Sunset Beach LGS - 2016 AGM

The Sunset Beach Lifeguard Service held it’s 57th AGM on Sunday 7th August at the Sunset Beach LGS Club Rooms.

The meeting was well attended by current members, life members and the Waikato District Council Mayor, Allan Sanson.  Malcolm Beattie OBE, president of Sunset Beach LGS, chaired the meeting and was voted in as President for the 2016 – 2017 season.

Malcolm Beattie was proud to report on a very successful season 2015/16 with high standards that ensure the community and wider general public have a safe ocean experience at Sunset Beach.

• For 6 consecutive years we recorded 100% efficiency audits for patrolling standards. Lifeguards completed 12 rescues, 18 First Aids, 25 Searches and 2,040 preventative Actions outside the flagged area involving 7,513 persons.  Lifeguards worked 4,746 hours during the 2015-2016 season.
• Our IRB competitors had an outstanding season winning Northern and National titles.  Sunset Beach is now recognised throughout New Zealand as a leader in the field of IRB racing and rescue operations.
• Sunset Beach U19 Men’s Surf Boat Rowers continue to impress coming top in the NZ Surf Boat Series and Representing Northern Region in the NZ Surf Boat Challenge.
• The club has completed a feasibility study for a proposed new building project.  Plans have been approved for new club rooms.  We will now move to stage two which includes a wider ranging feasibility study, engineering reports and consultancy with the Port Waikato community. 

Sunset Beach LGS moves Tower

Prominent for the lifeguards and the community this week was the moving of the Lifeguard communications tower to the rear of the carpark next to our club rooms.  It has only taken 1 year since the tower was moved from it’s previous position.  As per the Waikato Regional Council’s directive, the decision is to retreat.  Storms over the last two months have caused major damage to the front of Sunset Beach and around main access areas, causing the total loss of the bottom car park. 

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2016 Aussie Champs

Australian IRB Championships 2016 – Mollymook Beach Australia

Sunset Beach Lifeguard Service had 3 teams head to Mollymook Beach, Australia to compete in the Australian IRB Chammpionships 2016.

Competition started on Friday 22nd July at 11.30 after the Interstate competition and then all day Saturday and Sunday.

Teams – Shane and Mark Edwards (Open Men’s), Lewis Powell and Hogan Shrimpton (Open Men’s), Taylor Shrimpton and Izzy lempriere (Open Women’s). Lola Key (patient)

Competing in events:
Open Men (133 crews entered) 16 x Heats, 2nd round heats, ¼ finals, semi finals, finals – 9 lanes per heat, 4 go through to next round
1. Tube Rescue Mass Rescue
2. Surf Rescue
3. Mass Rescue
4. Male Teams Rescue

Open Women (75 crews entered)
1. Tube Rescue
2. Mass Rescue
3. Surf Rescue

Best Results for Sunset:   Taylor and Izzy 7th place out of 9 in final of Women's Mass rescue. Well done team.  Shane, Mark, Lewis and Hogan 5th in semi final of Open Teams Race.  Did not progress to final.  Great results and experience.

Sunset Beach wins 6 Awards at the Northern Region Surf Lifesaving Awards of Excellence

The Northern Region Surf Lifesaving Awards of Excellence were held last night 25th June at Shed 10, Auckland.  The event was well attended by 20 lifeguards from Sunset Beach and MC’d by Malcolm Beattie.

The night rolled on with many well deserving lifesavers, competitors, surf clubs, volunteers and officials recognised for their outstanding contributions and dedication to Surf Lifesaving.

Sunset Beach was nominated for 5 awards, Winners of Northern Region IRB Competition Title and 4 Service Awards.  We were not disappointed, winning the nominations:

Outstanding Contribution to Junior Surf – Joanne Hobson
Coach of the Year – Shane Edwards
Outstanding Contribution to Power Craft – Shane Edwards
Competition Team of the Year – Womens IRB Racing team and National Champions – Taylor Shrimpton, Robbie Shrimpton and Robert Graham
Volunteer of the Year – Joanne Hobson
Northern Region IRB Champions – Sunset Beach

Service Awards: Warren Edwards, Terry Wyllie, Joanne Hobson, Shane Edward. What an outstanding result for a very successful year for Sunset Beach Lifeguard Service.  Well done to the award recipients and the support behind them!

Check out photos of the awards night on our facebook page
 

2016 Waikato District Youth Awards - Shane Edwards Wins the Kia Kaha Award

Sunset Beach lifegaurds attended the Annual Waikato District Youth Awards for contribution to the Community for 12 - 24 year olds.

Shane Edwards and Robert Graham were Finalists for the Kia Kaha Award. 'Young People who have contributed in meaningful ways to their community'.

Shane Edwards was the winner of the Kia Kaha Award and Robert Graham a runner up. Congratulations to you both. Well deserved nominations and a huge asset to our community. Read Shane's Nomination below:

Shane Edwards joined our club in 2004 as a junior guard. He has risen through the ranks of our volunteer lifesaving club and in this time he has contributed significantly to the community of Port Waikato. He has trained a large number of local guards to become proficient as rescue boat crews and as patrolling members. This year alone he has trained two rescue boat (IRB) instructors and supervised the training of 15 crewmen and 15 drivers.

The community has benefited by his input as the beach is a safe place for the community family's to recreate over the summer period. He has been involved in a number of very high profile rescue missions and is a member of the Port Waikato region after hours patrol. All of this work is carried out voluntarily.

He sets a very high example for other lifeguards to follow and is held in high regards by the people of Port Waikato. He has been recognised by the Northern Region and the NZ Surf Lifesaving Association as a leader in his highly specialised area of life guarding expertise.

Link to photos on our facebook page...

Robert has been nominated by the Onewhero Area School for his contributions as a Year 12 sports leader at Onewhero Area School, member of the sunset beach surf lifesaving club at Port Waikato and coach of the Onewhero Area School Basketball Team.