All Systems Go! - Port Sorell SLSC

May 2020

 Bringing the community to the beach NEWSLETTER

 All Systems Go!
Club Redevelopment

We have very exciting news that our building will be starting sometime in the week commencing the 25th May.
Oliver Kelly Construction are our builders that we have chosen to complete our new clubrooms. The project
should take about three months to complete.

Along the way we have had many interruptions and challenges with the project but finally there is light at the
end of the tunnel.

I would like to acknowledge the support and guidance that Calton Frame has provided along the way. Nick
Grey from Braddon Engineering has also provided his services for free and has navigated us through lots of red
tape. Engineering Plus have also shown great patience because the
plans have been amended about eight times. Latrobe Council have
also been there when we needed their advice. 2019/20 Major Sponsors

Personally, I can’t wait for the building to commence and the new
season to start.

Haydon Coates
President, Port Sorell SLSC

Bringing the Community to the Beach

 Club Response to Coronavirus

News Inside Our normal celebratory end of season activities came to an abrupt stop
 as coronavirus took its toll on the whole country.
Club Redevelopment - All
Systems Go! Government restrictions have meant that we have been unable
Club Response to to continue to train in the off-season, both in the water and in the
Coronavirus classroom. The closure of the clubhouse continues to impact our
 normal off-season activities, such as the Awards Night, Club Dinner and
2019/20 Patrol Season our Annual General Meeting, as well as putting a stop to a number of
Emergency Response Team private functions
- 24/7
 As Tasmania looks to incrementally lift restrictions around the state, the
Events Calendar club is being guided by Surf Life Saving Tasmania as we work to resume
Brand New Look! normal surf lifesaving activities and events.

Costa puts People First SLST has advised that all non-essential activities should cease at this
 time and that clubhouses should be closed except for essential or
Youth Pathway Cup 2020
 emergency purposes.
Nipper Presentation Day
& Junior Club Captains for A return to be in person activities will require careful planning and
20/21 careful adherence to the requirements of SLST, SafeWork Australia and
 WorkSafe Tasmania.
AGM & Club Constitution
Port Sorell Community SLST has provided COVID-19 related advice for clubs and members on
Emergency Response Team its website at https://www.slst.asn.au/clubs-members/club-member-
 resources/covid-19-information/.
Penguin Island Swim 2020
IRB Crew Course The committee continues to meet regularly via teleconference, both to
 plan how to best proceed with our off-season events, and to consider
SLST Development Squads the safest way for the club to return to training activities.
2020/21 Age Managers and
Coaches It is likely that social events will be pushed back until later in the year,
 and events such as the Annual General Meeting and the Awards Night
 will be held online.

 PSSLSC members will be kept up to date with COVID-19 related
 developments via email and social media.

Bringing the Community to the Beach

2019/20 Patrol Season

A huge thanks to our surf lifesavers for continuing to volunteer their
time to patrol our beaches for the safety of our community over the
summer period.

Despite a premature end to the patrol season as a result of COVID-19,
our patrol teams, lead by our patrol captains and Life Saving Manager,
Eve Bell, volunteered just short of 1,400 hours of their time to keep our
community safe on the beach and in the water.

Our IRBs performed ten rescues over the patrol period and our patrols
provided 8 first-aid responses, took 39 surf safety prevention actions
and sounded the shark alarm once, whilst we assisted a stranded shark News Inside (continued)
back into deeper waters.

 2019/20 Port Sorell SLSC
 Awards Presentation
 Website Update
 Member Protection & Club
 Values
 National Volunteer Week
 Committee Members
 Club Mission
 Club Values

Emergency Response Team - 24/7

Though our patrols have ended for the season, and normal club
activities are on hold, our surf lifesaving activities continue throughout
the winter, and despite of the coronavirus restrictions.

Our Emergency Response Team members remain on-call 24/7 to
respond to any emergencies on our beaches or in our waterways, and is
activated through Tasmania Police and SurfCom.

Our ERT is comprised very experienced and trained surf lifesavers who
hold the following minimum qualifications:

 • SLSA Bronze Medallion/Cert II
 • Senior First Aid Certificate
 • SLSA Advanced Resuscitation Techniques Certificate
 • SLSA Silver Medallion IRB Driver
 • Three (3) years active SLS experience

Bringing the Community to the Beach

 Brand New
 Look!

Bringing the Community to the Beach

Towards the end of the season, the club was able to reveal some exciting changes to our club uniform thanks
to the generosity of our major sponsor, Costa, and the hard work of our Uniform Coordinator, Kayla Christie, and
her team of designers, Olivia, Holly and Lacey, and Vice-President Ken.

