2025/2026 Annual Report 

In what was a huge year for the club as we embarked on the challenge of constructing a new, purpose-built clubhouse, we maintained our presence on the beach, once again providing an outstanding community service.

Despite operating out of shipping containers, the quality and effectiveness of our programs was never in doubt. Our volunteer life savers performed more than 1,400 preventative actions along with many other community service acts, 130 nippers attended our nine-week program, our training team delivered 13 courses and more than 400 swimmers entered our annual swim.

Another fantastic initiative this year was the expansion of our youth development program. This program continues to grow and it's lovely to see young members who have been through nippers now stepping up to become coaches and mentors to our newest members.

We started 2026 with a membership drive to encourage social membership of the club and with that came the implementation of a new membership system. I'd like to welcome all the new club members and thank them for their support. It has been a leap of faith as we haven't had a facility, and we very much appreciate that.

And of course, this year the focus has been on our 'big build'.

After pulling down the old clubhouse late last year, we've enjoyed watching our new facility rise from out of the sand. It's been great to watch the progress and with the roof now almost complete, it finally feels tangible.

Our patrollers and nippers did a fantastic job operating out of the shipping containers and mobile first aid hut, so much so that we barely missed the old facility. That said, we are very much looking forward to welcoming members to join us in our new premises later this year.

Sponsors and donors

I'd like to thank all our sponsors and donors that have supported us over the past years, without whom we wouldn't have been able to take on the construction of the clubrooms.

This past year was the first year of a three-year sponsorship arrangement with TLC Healthcare and I'd like to especially acknowledge and thank Lou Pascuzzi and his team for their support. They have not only provided funding to assist us to deliver our fantastic programs but have been a visible presence at many of our activities — and we've enjoyed spending time with them.

Our 21st annual Bay Swim this year, sponsored by TLC, was again a great success. This swim is delivered by a small team of members who put a great deal of time and effort into ensuring the event runs smoothly and supports the club.

It's an event the whole club gets involved in as members volunteer for a range of activities from water-based safety to registrations and merchandising. This year the event catered for more than 400 entrants across four swimming distances.

Awards and recognition

Each year we hold an end-of-season function where we recognise the actions of our volunteer members. A number of merit-based awards are given out and, once again this year, it was difficult to choose one member over another. However, after much discussion the following awards were made:

• Best First Year Patroller: Harry Atkinson
• Best Patroller: Cam Brown
• Best Patrol — The Cranks: Howard Draper (C), Bruce Grayling (VC), Stefan Bagg (VC), Duncan Stirling, Marc Clavin, Gerry Lute, Ro Moore, Abby Stirling, Robbie Davies, John McSwiney
• Daniel Bradshaw Award: Keenan Lord
• Best Club Member: Andrew Atkinson
• Most Patrol Hours: Jeff Feldman
• President's Award: Kelly Sharples

In addition to the club-based awards we also had a number of club members who received LSV recognition.

Andrew Atkinson was nominated and selected as a finalist for the LSV Graeme Long Memorial Award. The Graeme Long Memorial Medal Award (Volunteer of the Year) recognises an individual's volunteer contribution which has significantly benefited their club or has enhanced the development of LSV's purpose and values throughout the past year. At the time of writing this report, the winner had not yet been announced.

A huge congratulations to Jeff Feldman and Peter McDonell on receiving the Emergency Management Capability and Response Award under the Valuing Volunteers program. This award recognises the vital frontline, training, and welfare contributions made by Life Saving Victoria (LSV) volunteers — and it's a powerful reminder of what strong volunteer capability looks like in action.

Congratulations to all nominees and award winners.

Finally, I'd like to thank this year's outgoing committee for the support and work they have generously donated to the club. It's been a challenging year as we prepare for the next phase of the club, but I feel we've put our best foot forward and I'm excited to see what the next year holds for us. It will be a big year as we open the new clubrooms and start to implement an expanded membership offering, but I feel we're ready to meet that challenge head-on.

I'd also like to thank our Admin Officer, Anna Jennings, for the support she has provided to myself and the committee, particularly in the membership space.

