by Ron Lane
FOLLOWING their good form in the Australia Day Weekend surf carnivals in Sydney, the Noosa masters, reserve grade and under-23 boat crews will this Saturday contest the final round of the Navy Series.
This carnival will also be the final hit-out for boat crews before officials announce the crews to represent Queensland in the coming interstate series. We wish them well.
With the school holidays now over, the Nippers are back on the beaches and progress this season has been good. With the Noosa and Peregian Nippers working in close harmony, a total of some 610 little people are now congregating on our two beaches.
This is their best membership ever. It just goes to show a lot of people must be doing something right. Keeping up the momentum, our under-8s and under-10s, will travel to Redcliffe to contest the branch championships and the following weekend they will be at Dickey Beach to take part in the state titles. Sunshine Beach is also expected to once again field a strong team.
With all our local Nipper clubs now in a strong position regarding membership, the future of life saving in the Noosa area certainly looks solid. While thinking of our future, good to see that the state-wide conference Have Your Say has been set down for 12 to 14 August at Twin Waters.
The importance of these get-togethers cannot be emphasized enough as it keeps all clubs fully informed on latest developments, but most important of all, as the name says, it gives our clubbies the opportunity to stand up and have their say. In all rescue organisations this is absolutely vital.
On the weekend, our competitors were in action at a carnival at Maroochydore. With teams coming from the Sunshine and Gold Coast clubs, the competition was first class.
For Noosa, the boys did well in the blue ribbon event the Taplin with the Open team finishing third and the under-17s winning.
In the swims, Cooper Williams continued to perform well by winning the under-17 surf race. In the ladies iron woman, Noosa girls Jordan Mercer and Kirsty Higgison had to settle for the two minor placings when Northcliffs Harriet Brown put in a great performance to finish in first place.
Once again the Sunshine Beach team has shown incredible strength in their junior divisions; the under-14s, under-15s and under-19s. In the boys events they came home with medals in the board, iron man, swim, and team events. For the girls it was the same. Could be a big year for both Noosa and Sunshine juniors at the national titles.
On Friday night at the annual Sunshine Coast 2015 Sportstar of the Year Awards, retired dual Rugby League and Rugby Union International Michael O’Connor was named as one of this year’s Legends of Sport.
In his acceptance speech, O’Connor added his weight to the ever-increasing number of sportsmen and women who are speaking out loud and clear in support of the One Punch Can Kill Campaign. When during his speech he made the remark “it’s cowardly”, he was spot on.
Now I am proud to announce that all of us in the Sunshine Coast Surf Lifesaving movement are also raising our voices in protest. During last weekend’s s carnival at Maroochydore the program was stopped, and several hundred competitors raised their hands, on which were written a message to stop this violence.
President of the Noosa Club David James and Sunshine Beach Club captain Scott Summers have added their support.
“This has got to be stopped,” Summers said. “It is just not on.”
Now, from the powers that be, no more talking we want action.
That young Mr Miller was one of ours.
