Woolamai Beach Surf Life Saving Club was very well represented at the recent Life Saving Victoria Awards of Excellence.

According to Woolamai Beach SLSC Club President, Jason Close, Life Saving Victoria's annual Awards of Excellence evening celebrates the best in Victorian lifesaving by recognising the outstanding achievements and contributions by lifesavers and clubs statewide.

Over 500 lifesavers from around the state gathered at the Sofitel Melbourne in August to celebrate the achievements of those who keep the Victorian community safe in the water.
The awards recognises volunteers who have excelled in all facets of lifesaving including emergency response, training, education, Nippers, sport, officiating, aquatic facilities, and Club administration.

President's Certificate

This year, Woolamai Beach Surf Life Saving Club's Mick and Dan Sullivan received the President's Certificate in recognition of their outstanding contributions to world-class water safety services.

For 15 years Mick and Dan have co-ordinated and delivered Life Saving Victoria's annual Advanced Life Saving Certificate course. The course involves a week long live-in course that trains some of

Victoria's best lifesavers to gain the qualifications for employment as beach lifeguards across the state.

To even participate in the course, lifesavers must have numerous pre-requisite qualifications and be able to meet a number of fitness tests. The course involves extensive training and testing.

Twin brothers Mick and Dan have gained nearly every award possible in their long careers in surf life saving and have received numerous state awards.

Mick and Dan have trained generations of lifeguards and have ensured their own high standards and leadership skills have been passed on.

Along with Mark Scotland from Anglesea SLSC , they were presented with their award by Susan Wolff, President of Life Saving Victoria.

Life Saver of the Year

Following his first season as Club Captain/Director of Life Saving Services, Jordan Kuerschner was a finalist in the Victorian Life Saver of the Year Award.

This was Jordan's second nomination for the award after also being a finalist in 2023.

While the award went to Sas McNamara of Portsea Surf Life Saving Club, Jordan has shown again that he is up there with the best in the state.

In his role Jordan has led, inspired, selected and trained the club's patrol leadership teams. He is also a certified trainer who has trained and developed many of the club's patrolling members.

Over the past two seasons, Jordan has achieved 300 voluntary patrolling hours. This consists of 230 patrol hours and 70 jetski service hours.

For four consecutive seasons he has patrolled 100+ hours and has won numerous club awards for the most hours patrolled.

As a lifeguard in the Bass Coast lifeguard team, Jordan has patrolled at Woolamai Beach, Smiths Beach, Cowes Beach, Inverloch, Venus Bay, Waratah Beach and Wilsons Promontory.

He also has performed numerous remote beach call outs on Phillip Island and the nearby coast and has an extensive local knowledge of these beaches.

"Our Club is very proud of Jordan," said Woolamai Beach SLSC President, Jason Close.

"He embodies all of the qualities, values and levels of performance to be chosen as a finalist for the Victorian Lifesaver of the Year. Jordan is one of the club's most valuable members and lifesavers. He is a leader, mentor, trainer, competitor and makes significant contributions to all aspects of surf life saving," Jason said.

"The time that he gives to the Club is almost unparallelled, he is also very generous in giving his time to others to develop their own life saving skills.

"Jordan is to be commended for his enormous contribution to life saving and the community."

Victorian Education Instructor of the Year 

For the second year in a row, San Remo's Bonny Dickie was named as a finalist for the Victorian Education Instructor of the Year award.

Bonny won the award last year and while she wasn't able to bring home the award again, she has demonstrated an amazing consistency to continue to uphold such high standards.

Starting as a Nipper in 2007-08, Bonny has worked her way up through the club over many years of patrolling, gaining qualifications and training to reach a point where she is one of the state's top educators.

Bonny puts in countless hours volunteering, training and mentoring lifesavers and other trainers. Bonny also works for Life Saving Victoria delivering training to school groups and fits all of this in as well as her professional career as a nurse.