Our new swimwear was premiered just in time for the Tasmanian Junior Surf Life Saving Championships and
features a distinctive and eye-catching design in our club colours. The swimwear, which is manufactured in
Australia by Tweed Head-based Kozii Swimwear, is available in a range of styles. The early adopters gave the
refreshed uniform a huge thumbs up, both for the design and comfort in competition.

Girls have the choice of a 1 or 2 piece (or both!), and boys a choice of jammers or Speedos, (or both!) We suggest
going up a size, as the Kozii brand runs a bit a smaller than normal.

The club has also received a batch of new swim caps, with the Port Sorell logo on the side, great to wear under
your skull cap or swim training!

Current swimwear stock is still available. There is very limited stock in children’s sizes, but there is quite a bit in
adults sizes. The old swimwear designs will be sold for 50% off.

Please don’t hesitate to message Kayla with any questions!

Costa puts People First

Port Sorell SLSC major sponsor, Costa, is founded on the
principles of “People First”, ensuring the sustainability,
development and profitable growth of its business.

Embedded in Costa’s core values is a respect for the
personal safety of its staff, contractors and suppliers,
a value that is reflected in Costa’s very generous
sponsorship of new high-visibility rashies which will be
available free-of-charge for all club members.

Safety and Identity

The new fluorescent yellow rashies will form part of our uniform with “Port Sorell SLSC” printed on the back of
the vests, with Costa’s support recognised with its logo on the front.

Our rashies are an essential part of our club uniform, with the hi-viz colour being an important part of our
safety management system that designed to keep all
members safe during training and in competition.

The club is extremely grateful to Costa for their
generous contribution to club and looks forward to
continuing our relationship through the 2020/21 season.

Members and parents are reminded that hi-vis rashies
are mandatory for all surf sport competitions and
are required to be worn for all water activities during
training.

Bringing the Community to the Beach

Youth Pathway Cup 2020
This year I was fortunate to be selected in the Tasmanian Youth Pathways Cup Team. We travelled to the
Sunshine Coast, Queensland to compete in the Interstates at Alexandra Headlands. I got to compete against
the best of the best from all around Australia!

We flew to Brisbane and drove to Currimundi where all of the state team athletes were sharing accommodation.
Before our competition began, we spent a day on the beach getting used to the beach conditions. It was HOT!
And the waves were HUGE! We had a crash course in reading the rips and how to use them to get out the back.
The beaches also have a ‘gutter’ so we had to master our entries of running and launching onto our boards
straight away.

The Interstate Carnival has state teams of 5 male and 5 females in under 14 and under 15. There was also an
under 17, under 19 and Open section but Tasmania didn’t send any representatives for those events this year.

I was very nervous on this day as the other athletes were all much taller and the waves were as fierce as
competition. It was a weight off my shoulders to get through all of my events without any trouble.

The next day we joined in one of the big local surf carnivals called the Maroochydore Classic. I was feeling more
confident in the big surf for this event and enjoyed my day. There were about 50-60 boys in each of my races.
A highlight was my board race where I managed to catch a great wave looking like I was going to make it
through to the next round, only to be dumped in the shore break!

Bringing the Community to the Beach

Some of the highlights and things I learned from my trip were:

 Becoming confident and really enjoying the big surf!
 Getting to meet some awesome Ironmen – Jhett Kenny, Matt Bevilacqua, Matt Poole and others.
 Having to swim with Blue Bottle jelly fish and surviving.
 Hanging out with athletes from the other states and having big water fights in the evenings.
 Talking with coaches who told us that kids our age train each week 5 -8 pool swim sessions, 2 gym sets, 2
 ironman trainings and 2 board trainings.
 Surf clubbies on the mainland choose to specialise in either beach or water events, they don’t train for
 both.
 On the Sunshine Coast it is daylight at 4.30am and everybody is wide awake early!
 The sand gets so hot that you can’t stand still without digging a hole to find cooler sand.
If you are interested in going away with a team, my advice is to concentrate on your swimming and board
paddling. I was selected by my results in under 13s in the water events. I would like to tell younger club
members that if they ever get the opportunity to go away to compete they should just enjoy themselves and
use the trip to gain greater experience.

I would like to say a big thank you to Port Sorell Surf Club for supporting me with a donation towards the cost
of my trip. I would also like to thank Craig Murfett, Dad and Uncle Brent for their training sessions and Cooper
Armitstead for giving me lots of hints and advice.

~ Seth Armitstead

Bringing the Community to the Beach

Nipper Presentation Day & Junior Club Captains for 20/21

Our Nippers managed to sneak in their beach party themed end of season disco and presentation day,
celebrating an awesome year of fun and activity on the beach and in the water.

