Where did you surf today ?

[Drailed]

Sorry Groots, all best mate

Join your kids up in the nearest SLSC Loof. If you don’t, it means you don’t love them.

Haha fuck off. Nippers is the gheyest thing on earth

[marauding mullet]

Your kids won't think that.
They can still be “surfies” you know. They’ll just be fitter, stronger and have better water sense than all the other surfers their age.
They’ll be having too much fun and making new friends to realise that they’re becoming strong swimmers, learning to be competitive, thriving in a structured organisation and learning more about the biology of the human body than most people ever will.
And when a potential employer reads SLSC in their resume, it gives them a big advantage, being involved in a large organisation that teaches discipline and serves a public service. A lot of big companies look for those attributes, particularly police, fire departments etc.
But your kids won’t be thinking about any of that until later in life, when they realise how lucky they were that they lived where they did and what their parents did for them.

In a few years there will be a new entry in the Guinness book of records.
“Tragic missed opportunities. British man makes new life in Australia, in SLSC heartland but doesn’t join his kids up”

[Cranked]

Where do I join up?

[Beanpole]

Sadly the bloke didn't make it

Richard Thornton, Olympian and legendary Bay Area swim coach, dies surfing in Santa Cruz

Tragic. CPR doesn’t have a great success rate but good on you for trying. Sometimes it makes all the difference.
Shows it can happen to anyone.

[alakaboo]

Good effort Groots.

Loof could be a leader of all the expats in the lifesaving club. Imagine how they'd fawn over his tales of surfing with Laird and reeling in giant fish.

[swvic]

You did what you could, Groots. Be kind to yourself. Not sure what happens in Ca, but a mate was involved in a rescue at Mallacoota a few years back. Capsised boat. Saved 2 and lost one. Coroner involved. He's seemingly okay with it now, but rattled him a fair bit despite knowing he did his best. The family involved were very appreciative despite their tragedy

[buddy]

Your kids won't think that.
They can still be “surfies” you know. They’ll just be fitter, stronger and have better water sense than all the other surfers their age.
They’ll be having too much fun and making new friends to realise that they’re becoming strong swimmers, learning to be competitive, thriving in a structured organisation and learning more about the biology of the human body than most people ever will.
And when a potential employer reads SLSC in their resume, it gives them a big advantage, being involved in a large organisation that teaches discipline and serves a public service. A lot of big companies look for those attributes, particularly police, fire departments etc.
But your kids won’t be thinking about any of that until later in life, when they realise how lucky they were that they lived where they did and what their parents did for them.

In a few years there will be a new entry in the Guinness book of records.
“Tragic missed opportunities. British man makes new life in Australia, in SLSC heartland but doesn’t join his kids up”

I did my slsc then bronze at Inverloch.
It was a brand new club back then, I always liked having our beach as a non-flagged beach before it came along.
I hated surf lifesaving. Most of the other kids I thought were nerds but I wanted to surf.
I think the clubby vs surfie culture war continued on longer in Victoria than some of the other states. None of the clubbies I’d see would surf and no surfers wanted to be a clubbie.

My mum made me get my SLSC if I wanted to go surfing by myself. Then when I turned 15 she made me do the bronze as well. I thought I was getting totally jibbed there.

So many overinflated egos in the volunteer side of clubbing back then.

There was one other kid like me that didn’t give a fuck. Not sure why he went through with it though as his parents didn’t make him. Still mates today, so I guess there’s that.

[buddy]

I’m not saying it’s like that now or at all clubs. Just my experience back then.

[Over55yrs]

Good effort Groots.

Loof could be a leader of all the expats in the lifesaving club. Imagine how they'd dawn over his tales of surfing with Laird and reeling in giant fish.

And talk endlessly about Premier League football results in the UK

[Beanpole]

100%. I was in as a Cadet Lifesaver. Tied for the point score. I bailed halfway through my Bronze. Largely because the older brothers of my mates were told to leave. That was because they let some of their mates come in and use the hot showers in winter. Plus play pool on the table. Most of the Clubbies were from Murwillumbah and they didn’t want the young local Surfies hanging around. Really short sighted. Could have got them involved.
Mainly full of Fog Horn Leghorn types and Rugger Buggers.

[marauding mullet]

Your kids won't think that.
They can still be “surfies” you know. They’ll just be fitter, stronger and have better water sense than all the other surfers their age.
They’ll be having too much fun and making new friends to realise that they’re becoming strong swimmers, learning to be competitive, thriving in a structured organisation and learning more about the biology of the human body than most people ever will.
And when a potential employer reads SLSC in their resume, it gives them a big advantage, being involved in a large organisation that teaches discipline and serves a public service. A lot of big companies look for those attributes, particularly police, fire departments etc.
But your kids won’t be thinking about any of that until later in life, when they realise how lucky they were that they lived where they did and what their parents did for them.

In a few years there will be a new entry in the Guinness book of records.
“Tragic missed opportunities. British man makes new life in Australia, in SLSC heartland but doesn’t join his kids up”

I did my slsc then bronze at Inverloch.
It was a brand new club back then, I always liked having our beach as a non-flagged beach before it came along.
I hated surf lifesaving. Most of the other kids I thought were nerds but I wanted to surf.
I think the clubby vs surfie culture war continued on longer in Victoria than some of the other states. None of the clubbies I’d see would surf and no surfers wanted to be a clubbie.

