Australia’s first surf life saving clubs arose on Sydney’s ocean beaches in response to a shift in beach culture in the early 1900s. Surfing had been prohibited in daylight hours in Sydney until Randwick City Council lifted its ban, in response to drought in 1902. As other councils followed, bathing became more popular, causing a dramatic rise in beach rescues and drownings. In Oct 1907 the Bondi Club met with others, to form Surf Life Saving Australia.
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Surf line and belt men
Glenelg Adelaide, 1938
Even strong swimmers had difficulty negotiating unfamiliar rip currents and changing surf conditions. Surf Line & Belts were invented at Bondi Beach in 1906 and pioneered by Sydney surf lifesaving clubs. The lifesavers fed out a long rope attached to a belt, which was worn by a beltman who swam out to those struggling in the water. Or people in danger could be rescued by a lifesaver with a rescue tube, on a rescue board or in an inflatable rubber rescue boat. Jet-powered surf rescue boats and helicopters came later.
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Swim between the yellow & red flags, in the patrolled area
Life guard box with chairs, binoculars, phone, medicine boxes
To reduce the number of crises, swimmers had to always swim WITHIN the red & yellow flags, safer spaces than the unpatrolled areas OUTSIDE the flags. Mandating the flags in 1935, there were few sights more emblematic of Australia than red-and-yellow flags in the sand.
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The original training manual was heavily orientated to a military drill-type approach. But by the early 1950s a group of dynamic physical educationalists in the NSW Branch, started developing techniques specific to Australian conditions. By then, water safety and lifesaving programmes were being taught in most Australian schools.
Today Surf Life Saving Australia/SLSA has c182,000 members, making it the largest volunteer movement of its kind in the world. Covering this large island’s coastline, the 314 affiliated surf clubs stand as an icon of our ocean landscape. They became places of life saving, comfort, community and friendship i.e the Australian way of life. SLSA shows c9,000 rescues each year, while 294 people (mainly men) drowned around the nation in 2021, after 245 had drowned in 2020.
Because Australians are swimmers, surf clubs eventually became much the centre of the social life in coastal communities. Those surf clubs did plenty OUT OF the water in terms of giving people a place to gather and share fun. This sense of community extended beyond the membership base, particularly in Qld where clubs housed feature food and bar facilities. In these cases, crowds enjoyed a fairly priced and relaxed pub meal with great waterfront views.
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1936 version of Dee Why Life Saving Club, Sydney
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Pre-WW1 Bondi Pavilion had changing boxes for male and female swimmers. And in 1929 it was expanded to hold music and dances. Now it has been given a major makeover designed to transform it into the suburb’s cultural heart. The revamped site has opened to visitors, with 3,000 interlocking Spanish terracotta roof tiles installed and 200+ solar panels catering for 70% of the site’s energy use. And note the 1920s murals that have been incorporated into the new spaces.
Black Sunday was a boiling hot day in Feb 1938 when thousands of people flocked to Bondi Beach to enjoy the water. At 3 PM huge waves all of a sudden crashed into the coast and dozens of swimmers soon needed resuscitation on the sand. Five swimmers tragically lost their lives.
resuscitating surfers on Bondi Beach
Black Sunday, Feb 1938
The original training manual was heavily orientated to a military drill-type approach. But by the early 1950s a group of dynamic physical educationalists in the NSW Branch, started developing techniques specific to Australian conditions. By then, water safety and lifesaving programmes were being taught in most Australian schools.
Today Surf Life Saving Australia/SLSA has c182,000 members, making it the largest volunteer movement of its kind in the world. Covering this large island’s coastline, the 314 affiliated surf clubs stand as an icon of our ocean landscape. They became places of life saving, comfort, community and friendship i.e the Australian way of life. SLSA shows c9,000 rescues each year, while 294 people (mainly men) drowned around the nation in 2021, after 245 had drowned in 2020.
Because Australians are swimmers, surf clubs eventually became much the centre of the social life in coastal communities. Those surf clubs did plenty OUT OF the water in terms of giving people a place to gather and share fun. This sense of community extended beyond the membership base, particularly in Qld where clubs housed feature food and bar facilities. In these cases, crowds enjoyed a fairly priced and relaxed pub meal with great waterfront views.
Currumbin’s spectacular location on Elephant Rock Qld looked right over the water’s edge. Some hours north, Noosa Heads Surf Life Saving Club was a relaxed space in prime position. Oceanside elegance was part of Noosa’s appeal, but so was the casual clubhouse.
