By Ron Lane
As we earlier stated it has been a happy and safe festive season; good weather plenty of sun and safe surfing on all our three beaches. However there is one thing that should be noted regarding visits to our beaches; that is cameras.
When one pays a visit to our beautiful beaches, alone, or with family or friends, it is only natural that some will want to take photos; particularly of our beautiful scenery. If by chance you are alone and have a big camera hanging around your neck it would be a nice courtesy to take a moment and introduce yourself to the duty lifesavers or lifeguards.
Letting them know your purpose and your actions will be appreciated. Show respect to all and appreciate their privacy and in particular when visiting Noosa, where public showers are located just behind the beach and young families are bathing little ones.
Please enjoy the beauty of our beaches but above all, respect the privacy of other people and in particular our young families.
Last weekend was a very busy time for our competitors. Down south there were the annual Australia Day carnivals at Manly and Freshwater and in our own back yard the big one at Maroochydore.
At Sydney beaches the Noosa boat crews performed well. At Manly the two u/19 girls crews the Drongues and the Scrub Turkeys made the final with the Drongues finished second and the Scrub Turkeys fifth. The u/19 boys made the semifinals.
At Freshie the two girls crews tied for second place and the boys finished fifth in the finals after fouling on the turning cans. Both sweeps Mick Gardner and Dave Tomba agreed they were very happy with the results and are looking forward to the titles.
Over the last couple of seasons Mother Nature has not been very kind and Noosa has been getting less surf. Therefor it is absolutely imperative that our young lifesavers travel to open beaches for the experience of competing in big seas. This is an invaluable part of their ongoing training.
Last weekend Noosa and Sunshine travelled to Maroochydore for their annual Murphy Homes Maroochydore Classic and in big surf the performance of their lifesavers was outstanding.
For Noosa the highlight was Lana Rogers winning the Open Iron Woman in big surf, a win that will no doubt do wonders for her self-confidence; and 3rd in the open swim was a major plus. Another highlight was Noosas win in the women’s Open Taplin Relay. Their dominance in this event this season will be a major boost for both the state and national titles. Another highlight for Noosa was their second in the open mens surf team. “All our teams u/15, 17 and 19 boys and girls did exceptional well,” said Coach Mercer.
Sunshines performance was similar. Outstanding was Ruby Nolan first in the u/17 Iron Woman and surf race. A first in the u/17 girls Taplin was really outstanding and in the u/15 boys iron man a second place was well deserved. Great weekend for the youth of both clubs: well done to our coaches, Darren Mercer Noosa and Josh Minogue Sunshine.