Please enjoy this annual report and I look forward to seeing you all on the beach or at the new clubrooms in the near future.

Jane Wright President, Sorrento SLSC

Throughout the year, the club delivered and supported a broad range of training programs resulting in 71 member qualifications across 73 course enrolments. In total we delivered 13 courses, supporting our candidates to achieve the following qualifications:

• 14 Surf Rescue Certificates
• 10 Bronze Medallions
• 15 Advanced Resuscitation Techniques and First Aid qualifications
• 8 Inflatable Rescue Boat Crew awards
• 6 Silver Medallion Patrol Captain qualifications

Multiple specialist awards were also achieved, including Pain Management, Gold Medallion, Silver Medallion Aquatic Rescue and Side-by-Side Vehicle Operations.

In addition, 46 members successfully completed annual Skills Maintenance requirements (from 17 skills maintenance sessions) across patrol, rescue, communications, IRB, aquatic rescue and advanced resuscitation, ensuring our operational readiness remains at the highest standard.

The club continues to benefit from a dedicated and highly capable Training, Assessment and Facilitation (TAF) team who collectively delivered training across lifesaving, first aid, patrol operations and emergency response disciplines. Their contribution has been instrumental in developing the next generation of lifesavers and maintaining operational capability within the club. We are very grateful to these volunteers for the many hours that they devote to this.

Operational capability development

During the season, training extended beyond traditional surf lifesaving activities to include a comprehensive multi-agency interoperability program involving:

• Ambulance Victoria (AV)
• Victoria Police (including Vic Water Police)
• Victorian State Emergency Service (SES)
• Southern Peninsula Rescue Squad
• Marine Search and Rescue partners (including EMV and MSAR)
• Life Saving Victoria assets and specialist rescue resources

This collaborative training initiative was developed in preparation for Exercise Warreeny, a large-scale operational exercise hosted at Sorrento Ocean Back Beach and Sorrento Foreshore. The key focus of the program was inter-agency communication and patient care, including the following scenarios:

• Initial situation interagency reporting, planning and execution
• Spinal immobilisation, anatomical splinting, pelvic support, patient movement and handover
• Patient search and rescue, including boat-to-boat transfer
• Rock entrapment, rescue and movement coordinating with inter-agency resources

The Exercise Warreeny program was established in response to the growing number of aquatic incidents occurring across the Mornington Peninsula, which has recorded the highest number of drowning fatalities in Victoria over the past decade. The exercise provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen coordinated emergency response arrangements for complex ocean and coastal rescue incidents. Key outcomes included:

• Improved interoperability between lifesaving, ambulance, police, SES and marine rescue agencies
• Enhanced understanding of patient transfer pathways from water rescue through to definitive medical care
• Validation of communication and coordination procedures during complex incidents
• Increased familiarity with unified command structures and multi-agency decision making
• Identification of future training opportunities to further strengthen regional emergency response capability

The club extends its sincere thanks to all of our volunteer trainers, assessors, facilitators and operational members who contributed their time and expertise throughout the season. We would also like to thank Ambulance Victoria, Victoria Police, Victorian State Emergency Service, Southern Peninsula Rescue Squad, Marine Search and Rescue partners, Life Saving Victoria and the Mornington Peninsula Shire for their support and participation in the Exercise Warreeny program.

Through continued collaboration, training and shared learning, Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club remains committed to providing a professional, capable and coordinated emergency response service for the Mornington Peninsula community.

Jeff Feldman Chief Instructor, Sorrento SLSC

The club's First Aid service has continued throughout the past year, according to Life Saving Victoria (LSV) requirements, despite vacating our old clubhouse in May 2025. Our First Aid and training equipment have been housed in our outlying building ("The Depot") and we have been operating adequately at the beach from a container which has also doubled as a patrollers' facility. Our equipment has been regularly monitored and reviewed to ensure that it has remained well-stocked, within date, fit for purpose and compliant with LSV regulations. Our annual pre-season LSV Gear Inspection was passed without issue.

