Lifesavers ride a wave of success

Sebastien DePaula and Dave McLean celebrate their state lifesaver of the year awards.

Contributed

NORTH Shore lifesavers are walking prouder this week after Marcoola and Mudjimba took out major honours at the Queensland Surf Life Saving Awards last Saturday.

Marcoola Surf Life Saving Club completed a rare feat by taking out the state lifesaver of the year and the under-18 lifesaver of the year awards.

Club stalwart Dave McLean won lifesaver of the year and now becomes Queensland’s nomination for the national lifesaver of the year award – the second time Dave has achieved this honour.

It was a great night for Sebastien De Paula, who won the under-18 lifesaver of the year award on his 18th birthday.

Dan Capps, who patrols at Marcoola and Noosa, won the excellence in incident management and resuscitation for a rescue at Granite Bay.

Club president Gordon McCone said he believed it was the first time any club had won lifesaver and junior lifesaver titles in one year.

“For a small club like Marcoola to win these two major awards shows the dedication of the people at our club,” he said.

A happy throng of 15 members from the tiny Mudjimba Surf Life Saving Club raised the roof at the awards when it was announced the youth development club of the year.

President Kaitlyn Akers said the award was “testimony to the impact and effort of every young member of our club”.

It was a poignant moment for the president when her daughter, Pia, received an excellence in lifesaving award for resuscitation (see story opposite).

Marcoola surf club will hold an open day on August 29 for anyone interested in becoming part of surf life saving.

Mr McCone said the day was an opportunity to meet the club’s two lifesavers of the year and sign on for nippers, as well as to check out the club’s nipper program if the children were thinking of joining for the first time.