Our normal communal meal was substituted
by copious socially-distanced and virally-aware
pizza at the last minute, receiving the approval
of all the nippers.

Outgoing Junior Club Captains, Seth, Oli and
Hollie were thanked for all their hard work over
the season and the 2020/21 Junior Club Captains
announced.

Congratulations to Ava Forbes and Oliver Hart!

We look forward to presenting you with your
official Captains’ shirts at the start of next
season.

Bringing the Community to the Beach

AGM & Club Constitution

Our Annual General Meeting will be held online on Sunday 28th June 2020. Joining instructions will be sent out
to member in the coming weeks.

The main purpose of the AGM is to present and adopt the clubs annual report and financial statements and to
elect the club committee for the 2020/21 season.

Over recent months, the committee has reviewed our club constitution and has considered necessary changes
to correct inconsistencies and update the constitution to better reflect the needs and activities of the club
today, and the current positions within our committee structure.

Proposed changes to our constitution are currently being finalised and, if endorsed by the committee, will be
presented as an agenda item at the Annual General Meeting.

Port Sorell Community Emergency Response Team

The Port Sorell Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a branch of Ambulance Tasmania that
has many synergies with our surf club. Both are volunteer-based, both are focussed on protecting our local
community and both play an important first responder role in our emergency management system.

Some of our current and past members are also Volunteer
Ambulance Officers with the Port Sorell CERT.

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) provide local
support for life-threatening medical emergencies in smaller
communities and are staffed by trained Volunteer Ambulance
Officers.

Following our successful Spotlight on Port Sorell SLSC event,
discussions commenced around how the two organisations
could work more closely together to support our community.
This culminated in an agreement between our club and Ambulance Tasmania to have the CERT based out of
our clubhouse to work together to develop shared training opportunities, providing further enhanced service to
our community.

Members may have noticed the arrival of a small store of ambulance supplies on the ground floor of the club.
Whilst all sharps and pharmaceuticals are locked safely away and are not accessible by any PSSLSC members,
we would ask that our members do not use any of the Ambulance Tasmania stores without seeking permission.

Once the COVID-19 restrictions are eased, the CERT will recommence training at the club and we will work
closely together to develop joint training opportunities to enhance our members’ first aid skills and training and
to further develop the Volunteer Ambulance Officers’ knowledge of surf lifesaving and the emergency response
capabilities of our club.

For more information on the Port Sorell CERT, please contact its Volunteer Coordinator, Sue George, on 0438
632 649.

Bringing the Community to the Beach

Penguin Island Swim 2020

Our annual open water swim, the Penguin Island Classic, was held on 14th March.

The swim was scheduled later in the season than previously and unfortunately clashed with a masters swim
event in Hobart, meaning that numbers were down on previous years. Nonetheless, 52 athletes braved a very
cool morning to take on the 2km and 500m courses.

Well done to those who placed first in their distance/category:

 2km - Overall - Sam Askey-Doran
 2km Male - Overall - Sam Askey-Doran
 2km Male - Open - Ethan Stretton
 2km Male - Masters - Nathan Cross
 2km Male - Senior Masters - Andrew Fisher
 2km Male - Junior - Sam Askey-Doran
 2km Female - Overall - Jardene Ralph
 2km Female - Open - Jardene Ralph
 2km Female - Masters - Shelley Millhouse
 2km Female - Senior Masters - Anita Northrop
 2km Female - Junior - Brooke Scott
 500m - Overall - Jordy Armistead
 500m Male - Overall - Jordy Armistead
 500m Female - Overall - Lisa Sanderson

A huge thank you to Jo Coates for once again organising the event, and to all of the volunteers that assisted in
the planning and running of the day, these events can’t happen without your support.

Bringing the Community to the Beach

IRB Crew Course

Eight of our Bronze Medallion holders completed their IRB crew training with Haydon Coates just prior to the
COVID-19 outbreak, but their assessment was cancelled at the last minute as a result of the shutdown.

Our IRB crews are an essential part of our patrol activities; we cannot patrol without an IRB and crew ready to
respond. The progression from BM to IRB crew is therefore a vital part of our surf lifesaving activities.

We look forward to being able to resume our training activities and adding another additional trained crew to
our patrol teams for next season.

SLST Development Squads

The SLST Surf Sports Executive Committee recently launched an initiative to build state and regional based
skill development opportunities for Tasmanian surf sports athletes. SLST has selected a number of surf athletes
from around the state based on results achieved over the 2019/20 season.