I would particularly like to thank Gerry Lute, Duncan Stirling, Marc Clavin and Bruce Grayling for their assistance with setting up our temporary First Aid (and other) facilities, to enable us to continue functioning while our clubhouse project is underway.

We have again had wonderful support for our Nipper program from a highly qualified team of Nipper parents. The Nipper First Aid team has ensured that there was a strong and visible presence on the beach at every session throughout the Nipper season, and that the equipment appropriate to their needs was provided. We would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank the following for their contribution:

• Amy King
• Jav Greaves
• Ben Hallett
• Lia Hallett
• Chris Nickson
• Michelle Monaghan
• Juliana Ramirez Pelaez
• Luke West

Our club facilities and volunteers continue to be called upon and to make themselves available to Victorian Emergency Rescue services outside our patrolling hours and season. We thank the small group of volunteer club members who make themselves available as First Responders all year around, no matter what the weather and conditions, to assist with and support major search and rescue incidents in conjunction with other emergency services.

We are very much looking forward to moving out of our container and into our new First Aid Room and Training areas in November 2026 and are very excited at the prospect of operating from modern, state-of-the-art facilities in the forthcoming season and beyond.

Ro Moore First Aid Officer, Sorrento SLSC

Facilities

No appointment was made for this position in the 25/26 season. Our operational equipment has been well maintained to ensure that it is fit for purpose and compliant with Life Saving Victoria requirements. This includes our IRBs (Inflatable Rescue Boats) and their motors, SSVs (Side-By-Side Vehicles for use on the sand), the patrollers' Beach Equipment Trailer, rescue boards and other related equipment, and a suitably equipped maintenance shed. The ongoing monitoring, updating, maintenance and repair work of this equipment requires many hours of our volunteers' time, which is frequently called upon due to the challenging conditions our equipment has to endure.

We thank those club volunteers who have continued to assist with all that is required to maintain our rescue equipment and facilities throughout the year, with particular thanks to Gerry Lute.

This represents strong year-on-year growth over last season, with steady engagement from members, nipper families, youth members, and the broader Mornington Peninsula community.

Content focus and highlights

Most of our content is centred on the areas that consistently drive the strongest engagement and community connection:

• Nippers: training, Sunday updates, and on-the-beach moments
• Training and youth: including youth content
• Special patrols and club activity updates: timely posts that kept our community informed
• Social events and celebrations: bowls club catch-ups, awards, and club milestones
• On-the-beach fun: the moments that capture the spirit of our club and help build momentum

As the club continues to grow and rebuild, our socials are well placed to amplify that momentum and keep the community engaged.

Newsletter and member communications

In addition to social media, we produced several club newsletters across the season to ensure key updates reached members who don't regularly use social platforms: an October 2025 newsletter, a December 2025 newsletter, and a February–March 2026 newsletter. A monthly update has also now commenced.

Improvements and operations

We improved efficiency this season, but there is still room to improve consistency and reduce last-minute pressure. To support this, we have reviewed best-practice approaches within Adobe Express, which we plan to implement across committees, including:

• Batch producing content — planning and creating posts ahead of time
• Using templates to speed up production and improve consistency
• More structured scheduling so key updates are published reliably

These changes will help us maintain a consistent presence while making the workload more sustainable for volunteers.

Committee contribution and thanks

A special thank you to Celeste Robertson, who has been a tremendous asset to the committee this season. Celeste dedicated significant time to learning Adobe Express and supporting content creation and production. I truly could not have done it without her.

Thank you also to everyone who contributed photos, updates, and support throughout the season — your input is what makes our socials feel authentic and community-led.

Looking ahead

Next season, we aim to:

• Focus on the new clubhouse.
• Continue leveraging Nippers, training, and volunteer stories to build connections and encourage participation.
• Increase use of video(reels and stories) to highlight rebuild milestones, activities, and key moments.
• Strengthen collaboration with event and patrol groups for real-time posting during major events.
• Support targeted campaigns for recruitment and fundraising as opportunities arise.

