Surf Lifesaving 100th anniversary: Keith reports on the history in the Adelaide Coast region of South Australia
The beach is part of the Australian way of life. Nearly everybody lives near the coast and most people learn to swim. And what's more we know we should swim 'between the flags'. That's the catchcry for our dedicated surf lifesavers who watch over thousands of beach around Australia making sure swimmers are safe. And they have been doing it for 100 years.
The two sides of the great volunteer movement, patrols and beach competitions, are on show on the nation's shores every summer.
They reckon it gets into your blood too. Shane Daw is typical - he began as a Nipper when he was seven - he's now the Glenelg Club President and full-time State Operations Manager. I caught up with him in the swish new clubrooms at Glenelg. "We have a total of 5,500 members in South Australia alone," said Shane. "From Whyalla in the north down to Port Elliot in the south."
Our state's tradition began in the early 1920s at Henley when thousands were flocking to their beach on the tram. The idea quickly spread and there are now eighteen proud clubs along our coast upholding the mantra of 'swim between the flags'...
And that's the appropriate title of a national exhibition currently on at the South Australian Maritime Museum at Port Adelaide. Museum Director, Kevin Jones reckons it tells a quintessential Aussie story that began on the Sydney beaches of Bondi and Bronte way back in 1907.
"The origins of surf lifesaving are a very Australian story," said Kevin. "In the lead-up to federation in the 1890s Australian's first started taking to the surf in numbers. They discovered the beaches as an especially Australian place. They could celebrate the warm climate, the sand was soft and in many places there were rolling waves. It was a wonderful athletic quality. I suppose that was the colonial spirit."
As the old newsreel in the exhibition tells us, volunteers formed the first clubs and surf lifesaving soon became a national institution. There have been some remarkable innovations too - like the line and reel - an effective lifesaving Aussie invention. It's only used for competition now but in the early days everyone had to learn how to use it - and it wasn't easy.
According to Kevin there have been some incredible stories over the one hundred years of lifesaving. "One of the most celebrated is Black Sunday at Bondi Beach in 1929. A freak wave took away a sand bar and left 200 swimmers with nowhere to stand. Fortunately there was a surf carnival that day so there were a lot of lifesavers around. Most people were saved but at the end of the day six people drowned so it was a great tragedy."
That incident alone gave the volunteer organisation even greater momentum. There are some amazing stories of survival on show in the exhibition like the bloke who survived a shark chomping on his surfboard off the New South Wales coast in 2001.
And how about Edie Rowe? In 1923 as a 15 year old she qualified for her highly coveted Bronze Medallion... well, almost! "Edie had all the qualifications except for one - she was a woman," said Kevin. "The regulations of the New South Wales Bathing Association said that women couldn't be lifesavers so Edie missed out."
There is a happy ending though. Women became full members in the 1980s and Edie received her medallion - seventy years late.
Incredibly in a hundred years of 'vigilance and service' which is the lifesavers motto, they reckon they've saved a half a million Australian lives. And the good news is - there are more than 40,000 nippers coming through so we're going to feel safe between the flags for a long time to come.
The Between the Flags exhibition is at the Maritime Museum for one more week. It's open between 10 and 5.
'Between the Flags'
100 years of Surf Lifesaving
SA Maritime Museum
126 Lipson St
Port Adelaide
10am-5pm until 11 NovemberPublished 4th Nov 2007
