Scarborough Wombarra Surf Life Saving Club is a small club building a reputation for welcoming everyone.
In 2022, the club fielded its first all-female patrol. Last season, it was among the first clubs to put a hand up to receive a Pride Surf Rescue Board. Now this Sunday, December 10, in conjunction with Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra (MCCI), Scarborough Wombarra will hold an information session for migrants interested in learning about their nippers’ program.
Peter Rafferty, who manages member services, said surf lifesaving can sometimes be seen as elitist. “But at our club it's not like that.
“We've got members, including me, who are actively interested in promoting inclusion amongst disadvantaged people or disabled people, gay people, refugees, asylum seekers, [people with] English as a second language, to try to include them in the community of surf lifesaving.
“[It’ll] let them realise that the surf lifesavers are all dads, mums and daughters, and sons and grandpas, and they're there to be talked to, to come up and say hello ... so it's just one way of making the whole surf scene more inclusive, I think.
"Let them enjoy the camaraderie and the community feel of surf lifesaving."
Peter recognises the importance of teaching those who may not have grown up by the coast about beach safety.
Recently he was recognised by the NSW Parliament for the free learn-to-swim and beach safety program he's offered to refugees, asylum seekers and new arrivals to the Illawarra over the past three summers, with lessons held several times a week at Corrimal and Woonona ocean pools.
Peter sees linking the learn-to-swim program with the beach safety education provided at surf lifesaving clubs as a natural progression.
“I was teaching asylum seekers and refugees to drive in the L2P program that SCARF ran in Wollongong, and most of the people I was teaching to drive, just in conversation, I realised that none of them could swim, and none of them were confident about swimming between the flags,” he said.
“I used to teach learn-to-swim when I was a teenager and in my early twenties… so I thought I’d go and get my old swim licence, and I'm a surf lifesaver at Scarborough Wombarra – I've been doing that for a few years now, so I've got the Bronze Medallion, Working with Children Check, Advanced Resus – and part of working with a surf club is that there’s a lot of knowledge gained about recognising surf conditions, and so I thought I can do beach safety and learn-to-swim all in one.
“The people at MCCI are very receptive to me doing the swimming because they see it as a massive issue [for people] moving into the area, or some of the people have been in the area for a long time.”
A few months ago, the surf club committee discussed how to include people who spoke English as a second language and came up with the idea to hold a multicultural nippers day.
"So I put the wheels into motion and it's happening on the 10th,” Peter said.
More than 50 people are expected to attend on Sunday, travelling to Scarborough Beach from Wollongong on buses provided by MCCI, helped along by funds Peter has raised.
From 10am, there’ll be IRB, board and tube rescue demonstrations, tips on spotting rips, trips along the beach on a quad bike and buggy, and a chance to take a dip in the surf if the conditions are favourable. A free lunch will be provided.
“[It’s] basically for the knowledge – to learn what surf lifesaving is, who the people are, how it works,” Peter said.
“I just think it's really good for people who've come here by whatever means to feel welcome, to feel part of the community, to feel that there are people in the community – and the vast majority of people in Australia – they're inclusive, they want to help.
“We might end up [with] some of these kids going from nippers to getting their Bronzes and becoming surf lifesavers, which would be the end result. If that happened, it would be awesome.”