By Steven McDonald, Helensburgh-Stanwell Park Surf Life Saving Club president
Congratulations to our U/14’s Member Codie Weber on being named the female Surf Life Saving Illawarra Junior Life Saver of the Year.
Helensburgh-Stanwell Park Surf Life Saving Club nominated three girls, Codie Weber, Malea Ross and Brianna Tauton, all of whom would have made excellent candidates for the award. The Surf Life Saving Illawarra Selection Committee reviewed the nominations and selected Codie to go to the interview stage.
Codie has been a member of the club for seven years and has progressed all the way through nippers to gaining her Surf Rescue Certificate (SRC) and is now patrolling Stanwell Park Beach with her father, Karl.
Along with gaining her SRC, she lists the highlight of her surf life saving involvement as attending the club’s 2020 U/13 and U/14 Leadership Camp. At the camp they gained valuable leadership skills, listened to some presentations from one of the Stanwell Park Lifeguards, Club Captain and Chief Training officer, as well as learning some of the history of the club. They also were involved in doing mock patrol setups and rescues, and an orienteering challenge around Stanwell Park and preparing their meal for the night. It was all about team building and bonding with their fellow club members.
Codie is inspired by the club’s Water Safety Team who are on the beach and in the water every Sunday morning for Nippers and during the week for training session, previous recipients of the Surf Life Saving Illawarra Junior Life Saver of the Year, and the club’s Patrol Members.
She would like to initiate a program that provides surf skills to new migrants and refugees. The program would have people come from Western Sydney to the beach and utilise the skills of senior life savers, Patrol Captains and the club Education Team to teach them basic surf skills. These include where to swim at the beach, the importance of the “Red & Yellow Flags”, identifying a rip and what to do if you are caught in a rip. Basically, everything that Codie has learnt during her time as a Nipper.
From here Codie goes to the SLSNSW Junior Life Saver of the Year Camp in April. There she will meet the winners from the 10 other branches in NSW, they will undergo a few days of leadership training and skills development, with the announcement of the NSW Junior Life Saver of the Year at the end of the camp.
Good luck, Codie.