By Ron Lane
WHEN an organisation such as our Noosa Seahorse Nippers is founded and becomes successful, that is only the start.
For once this goal is achieved, to maintain the standard requires even more work and above all new ideas; and this is exactly what the Noosa people and their support teams have done.
Last Thursday at 6pm, Steve and Nicole Mawby, along with coach Tim Mandeville, met with some twenty parents at the Noosa club to brief them on a new concept that will be introduced into the Seahorse Nippers.
This is aimed at giving some of the more experienced and older members the opportunity to be integrated into the Noosa Nippers.
A highlight of the evening was when parents were handed photographic manuals that will play a major part in the visual training for the children.
When the personal coaching techniques were explained it showed that every aspect needed to make the integration a happy experience was indeed well covered.
To enable them to do so with confidence, at 6am on Friday, a swim and board clinic was held on Noosa’s Main Beach for these Nippers.
Under the supervision of coach Tim all went well.
Two mothers who were in attendance, Jo Debnam and Jackie Guthrie, said they were both very happy with the program and the coaching.
“Both of us are here for the pilot program,” Jo said, “and what they are doing now gives them a great opportunity to move into the mainstream Nippers.”
Once again our surf club Water Safety Patrols were kept busy.
On Saturday morning Sunshine Beach and Noosa provided Rescue Board and IRB Patrols to cover the swimmers taking part in the World Series Swims. These were conducted at Noosa’s Main Beach.
The roster saw Sunshine doing the Board and Noosa the IRB patrols.
The swims, of which there were four, were conducted over a distance of 1klm, 2klm, 3klm and 5klm. No incidents were reported by the patrols.
This is yet another example of the good working relationship between our two local clubs. Once again our clubs are working together to provide a community service.
Last weekend on Mooloolaba Beach, Round 2 of the Fastest Man on Sand was held and we saw a great performance from the Sunshine Beach competitors.
Their results are good news, for it has been many long seasons since Sunshine was strong on the beach. These results show signs of a real resurgence.
In the Girls Under 14s, Charlotte Crow won gold in the sprint; and the relay team consisting of Charlotte Crow, Megan Webber, Josie Webber and Audrey Holt won bronze.
In the Under 17 division, Kate Gleeson won two bronze medals, one in the sprint final and her second in the flags.
In the same division for Boys, Tom Baker won a bronze in the flags.
There were other great performances with team members finishing in fourth and fifth places. Well done to coach Pauline Gleeson; this is just the start.
Once again the silence of the evening for the Emergency Response Group has been shattered by a phone call. This time it was in response to a call out regarding a lost hang glider reported missing somewhere in the Rainbow Beach area.
Despite conducting search patterns from two rescue vehicles, along North Shore and into Rainbow areas from the early hours of Saturday evening through to 4am Sunday, there was no sign of the glider.
The search patterns were conducted by Chris Grandemange (team leader), Bryce and Keating Grandemange and Joe Cirillo.
Unfortunately, on Sunday morning, helicopter patrols found the person deceased, inland from the beach area.