Resourcing

To keep improving consistency and share the workload, it would be fantastic to have one additional capable volunteer with experience in Adobe Express — or willing to learn — to assist with scheduling and content production.

Thank you to all members, volunteers, and the wider communications team for your contributions and creativity across our social channels. Your efforts help Sorrento SLSC stay connected, grow, and continue delivering on what matters most: keeping our community safe on the coast.

Kelly Sharples Communications Co-ordinator, Sorrento SLSC

Tree surfing event

We had an excellent turnout at the beginning of the season, with approximately 20 youth members attending the Tree Surfing event. It was a fantastic mix of members, including many second and third-year participants as well as older age group members. The event created a great opportunity for the kids to bond and build stronger connections across age groups. Following the event, we also ran the Coaches Course, which allowed us to slightly expand our coaching numbers heading into the season.

Youth lunch

During the season, we held a Youth Lunch at All Smiles (Sorrento Back Beach), with around 20 members attending. This event attracted a different mix of participants compared to the Tree Surfing event, including a strong turnout from SRC members and several of our older U17 members.

Erin Doupe, our Club Captain, was invited to speak with the group and did an outstanding job discussing pathways and career opportunities within surf lifesaving. Her presentation was very engaging and well received by the members.

URBNSURF mid-year catch-up

We held our mid-year catch up at URBNSURF (near Melbourne Airport) in late June 2026. We had a decent turnout with 13 or 14 kids, including a number of really excited 13 year olds who are keen to start their SRC journey this coming season.

25/26 program overview

We have developed a fantastic group of young members who have bonded exceptionally well throughout the season. It has been great to see friendships form across different age groups, creating a positive and inclusive club culture.

The Nippers Coaching Program and Water Safety Program were both very well supported by our youth members, with strong participation numbers and no difficulty achieving the required coaching and water safety ratios.

The Sorrento Bay Swim saw an outstanding youth member turnout for Water Safety duties, with at least 15 youth members volunteering across the event. The Sorrento Club Championships also had an excellent youth turnout, with approximately 15 participants. This represented a significant increase on previous years, and it was particularly pleasing to see many families stay throughout the event to support and encourage competitors.

Youth participation on patrols was very strong throughout the summer holiday period, with a noticeable increase in young members actively contributing to patrol operations. While participation reduced later in the season as Melbourne-based members returned to school, this could potentially be improved in future seasons, particularly through stronger engagement with local schools.

2026/27 goals

• Deliver a full Surf Rescue Certificate (SRC) course. With approximately 19 eligible U13 Nippers transitioning into SRC, the priority is to retain as many of these members as possible. By promoting the SRC program through local schools and sporting clubs, the aim is to fill all remaining course places and maximise participation.
• Improve communication with members aged 13–18. Ensure all youth members are aware of the training, leadership, development, competition, patrol, and camp opportunities available throughout the season through consistent and engaging communication.
• Develop youth leadership. Encourage youth members to take on leadership roles within the Youth Group, creating a program that is increasingly led by young members, for young members, while developing confidence, responsibility, and lifelong leadership skills.
• Establish a youth hub within the new clubhouse. Create a welcoming and inclusive environment where youth members can connect, socialise, and build friendships throughout the summer patrol season, with the long-term vision of the clubhouse becoming a year-round space for young members.
• Transition Water Safety members into coaching roles. Support and encourage this season's Water Safety volunteers to become Nipper Coaches, strengthening the club's coaching pathway while retaining their knowledge, experience and enthusiasm within the program.
• Develop future coaching leaders. Empower several of the club's most experienced Nipper Coaches to plan and deliver this season's coach induction and development sessions, providing mentorship to both returning and new coaches while building leadership capacity within the coaching team.

We would like to thank Maesson Harbour and Seb Hales for their invaluable assistance with running the Nippers Coaches Course, Erin Doupe for her support and, most of all, our Youth Members for their participation and enthusiasm over the past season.

Andrew Atkinson Youth Development Leader

Committee members can be contacted through the club secretary.