As one of Sydney’s first clubs, North Bondi desperately needed a makeover after years of sloppy fixups. Unveiled in 2013, the 4-storey clubhouse was redesigned with practical architecture that demanded attention from this beautiful, prominent beach. North Bondi clubhouse was designed to address both the beach and the street and to copy the adjacent bay through its sweeping curves and shiny mosaic tiles. Carefully placed window frames creatively showcased Bondi’s beauty, but it was also built to withstand harsh oceanic weather conditions. The $6.8 mill building was made possible by government funding and donations, as well as the generous charges by skilled contributors, guaranteeing an income stream by making the facilities available for hire. North Bondi welcomes c2.7 m visitors yearly (but it also has a personal connection; my beloved surfed on Bondi Beach each morning before school in the 1960s).
Less than 2 ks south of North Bondi, Tamarama’s 1906 clubhouse was architecturally very different. On the famous Bondi to Bronte walk, the Art Deco building with its sandy facade represented its members perfectly. The building sat broadside at the clifftop, buffeted by southerly storms for decades, yet inside it’s warm and welcoming; casual and retro, reflecting the club’s sensibilities.
As one of Sydney’s first clubs, North Bondi desperately needed a makeover after years of sloppy fixups. Unveiled in 2013, the 4-storey clubhouse was redesigned with practical architecture that demanded attention from this beautiful, prominent beach. North Bondi clubhouse was designed to address both the beach and the street and to copy the adjacent bay through its sweeping curves and shiny mosaic tiles. Carefully placed window frames creatively showcased Bondi’s beauty, but it was also built to withstand harsh oceanic weather conditions. The $6.8 mill building was made possible by government funding and donations, as well as the generous charges by skilled contributors, guaranteeing an income stream by making the facilities available for hire. North Bondi welcomes c2.7 m visitors yearly (but it also has a personal connection; my beloved surfed on Bondi Beach each morning before school in the 1960s).
Less than 2 ks south of North Bondi, Tamarama’s 1906 clubhouse was architecturally very different. On the famous Bondi to Bronte walk, the Art Deco building with its sandy facade represented its members perfectly. The building sat broadside at the clifftop, buffeted by southerly storms for decades, yet inside it’s warm and welcoming; casual and retro, reflecting the club’s sensibilities.
Tamarama Club, Sydney
Note there’s nothing casual about the lifeguards having to patrol the waters below. 80 ms long, Tamarama Beach is wedged between two headlands and strong rip currents create dangerous conditions. So it’s closed to swimmers for part of the year. Yet the glorious outlook makes it popular. Inevitably the Tamarama club house needed change; happily architects kept the charm of the original building while completely updating the interior space and facilities.
Clubhouses at Devonport and Bicheno in Tasmania, Seaford in Victoria, Kempsey Crescent Head in NSW and City Beach in Perth all won architectural awards, while at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast, Kurrawa opened its new $17 million facility in late 2017.
Lorne is a scenic town on the Great Ocean Road out of Melbourne. Established in 1947, the Lorne Surf Life Saving Club claimed never to have lost a single life between the flags. The Club was at the forefront of change in life saving, being the first Club in Victoria to employ a full time lifeguard when rostered patrols were not on duty. Their programme now covers 27 surf beaches with lifeguards.
Clubhouses at Devonport and Bicheno in Tasmania, Seaford in Victoria, Kempsey Crescent Head in NSW and City Beach in Perth all won architectural awards, while at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast, Kurrawa opened its new $17 million facility in late 2017.
Lorne is a scenic town on the Great Ocean Road out of Melbourne. Established in 1947, the Lorne Surf Life Saving Club claimed never to have lost a single life between the flags. The Club was at the forefront of change in life saving, being the first Club in Victoria to employ a full time lifeguard when rostered patrols were not on duty. Their programme now covers 27 surf beaches with lifeguards.
Cronulla Club, Sydney
The Surf Life Saving South Australia in Glenelg hosted the 2012 world championships. In a coup for the state body and the Glenelg club, the world titles returned to Adelaide’s most popular beach in 2018.
Pre-WW1 Bondi Pavilion had changing boxes for male and female swimmers. And in 1929 it was expanded to hold music and dances. Now it has been given a major makeover designed to transform it into the suburb’s cultural heart. The revamped site has opened to visitors, with 3,000 interlocking Spanish terracotta roof tiles installed and 200+ solar panels catering for 70% of the site’s energy use. And note the 1920s murals that have been incorporated into the new spaces.