Surf Life Saving celebrates Northern Region excellence

Lifeguards from Surf Life Saving Northern Region’s 17 clubs will gather on 12 August to celebrate the best of the 2016-17 season.

The Region’s annual Awards of Excellence sponsored by Toyota Financial Services will take place at Shed 10 on Auckland’s waterfront. More than 30 Awards will be given out on the night in three categories: Lifesaving, Sports and Regional Awards, along with Service and Distinguished Service Awards and Life Memberships.

Major Awards include Lifeguard of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Administrator of the Year, Club of the Year and Rescue of the Year.

Surf Life Saving Northern Region (SLSNR) chief executive Matt Williams says the 2016-17 season saw lifesaving operations stretched more than in previous years, despite the coldest weather in five years. “It didn’t seem to discourage people from heading to the beach; we had almost 50% more people on our beaches than the average of the last five years.”

SLSNR lifeguards – volunteer and paid – look after 24 locations at 17 clubs from Raglan north around the coast to Auckland. Williams says the season saw 28% more rescues and “assists” (752) compared with the previous five years’ average.

He says the number of drownings at the Northern Region beaches was sadly up on the 2015-16 season – 18, compared with 14. Almost a third of those resulted from being caught in rips.

But beachgoers were generally “getting the message”, says Williams. “We had a lot more people at the beaches, though there were comparatively fewer interventions per person on the beach.

“There is always room for improvement though, and sadly we’re still seeing a small portion of the public taking unnecessary risks which can lead to drownings. This is something we need to continue working to address as a community, to ensure our safety messages are getting through.”

Ends

2017 TOYOTA FINANCIAL SERVICES AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

Lifesaving Awards

Instructor of the Year:
• Samuel Turbott – Karekare Surf Life Saving Club
• Wade Downey - Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club
• Jodie & Peter Wood - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club

Examiner of the Year:
• Faron Turner - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club
• Gail Abel – United North Piha Lifeguard Service
• Wayne Sutton – Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service

Outstanding Contribution to Power Craft:
• Shane Edwards - Sunset Beach Lifeguard Service
• Peter Kramer – Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club
• Shaun Green - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club

Rookie Lifeguard of the Year:
• Paige Cooper-Smith - Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol
• Joshua Baker – Waipu Cove Surf Life Saving Club
• Angus Kirkman - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club

U19 Surf Lifeguard of the Year:
• Monica Nevill-Jackson – Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol
• Jake McClure – Waipu Cove Surf Life Saving Patrol
• Sam Cron – Raglan Surf Life Saving Club

Regional Lifeguard of the Year:
• Luke Dimick – Whangamata Surf Life Saving Club
• Stephen Butt - Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service
• Mark Shrimpton – Raglan Surf Life Saving Club

Surf Lifeguard of the Year:
• Ollie Irwin - Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol
• Nicholas Tomkins – Orewa Surf Life Saving Club
• Mackenzie Cook – Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service

Sport Awards

U14 Sportswoman of the Year:
• Astaria Te Aukura - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club
• Pippa Nicol – Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club

U14 Sportsman of the Year:
• Samuel Poching - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club
• Angus Henare – Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club
• Kalani Gilbertson – Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club

U16 Sportswoman of the Year:
• Lucy Makaea - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club
• Tayla Dalton - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club

U16 Sportsman of the Year:
• Hamish Lockie - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club
• Levi Ata - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club
• Michael Slessor-White - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club

U19 Sportswoman of the Year:
• Hannah Williams - Piha Surf Life Saving Club
• Samalulu Clifton - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club
• Ella Drinnan - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club

U19 Sportsman of the Year:
• Bayden Botha - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club
• Oscar Williams - Piha Surf Life Saving Club
• James Scott - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club

Open Sportswoman of the Year:
• Danielle McKenzie - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club
• Georgia Newman - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club
• Kirsty Wannan - Piha Surf Life Saving Club

Open Sportsman of the Year:
• Nick Malcolm – Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club
• Ben Gillies - Piha Surf Life Saving Club
Adam Parker - Piha Surf Life Saving Club

Competition Team of the Year:
• Sunset Beach Women's IRB Crew A - Taylor Shrimpton, Jemima Ferrier and Eva Imrie
• Muriwai Meerkats Woman’s Boat Crew - Ricky Butt, Alison Craigie, Nicole Owen, Jessica Parkin, Kathryn Wright
• Piha Mean’s Pool Team - Adam Parker, Max White, Sean Newcombe

Surf Coach of the Year:
• Shane Edwards - Sunset Beach Lifeguard Service
• Jason Pocock – Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club
• Danny Morrison – Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club

Developing Surf Official of the Year:
• Donal Dray-Hogg – Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol
• Susan Platt – Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service/Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club
• Graham Pashley – Omaha Surf Life Saving Club

Surf Official of the Year:
• Roydon Woodcock - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club
• Simone Spencer - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club
• Glenn Phillips - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club

Outstanding Contribution to Junior Surf:
• Mike Brown - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club
• Dylan Turner – Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club
• Steve Franich - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club

Trophies will also be awarded for the top club in the Junior Surf Championships, the Pool Championships, the IRB Championships, the Northern Region Championships, Junior Competition Club of the Year, Masters Competition Club of the Year, and Senior Competition Club of the Year, along with the Cath and Eddie Millar Cup for…..

Regional Awards

Volunteer of the Year:
• Dylan Turner – Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club
• Anthony O’Meara - Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service
• Danny Morrison - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club

Club Administrator of the Year:
• Elle Scheepens – Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol
• Dawn Newson-Adams – Surf Life Saving Kariaotahi
• Debra Cairns – Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club
• Michael Buck - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club

Surf Education Instructor of the Year:
• Liam Cunningham – Raglan Surf Life Saving Club
• Lorraine McDonald – Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol
• Samuel Teteina – Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol

Rescue of the Year:
• Surf Life Saving Kariaotahi
• Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service
• Far North Surf Rescue
Club of the Year
• Orewa Surf Life Saving Club
• Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club
• Ruakaka Sirf Lifesaving Club

Awards will also be made to the Best Patrolled Beach and the Communications Innovation of the Year sponsored by Genesis, along with a number of Service Awards, Distinguished Service Awards and Life Memberships.

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