By RON LANE
THE Australian Championships are over for another year and for our two local clubs Sunshine Beach and Noosa Heads the results have been outstanding.
Happy to relate the major achievements have been from our young brigade and both clubs came home with gold, silver and bronze to their credit.
Without a doubt, three of the blue-ribbon events have to be the Patrol Championship, Champion Life Saver and First Aid.
In the patrol competition, Sunshine Beach has achieved an outstanding result. Over the last 10 years, Sunshine has on five occasions entered this event and on each of the five won the gold. This we believe has never been achieved before. Through the years they have also won medals in the champion life saver.
In the champion life saver, under-19 Charlotte Webber won the gold for Noosa. This is the third time that this young lady has taken the gold, having won in the under-17 division two years ago and before that the under-15. During her first season as an under-17 she won silver.
In First Aid, the Noosa team of Sarah James and Sally Whytenburg came home with a silver medal in the under-15. Noosa’s record in First Aid is starting to become one of note.
As these three events are what lifesaving is all about it is easily to understand the excitement it creates in the clubs.
There have been lots of great performances from the members of both clubs and the medal tally speaks for itself. For Sunshine Beach it was eight gold, silver and bronze, and for Noosa it was seven of the same. The most pleasing fact is that medals were won in all events – surf swimming, ski, board iron man and surf teams. This shows great depth and speaks volumes for the future.
Among the medal winners, two of the youth competitors have really made their presence felt. They are Mike Sloman of Sunshine and Cooper Williams of Noosa. Two young men showing a lot of promise.
But perhaps the most pleasing aspects of all is the fact that both clubs had many who made the finals – and to do this at the Australians speaks volumes for both the future and the coaching level in our clubs.
On Tuesday 19 May, our community will yet again have the opportunity to extend the hand of friendship to a group of very special visitors. Travelling under the sponsorship and guidance of Mates 4 Mates, 10 British and 10 Australian war veterans with varying injuries and illnesses will assemble at Noosa Springs Golf and Spar Resort for a day of golf.
The Mates 4 Mates is an organisation formed to assist servicemen in need, so by attending you would be supporting a truly worthy cause. With our country becoming more and more involved in conflicts and peacekeeping around the world it is only right that we should be prepared to show our support for those who go in harm’s way. Corporate and team packages are available. To register or obtain further information call the surf club on 5474 5688, or if you have an entry form completed email to lessurf@hotmail.com
Recently The Noosa Old Boys had the sad experience of saying farewell to one of their members Peter Muir. Peter was a patrolling bronze holder and also a highly respected member of the Jet Boat Rescue service. Gone but not forgotten.
This Anzac Day, Noosa Surf Club will have the honor of playing host to our local RSL club when they conduct the re-enactment of the Landing at Gallipoli on Noosa Main Beach, starting at 4.30am.
To all those who have served this great country – past, present and future – we say thank you and God bless.
