McLean's top of the surf

Australian surf lifesaver of the year Dave McLean is congratulated by fellow Marcoola club members Brian Goulding, John McCulkin, Mitch Allsopp, Gordon McCone, John Callanan, and Dave Orchard.

Mike Garry

WHEN Dave McLean first joined Marcoola Surf Life Saving Club as a 15-year-old, he could not have dreamed that nearly 35 years later he would be accepting lifesaving’s premier national award.

Last Saturday at the 2010 Surf Life Saving Australia Awards of Excellence, at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Dave was crowned Australian surf lifesaver of the year.

The popular Marcoola clubman said he was “very proud and honoured” when his name was read out in front of more than 250 lifesaving legends.

“I was a bit overcome,” he said. “I was nominated in 2007 and didn’t get it so it was really nice to be recognised in that way amongst so many brilliant lifesavers.”

As well as being on various committees, “upstairs and downstairs”, at the Marcoola club, Dave is a director on the board of Surf Life Saving Queensland and the operations support coordinator for the Sunshine Coast, which means he gets called out a lot after hours.

The small Marcoola surf club has had a very successful year.

“Winning the Buhk-Wilkes Trophy (branch level) was a great achievement for us,” Dave said. “And then to pull this one on top and also the recent junior lifesaver of the year for the state, Sebastien De Paula.

“We also got a commendation for after-hours emergency support as well.

“So, yeah, we do punch above our weight.”

Dave said the success of the club was a reflection of the dedication of its members.

“I think it means that we highly value the lifesaving core principles and we try to do things pretty right,” he said.

According to club president Gordon McCone, Marcoola is just “a little club where everybody knows you”.

“We’re only a small family-friendly club so we haven’t got a big patrol team or a big population to draw from,” he said.

“For Dave to win from a small club like this is absolutely fantastic, considering some of the big clubs around on the Coast, Queensland and Australia that he was competing against. So it’s a big honour.

“We’re hoping it will encourage more members to come down and become patrol members – to get their bronze or their SRC (surf rescue certificate)

This Sunday, Marcoola surf club will join other Queensland surf clubs and hold an open day between 10am and 12.30pm to encourage people of all ages to get involved in the lifesaving movement.