My mum made me get my SLSC if I wanted to go surfing by myself. Then when I turned 15 she made me do the bronze as well. I thought I was getting totally jibbed there.

So many overinflated egos in the volunteer side of clubbing back then.

There was one other kid like me that didn’t give a fuck. Not sure why he went through with it though as his parents didn’t make him. Still mates today, so I guess there’s that.

Yeah I’m aware of the whole clubbies are wankers thing, but I can only relate to my own experience in SA where it never existed.
Some of the older guys in my club were the early pioneers of Cactus and other remote spots, long before Paul Witzig arrived.
I went out there in the early 70’s with them when I was still in high school. It was all about getting lifts down the coast regularly as well.
Anyway, my post was about loof’s kids and what they may or may not get out of it.
I drifted away from my club when I finished my apprenticeship at round 19 or 20, over 40 years ago now. The world was beckoning.
It wouldn’t hurt for Loof or anyone else to chuck their kids in and see how they like it. If they don’t they’ll soon let you know and no harm done. Be a shame never to give them the opportunity because of the parents preconceived prejudices.

[buddy]

I wasn’t trying to say don’t go it, just how I felt back then about it.
I just thought they were pretty useless, not great swimmers and all the actual rescues were done by surfers anyway.

[marauding mullet]

All good buddy, even Nick agreed with most of that on here once, when it came up, but there’s aspects of it that keep him involved.
Wouldn’t do Loofy any harm getting involved, he might learn to swim by putting his face in the water and not wildly swinging it from side to side like a tard.

[PeepeelaPew]

My mum made me get my SLSC if I wanted to go surfing by myself.

So did mine. So I'd leave the house with my clubbie hat and Speedos and foamie and just walk straight past the clubbies to the reef bordering the beach and spend the time surfing instead.

[The Mighty Sunbird]

I put all my kids in nippers. They all fucking hated it and quit after the first year

[buddy]

Good kids.
I remember quitting church at about 12.
Me and my brother thought, “fuck this shit on a Sunday morning”.
My Dad lasted another month then my mum maybe a few more after him

They weren’t really religious, just thought church was the thing to do and for the community aspect.

[Drailed]

Your kids won't think that.
They can still be “surfies” you know. They’ll just be fitter, stronger and have better water sense than all the other surfers their age.
They’ll be having too much fun and making new friends to realise that they’re becoming strong swimmers, learning to be competitive, thriving in a structured organisation and learning more about the biology of the human body than most people ever will.
And when a potential employer reads SLSC in their resume, it gives them a big advantage, being involved in a large organisation that teaches discipline and serves a public service. A lot of big companies look for those attributes, particularly police, fire departments etc.
But your kids won’t be thinking about any of that until later in life, when they realise how lucky they were that they lived where they did and what their parents did for them.

In a few years there will be a new entry in the Guinness book of records.
“Tragic missed opportunities. British man makes new life in Australia, in SLSC heartland but doesn’t join his kids up”

I did my slsc then bronze at Inverloch.
It was a brand new club back then, I always liked having our beach as a non-flagged beach before it came along.
I hated surf lifesaving. Most of the other kids I thought were nerds but I wanted to surf.
I think the clubby vs surfie culture war continued on longer in Victoria than some of the other states. None of the clubbies I’d see would surf and no surfers wanted to be a clubbie.

My mum made me get my SLSC if I wanted to go surfing by myself. Then when I turned 15 she made me do the bronze as well. I thought I was getting totally jibbed there.

So many overinflated egos in the volunteer side of clubbing back then.

There was one other kid like me that didn’t give a fuck. Not sure why he went through with it though as his parents didn’t make him. Still mates today, so I guess there’s that.

Yeah I’m aware of the whole clubbies are wankers thing, but I can only relate to my own experience in SA where it never existed.
Some of the older guys in my club were the early pioneers of Cactus and other remote spots, long before Paul Witzig arrived.
I went out there in the early 70’s with them when I was still in high school. It was all about getting lifts down the coast regularly as well.
Anyway, my post was about loof’s kids and what they may or may not get out of it.
I drifted away from my club when I finished my apprenticeship at round 19 or 20, over 40 years ago now. The world was beckoning.
It wouldn’t hurt for Loof or anyone else to chuck their kids in and see how they like it. If they don’t they’ll soon let you know and no harm done. Be a shame never to give them the opportunity because of the parents preconceived prejudices.

Jesus fuck bro, both my kids have done it, my son is way more ocean experienced for his age then the nippers and my daughter hated it. Tried to get her into it again this year but no go.

[Drailed]

Good effort Groots.

Loof could be a leader of all the expats in the lifesaving club. Imagine how they'd dawn over his tales of surfing with Laird and reeling in giant fish.

And talk endlessly about Premier League football results in the UK

Oh man, got introduced to someone when I first moved up here because they english which is always a punish and yep, got invited to watch the 2am premier league matches at the rsl with all the other english dads... erm, thanks, see how we go....