Congratulations to the Port Sorell members that were selected for the Senior and Junior Development Squads.

Senior Development Squad - Amelia Burbury & Cooper Armitstead
Junior Development Squad - Oliver Burbury & Seth Armistead (U14), Oliver Hart(U13) & Jordy Armistead (U12)

2020/21 Age Managers and Coaches

Our Nippers training and competition relies on our adult members becoming age managers and coaches. The
more officials that we have, the easier the load for everybody.

We would love to hear from any of our members who are interested in obtaining the SLSA Age Manager and/
or Coach qualifications to be able to assist on the beach next season. Whilst face-to-face training is currently
suspended, there are online courses available for these roles that you can complete from home.

Anybody interested in completing these courses should express their interest to Jo Coates in the first instance
(portsorellslc@gmail.com).

2019/20 Port Sorell SLSC Awards Presentation

All members are invited to nominate worthy club members for one of our annual awards-some of which align
with the SLST awards of excellence. Nominations close at 7pm on Wednesday 27 May. Criteria for nominations
are included in the link. Please get involved. http://www.portsorellslsc.org.au/awards

Presentation announcements will be made in an online platform on Saturday 13th June. Details about how you
can be involved will be forwarded in the week leading up to the event.

Website Update

During the off-season, my focus has turned to our website with a focus on imagery and automating some of the
regular enquiries that we receive regarding membership and venue hire. www.portsorellslsc.org.au

It’s a work-in-progress, so there may be some blanks occasionally, but I’m working to have everything complete
by the time the 2020/21 season commences. As always, I’d welcome any suggestions or feedback. Please send
any website feedback, or photos & articles for the next newsletter to me at neil_hargreaves@me.com.

Bringing the Community to the Beach

Member Protection & Club Values
 Committee Members
At Port Sorell SLSC, we endeavour to place our club values at the forefront • President
of everything that we do. In particular, we encourage our junior members Haydon Coates 0400 054 757
to think about these values as an integral part of their everyday activities, • Vice-President
 Ken Smith 0419 789 696
both within and outside the surf club environment.
 • Secretary
 Jo Coates 0448 198 848
We are proud of our club community and the fact that our members • Treasurer
embrace these values and display them in all that they do within the club Calton Frame 0459 021 727
and when representing the club in the wider surf lifesaving community. • Club Facility / Equip. Mgr
 Ken Smith 0419 789 696
Your committee believes that this is the key to our club being the safe
 • Life Saving Manager
and supportive environment that we enjoy, and where we develop our Eve Bell 0458 082 036
junior members. • Life Saving Trainer
 Grant Armistead 0409 946 454

Very rarely do we see behaviours within our club that do not accord with • Junior Nippers
 Penny Armistead 0488 031 013
our values. However, on the limited occasions that this has occurred, the • Bar Managers
committee has acted swiftly to protect our club and its members from Calton Frame & Ken Smith
what we feel to be detrimental to the culture of the club. • Functions Coordinator
 Vacant
 • Registrar
Members should be aware that SLSA has a Member Protection Policy Bron Menzies 0427 657 151
that the club applies to maintain a safe environment for all our members. • Uniform Coordinator
Should any member have questions or concerns regarding our values or Kayla Christie 0478 725 055

member protection, please contact a member of the committee. • Sponsorship
 Stuart Greenhill
 • Public Relations
 Neil Hargreaves 0466 266 113
National Volunteer Week
 Club Mission
Everything that happens at Port Sorell
SLSC happens because somebody To create a safe and healthy beach
volunteered to do it. community by:
 • Having fun together on and off the beach.
Our surf lifesavers volunteered almost • Learning with and from each other.
1400 hours of their time to protect the
 • Developing lifelong personal and
 community skills.
community this summer. • Protecting community and promoting
 healthy lives.
Our age managers, coaches, coordinators, parents and carers trained,
fed, transported, corralled and encouraged our nippers, seniors and Club Values
masters athletes to give their best effort all season.
 • Be respectful.
 • Be supportive.
Our members, from our nippers to our more “age-experienced”, • Embrace opportunities.
organised, promoted, set up and otherwise assisted with our • Be responsible.
community events, essential to keeping our club supported financially. • Give your best effort.
A small and very dedicated team of volunteers worked hard to design, Port Sorell
fund and gain approval for our club redevelopment which commences
 Surf Live Saving Club
next week.
 1 Dumbleton Street
 Hawley Beach, TAS 7307
Whatever contribution you made to support the club and its members
 www.portsorellslsc.org.au
this year, we thank you. Our club is nothing without you!
 portsorellslc@gmail.com