By RON LANE
GOOD Easter crowds, and all well behaved. It is interesting to note that despite the large increase in visitation to our three beaches our red and yellow armies are still coping – beach patrols and courtesy IRB patrols are doing a great job.
With crowds on the increase, so too unfortunately is the number of spinal injuries being treated.
As this is one of the worst possible injuries that can occur at our beach. Patrol captains from all our beaches are calling on beach-goers to take care regarding sea conditions and always remember the golden rule – it doesn’t have to be big surf to be dangerous.
On Friday morning life savers attended to a man in his mid-seventies seen laying on the middle of Noosas second beach – an unpatrolled area. On arrival there was no breathing no pulse and the patient was unconscious. Life savers immediately commenced normal procedure and paramedics were notified.
Life savers continued CPR until they arrived, then both teams worked in conjunction until paramedics decided that his removal to hospital was possible. Apart from this incident, two suspected spinal injuries were attended to and two dislocated shoulders were also treated.
On Saturday morning 2 April, at 9am, the Noosa Seahorses Nippers will again get under way at Noosa’s Main Beach. For new arrivals in our community, this is the Nipper club that caters for our young children with special needs. People wanting more information are cordially invited to be at the Noosa clubhouse, about 8.30am on Saturday.
Three weeks ago the organisers of the Noosa Seahorses Nippers travelled to the Alexandra Headlands club to help conduct their first ever Seahorse program.
Happy to relate the morning was a complete success and the following Saturday morning another program was conducted and all indications are that the Alex club is now up and running.
The Alex club is now in the process of drawing up a calendar for future events and also their own program.
It has also been decided that at a date to be set Alex will visit Noosa for the purpose of a joint carnival. This is definitely a step in the right direction and can only serve to strengthen the Seahorse concept on the Sunshine Coast.
For Noosa the dates for the rest of April are the 9, 23 and 30. The break between 9 April and 23 April comes about because the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships, during that period, will be held on the Sunshine Coast.
With so much on the drawing board regarding the future of the Seahorse Nippers, the good news is that the organisers are in the process of planning a combined Think Tank between clubs from Queensland and NSW. Key administrators from both state governing bodies will be in attendance.
A possible date of 30 April, from noon to 4pm, is being considered – the conference centre will be the committee room of the Surf Club.
Some years ago when the Noosa senior club was contemplating the move from the world of chook raffles into big business, a similar conference was organised and held – it was a great success. This is good planning for a worthy cause. Let’s all work together and give whatever support we can.
This weekend a combined bronze squad made up of bronzies from Sunshine and Noosa will graduate and be presented with their first patrol caps.
Regarding these joint training programs Sunshine Beach club captain Scott Summers said: “This is a fantastic concept with our two clubs training together and getting to know each other. Congratulations to all the trainers; they do a great job. Let’s keep it going”.
