By RON LANE
ON Friday evening 24 June at the annual dinner and presentation of awards for the Noosa Heads Surf Life Saving Club, a major announcement and presentation was made. The announcement was that for the first time the Dave O’Donnell Memorial Trophy for the Patrol Captain of the Year was to be presented. The first reciperant of this very prestigious trophy was announced – and the award went to Trevor Lansdown.
It is a sad but true fact that in our everyday society we usually wait until a person or group of people are deceased, before we take the time to publicly acknowledge their outstanding contribution to the community or organisation in which they serve. So be it with Dave O’Donnell.
With the creation of this award, kindly donated by family friends Ron Otte and Lenore Grice, it is to be hoped that this lifesavers outstanding contribution to not only the Noosa club, but also to Tourism Noosa will become and remain part of our heritage.
Sadly, Dave, a former captain of the club, passed away in 2013 after a long battle with cancer. It was in 1992 that Dave and wife Debbie joined the club, and after surviving much ragging about being Kiwis, Dave settled down into was to be a very successful career.
Dave was born in Taranaki, New Zealand, in 1952 to parents Jack and Marjory – two people of Irish decent. Born into a farming family of eight, three brothers and five sisters, Dave by the age of 12, was out driving tractors on the family property.
Educated at the New Plymouth High School, Dave quickly made a name for himself as an athlete. As a result of his aggressive and determined attitude to competition he quickly earned the nickname of Bulldog.
On entering the workforce Dave was employed by Shell Oil Refinery as a computer controller working among the big tankers. Then in 1976 he left to join the Fire Department in Wellington, where he served as a fireman in the highly respected group known as the Blue Watch Team
It was back in ’69 that Dave met an attractive young lass named Debbie and their friendship blossomed. In the early ’60s, Dave had embarked on a career as an amateur boxer and by the time they became a couple he career was established and going well.
“At one time,” said Debbie, “I saw more of him at boxing tournaments than anywhere else.”
With regard to his boxing career the highlight came when 1967 he won the New Zealand Junior Welterweight Championship. Despite finishing the year with seven fights for seven wins, he rejected several offers to turn professional.
When you look at his family background in boxing, Dave’s career does not come as a surprise. His father Jack was a life-member of the N.Z. Boxing Council and his brother Peter was also a national champion. On retirement Dave became a boxing coach in the town of Oaukura and such was his success that kids came from all over to train under his expertise.
Then in ’89, Dave reluctantly agreed that he and Debbie had eventually seen the light and along with their young son Brendan came to Australia, eventually settling in Noosa. Then in ’92 he joined the Noosa Surf Club and for the next 12 years served as a patrolling member.
Dave passed his bronze in ’93, and along with other awards, obtained his IRB drivers certificate and eventually his IRB examiners in ’98.
It was this area that was to become the strong point of his career. It was on his insistence that examinations for all IRB personal be conducted at open beaches where the trainees would be exposed to big surf; thus ensuring that all that passed were of the highest caliber.
He once remarked: “Examination on open beaches will separate the men from the boys. This type of rescue work can be dangerous, so our crews have got to be the best”.
Dave also held office as club captain from ’97 till 2000, and following this 2000 till 2003 worked as club secretary. During this period he somehow found time to serve as a member of the Supporter Club Board of Directors, ’96 until ’98.
However the highlights of his career came in 1998 when he was named Sunshine Coast Club Captain of the Year. As if this was not enough, he then backed up in the same year to lead his club in being awarded the coveted Buhks-Wilks Trophy, as the club of the year for the Sunshine Coast.
To receive one of these awards was a great effort but to be awarded the double was extraordinary. Now 18 years on, this achievement is yet to be repeated in the Noosa club.
Quoting from the Branch Annual Report it stated, “It was because of Dave O’Donnells leadership and drive that Noosa won the Buhks-Wilks Trophy. Also during his time he introduced and enforced the patrol system known as the Extended Bathing Area. This was a system where by the red and yellow flags were, when sea conditions allowed, placed up to 150 to 200 mts apart not the usual 50”.
One of the reasons for the success of this system was the high standard of the IRB crews. With Extended Bathing these crews were on permanent patrol moving slowly out behind the bathing area, along the full length of the beach.
On one occasion during this period Noosa was hit with a spot inspection by officials from State Centre, Queensland’s governing body.
“This is the best patrolled beach we have seen this season; this is exactly what we are looking for,” the group leader said.
For Dave the timing could have not been better. The state was looking for a better system to upgrade the patrolling and extended bathing was being thoroughly investigated. However this method could only work on selected beaches, a method for which Noosa was ideal.
It had been suggested in some circles that we follow the American system of fully open beach, but because the Australian public had been raised on the bathing flag areas, this suggestion was quickly discarded.
Then in 2002 after 10 years of continual patrolling and leadership Dave was awarded his Long Service Badge, an award well deserved. During several discussions that I had with Dave in my capacity as club president, he agreed that the major factor in his success – without a doubt- was his New Zealand upbringing.
First was his life on the farm, where as a young lad he quickly learned to make decisions for himself, then following was his life in the Blue Watch Fire Brigade, plus his sporting career as a champion amateur fighter.
To succeed in these ventures four virtues were essential. First was a tough frame of mind, second an acceptance of strict discipline, third the ability to embrace good team work, and fourth and probably most important of all, club loyalty.
Then in the year 2002, Dave and Debbie shifted to Rainbow Beach where they were involved in successful business ventures. Dave also continued his life saving career by joining the Rainbow Beach Club, where he was eventually elected to the office of club president.
With the ever-increasing number of visitations to Noosa’s Main Beach and the outstanding patrol work of our IRB teams, one is constantly reminded of the outstanding contribution made by our past club mate, Dave “Bulldog” O’Donnell.
Definitely a man of Our People.
