Help us keep
our beach safe
The Club's beginning was on September 28th 1953, when a meeting was held in the motor cabins at Budgewoi where it was decided to form a surf club.
The patrol members walked with reels and life saving equipment from Budgewoi to the present site to spend a arduous eight hours on patrol. This lasted till June 1st 1955, when the club disbanded through lack of patrol members.
The "Lakes' Surf Life Saving Club was reformed and consequently named at a meeting on September 30th 1956. Since this date the club has seen a continual strengthening of membership, attitude, and consolidation of assets.
The first major move in the clubs history, was when the 1960-61 season when it was decided that the club purchase the old picture theatre and land at Toukley. This was paid for by funds raised playing 'Housie" and dances. The second major move was in 1967-68 season when three shop premises were built on the toukley land acquired in 1960-61.
The foresight of members had led to the realisation of a dream about to become true in the 1975-76 season, a total of 23 hard, determined work in the making.
The Lakes SLSC continues to play a vital role in ensuring the safety of visitors to Lakes Beach, with our volunteer members saving countless lives and providing expert First Aid to members of the public each year. We also have a very successful juniors program where we are developing the next generation of Volunteer Lifesavers.
Our supporters:
Did you know?
The Lakes Surf Life Saving Club is a volunteer orginisation that relies on fundraising and the support of local business and government. Below are just some of the costs that are associated with just keeping our volunteer lifesavers on the beach each summer.
It costs $30 to refill an oxygen cylinder – vital for resuscitation treatment
$50 buys a Patrol Pack – an essential piece of first aid equipment , the patrol pack allows surf lifesavers to carry some of the most commonly used lifesaving items with them on patrol. It saves precious time be allowing lifesavers to immediately retrieve items such as resuscitation masks, whistles and gloves
The distinctive red and yellow uniform of the surf lifesaver costs $60 and serves two purposes: sun safety protection for our surf lifesavers and allows quick identification in the event of an incident
$120 will buy a rescue tube – an effective deep water floatation device
$350 – provides basic training for a new lifesaver. Every patrolling volunteer surf lifesaver must have their Bronze Medallion. This involves over 40 hours of assessment in many areas including CPR, rescue techniques, First Aid and fitness testing and must be updated each year.The benefits are enormous. Safer beaches and safer communities
$500 provides a spinal board – essential for spinal injury cases and moving patients who are unable to walk
Radios cost $1,000 each - Surf lifesavers have access to emergency support through a dedicated communications system. Radios are an essential part of coordinating an effective response to any incident
$1300 purchases a rescue board – a fast and reliable way to reach endangered swimmers and return them to safety
On average, $2000 is spent each season on first aid supplies for the treatment of marine bite stings and minor abrasions to suspected fractures and spinal damage
Resuscitation Manikins - Surf lifesavers have earned a significant reputation for their resuscitation skills; these skills can only be developed through effective training and constant practice. Resuscitation Manikins allow lifesavers to simulate the skills they may one day need to use to save a life. Cost: $1,860 / Resuscitation Manikins with skill meter, CPR, and defibrillation tester, cost: $4,705
The Oxy-Viva is vital to the recovery of a patient, and often used to increase the oxygen in the patient’s blood stream following - shock, exhaustion, drowning, cardiac arrest, breathing emergencies, allergic reactions. The oxygen bottle is regularly maintained and changed on each unit to increase the useful life of each unit to 6 - 10 years. Cost: $3,500
Defibrillators - It is a medical fact that the proper and timely use of an AED can save a life in the case of a cardiac arrest. Due to the volume of beach visitors and the training of surf lifesavers, and the advancements in Defibrillators (AEDs), Emergency Agencies are encouraging early access to AEDs to prevent the loss of life. Currently the most suitable model is the Zoll AED Plus with Trainer Kit which allows for the accredited training to take place with the unit in “test” mode. Cost: $5,000
IRBs - Designed specifically for Surf Life Saving, the Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) is an essential piece of rescue equipment, and an ideal tool for quick response to a rescue, mass rescues, immediate treatment of a patient and patrolling stretches of beaches. Due to the harsh operating conditions of the sun, sand and salt water, an IRB has a useful life of approximately 5 years. Cost: $18,000