rip.

It wasn’t too long until the force of the rip became too much & the exhausted swimmer had gone under the water twice. Luckily, Sam Doonan, an off duty lifesaver with Metropolitan Caloundra SLSC spotted Jon signalling for desperate help and quickly came to the rescue on his surf board, towing him safely to shore. Little did Sam know, he had just rescued a famous patient, and was equally just as happy to have saved a life!

“I didn’t have a clue. He was just another bloke out there,” Sam said. “It was really special. It was worth it, definitely.” Sam’s rescue skills, acquired through his lifesaver training, paid off on this Sunday.“My dad wanted me to get into surf lifesaving because he wanted me to get a better understanding of the surf,” he said.

And thanks to Sam’s quick actions, Mr Cleary was given oxygen by fellow patrolling lifesavers before being taken to Caloundra Hospital. The famous blues singer described the experience of getting caught in a rip as terribly frightening.“I started swimming back and I realised as hard as I was swimming, I wasn’t getting anywhere,” Mr Cleary said.

Luckily, Jon recovered from his near drowning experience and went ahead with his performance on the Sunday evening where he payed tribute to his rescuer. Ironically, Metropolitan Caloundra SLSC was a major beneficiary from the performance.

Nippers to the Rescue

On beaches throughout the country, thousands of lifesaving rescues have been performed by lifesavers and even a group of nippers from Tallebudgera Beach, Queensland have got in on the action.

In late February, a man and two boys were close to drowning when a group of nippers in the midst of training were alerted and came to their rescue.

The team of nippers instinctively jumped on their rescue boards and paddled into the surf to bring the man and two boys safely back to shore.

One of the nippers, Rebecca Micallef, 13, said there had been no time to think, she just acted immediately. “There were three people in the surf who were in trouble and we just got on our boards and started paddling out there,” she said.

In addition to Rebecca, nippers Daniel Walker and David King, both 12, took turns in towing the man back safely to shore.

“He was hanging on to the back and me and Dave paddled him back in,” said Daniel.

The successful rescue caused a great sensation among the group. The rescue was the first for these courageous youngsters and all were thrilled they could put their training into a real-life situation.

“It was pretty exciting being able to rescue someone,” said Rebecca. “I’m in nippers because I love the beach and I want to help save lives.”

Renee's "Verry Brave" Lifesavers

“I was trying to swim back and I couldn’t get back in; I was being taken out so fast. It was really scary. I couldn’t see Michael and Chelsea. I thought they had drowned.”– Renee, 8 years

Renee’s vivid recollection of what happened to her and her brother and sister might make you shudder to think about, but consider how lucky she is to be remembering anything at all.

Holidaying from Melbourne on a scorching Queensland summer’s day on Sunday 7 January at Surfer’s Paradise, the three Cottonaro children– Renee, and 9 year olds Chelsea and Matthew – raced to the ocean the moment they arrived at the beach with their family.

Renee, Chelsea and Matthew are active nippers with the Brighton Surf Life Saving Club and live opposite the beach in Melbourne, so are experienced swimmers for their ages. The eager children had only been in the water for a few minutes when the strong surf conditions suddenly and unexpectedly turned dangerous.

A flash rip formed just outside the flagged area and dragged the three siblings out to sea, leaving their parents watching helplessly from shore. In seconds, the patrolling lifesavers on duty spotted the children, assessed the situation and with swift action brought the children back to the arms of their parents. The Cottonaro children donated their pocket money to Surf Life Saving and sent a hand made thank you letter to the team that saved their lives.

Rookie Lifesaver Turned Hero

Someone cried, “can anyone do CPR?” Just hours before, 48 year old Barry Giles finished his Bronze Medallion, qualifying him as a volunteer surf lifesaver. Barry, his wife Caroline and other members of the Sunshine Beach Surf Life Saving Club were training off duty last November when they heard the urgent plea from the waters edge.

A boogie board rider was dragging young Filipino student John Santiago from the surf as Barry rushed toward them. Kneeling over John’s lifeless body, Barry found no sign of a pulse or breathing. His recent training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was fresh on his mind as Barry realised that this was a life and death test of his skills. Barry and fellow lifesaver Robyn Jenkinson immediately started CPR at the new compression rates of 30 compressions to two breaths.

After two or three agonizing minutes, Barry felt a faint pulse. John began spluttering – he was breathing again! As Barry and Robyn worked on John, Caroline was racing to the scene with an oxy viva kit while Robyn’s husband Paul was collecting the rescue vehicle in case John had to be moved quickly. The paramedics arrived, administered oxygen to John and transferred him to ICU where, thanks to Barry, Caroline and their friends, he made a complete recovery.

Barry – this rookie lifesaver turned hero – couldn’t even swim when he moved from the UK to Australia 16 years ago. The swimming component was the toughest part of the Bronze Medallion certification process for him. Clearly, he is up to the challenge of being a lifesaver.

Today, Barry and Caroline Giles say that Surf Life Saving is the best thing that’s happened to them since moving from Brisbane to Noosa 3 years ago. They love the new lifestyle it has opened up for them and they only wish they could have been involved at an earlier age. Barry and Caroline were thrilled to receive a Christmas card from John with a note of thanks from his parents.