Garie surf club set to give newbies a break

After more than two years of closure, Garie's surf lifesavers are happy to be back this summer and are looking for new members keen to enjoy the club's mental, physical and social benefits in a timeless natural setting. 

Garie Road has been restored following a $22 million upgrade, granting access to the locally treasured Garie Beach in the Royal National Park.

Club president Brad Taylor said the beach's beauty was the first thing visitor commented on. 

"They can get down there and relax in nature and they can go for walks in the national park or just lay on the beach – do whatever they want to do,'' Brad said. ''There's not a concrete jungle behind them, the hustle and bustle of the city. They can get down there and relax.

“You've got to be physically fit to keep up patrolling – that encourages people to do jogging or go swimming in their own time and keep fit, and makes them a healthier person."

The club was founded in 1938 and closed for four years during World War II. Despite challenges, the club remains committed to fostering a strong family-oriented atmosphere.

"We're not a highly competitive club like some clubs are – our focus is more on the beach and patrolling and running nippers and getting people in," Brad says.

"It's pretty well a family club and keeps friends together. The social activities we have are more family orientated or large age group orientated. They come down and socialise and do some patrols and look after the community."

100 per cent record

The secluded beach means dedicated members perform full-day patrols and often travel into the national park together. In this small club, everyone gets to know each other through barbecues and get-togethers after long days of patrolling. 

"You can be in a club for a while and not get to know everybody. Whereas a smaller club like Garie, everybody knows everybody,” Brad says.

"We've got to sit down and think about who's best suited, who comes down with who, whereas in the bigger clubs they just say ‘these people are on a patrol’ just like any other roster.”

With no professional lifeguards at the beach, Garie SLSC is dedicated to protecting the community of people who come there, and they have a great track record.

"In the time that we've been patrolling, there's been no lives lost while we're on patrol," Brad says.

“The only people patrolling are the Garie members. So we make all the decisions and do all the first aid and stuff that has to be done."

Brad has been involved in the club his whole life. Like many surf lifesavers, he followed in his parents' footsteps. The support and opportunities surf lifesaving has provided has allowed him to travel the world and earn medals for emergency management at home.

"My father was in it and then my mother as well and I grew up on the beach, and I'm still there. I've gone right through,” Brad says.

“There are definite breaks we see in membership, where people who come out of nippers will hang around with their parents for a while, but around 17, when they get their license, they disappear.

“Or when they’re in their mid or late 20s, they disappear to go and start a family, but a lot of people come back again when their families are up and running.”

Pillars of the club

Lifetime members are the backbone of the club, and in his 60s, Brad still patrols the beach. He says while older members might not go out on rescues, they have a valuable role as captains, admin and leaders to younger members.

“Lifetime members are at the core of the club because of that commitment they’ve shown," Brad says.

"It's not just that you get made a life member after a certain amount of time. It's for people who've gone that step further and been involved and done things for the club."

Membership offers a wide range of personal and professional benefits. Brad says that young members can learn responsibility and community spirit, opening doors for employment and life experiences they may not have otherwise.

“It opens you up to such a wide variety of people and different things, different activities that different people are involved in,” Brad says.

"It teaches people to have some responsibility and caring for community. When you go for jobs, if you're a lifesaver, they like that on an application, because if you're a lifesaver because it shows commitment.”

The club is rebuilding and seeking new members from surrounding communities. Members can participate with the time they have, committing as little as one patrol day per month.

"The more involved you are and the more activities you get in with, you meet a lot of people and gain a lot of friends and life experiences – it's well worth it."