Presidents Report

Mission Statement

Yanchep Surf Life Saving Club aims to create a club culture of inclusion, belonging, friendship and unity. This is to be achieved by keeping our core values of vigilance and service within our club and within our community at the highest level.

Season commencement of Life Saving Services

Our first patrol for the 2018/2019 season took place on 04 Nov 2018 under stressful circumstances since we had lost valuable, skilled club members who had after a decade of commitment to YSLSC decided to hand over the leadership to a relatively new yet very eager bunch of volunteers.

My aim was to uphold the requirements of the Life Saving Agreement we have in place with the City of Wanneroo, our most valuable stakeholder.

The new season saw some new rules within this agreement, not least of which was the change from 2 to 4 Bronze Medallion patrol members at every rostered patrol.

We had our challenges set early in the new season and all of our members stood up as we managed to provide 22 “between the flags” patrols and an additional 4 Abalone “special patrols” without any major problems, while maintaining the clubs already high standards.

We also introduced our Abalone breakfast for our committed members and volunteers to say thank you for their efforts. This went down a treat and was even recognised by SLSWA as one of the highlights of our season. My aim during my season as President of your club, was to create a great club culture of unity and belonging while saying thank you to all the people who make coming down to the club worthwhile and volunteering their valuable time to the club and the community.

I would like to make mention of our neighbouring clubs such as Mullaloo and Alkimos, who were always ready to assist with additional resources for the Abalone patrols and training sessions throughout the season. It has been a great privilege to get to know like-minded people from these clubs, who are so supportive of YSLSC. The same must be said for SLSWA who were a pillar of strength and support during our season and continue to offer us guidance when necessary.

Membership

Our club membership has increased dramatically with a growth of 271% which was an incredible effort. This was due to the area demographics changing and more people moving in. The clubs’ central position to the entrance of the lagoon beach, has offered us the opportunity to show the community our patrol members in action! This has encouraged members of the public to enquire about membership and has certainly increased our numbers so far. The largest portion of growth this season, were nippers. I believe this will always be the entry point for active members who originate as parents on the beach.

I would like to see the continued focus on amazing member registration days for the club and will continue to push our agenda through local schools, community events and with local business who are eager to be a part of our growth and success.

Other key components to our sustained growth will be the opening and use of our new state-of-the-art gym facility. I would like to see our all-inclusive policy continue to encourage members from all walks of life to bring their skills and enthusiasm to our club.

Our nippers season will be even more fantastic with the added support of Woodside’s new sponsorship with SLSWA, where all clubs will benefit with new uniforms, water safety apparel and an extensive nipper recruitment marketing campaign across digital, print and outdoor media to grow awareness of the program and registrations.

We have engaged the services of an advertising company to design a new website which we are sure will encourage more digital engagement and offer our members a facility which will promote events such as competitions and training and encourage participation though knowledge.

BREAKING NEWS

Our club is also one of the fortunate few (only 10 out of 31) to be donated a brand-new CAN AM ATV which will be ours for the new season and will be used for the nippers and their upcoming season. This due to their continued success and achievements in our club.

We will also be receiving our new patrol tower for the 2019/2020 season due to our success and this will allow us to better provide our services.

Competition

Our competition squad had a memorable year and competed well with some great results for an emerging and relatively new squad. I would like to see members recruited and encouraged to participates in all aspects of life saving competitions and surf sports this season. I believe we have some very able participants in our membership who are very eager to compete. The club hopes to invest more time and resources into this pillar of our club, and we will continue going from strength to strength. We had some nippers competing in the winter pool events as well with some great enthusiasm which is very good to see and most promising.

Training and education

This season saw a huge dent in our training and education plans with our most qualified and key trainers and assessors leaving the club in the beginning of the season. This did not hinder us as we managed to get 12 new bronze medallions, 6 new silver medallions in beach management (patrol captains) as well as 4 new SRC’s awarded.

We had to rely on the assistance of Mullaloo and other clubs, but they were always willing to give us a hand and get them over the line.

We have also added over 10 new HLTAID003 (Provide First Aid) and at least 8 Advanced Resuscitation (AID)

Along with these new awards we also had some members go and complete training courses to be certified training officers and this will ensure that we can now be more sustainable in our club and will no longer need to rely on assistance from other clubs. This is a fantastic achievement and shows our tenacity and willingness to keep our club strong and moving forward.

A massive thank you to all those involved. With more members trained and competent allows our club to grow and be more versatile in our service delivery across the club.

Equipment and storage

Our club is very fortunate to have fantastic equipment. It seems to be getting even better in the new season which is great news. I urge everyone to keep it this way. I ask that all members, both young and old, look after our equipment as if it were their own and continually monitor and train those in the safe and efficient use of your equipment so we can continue to have equipment and additional gear of such a high standard. The storage thereof needs to be monitored so that no unnecessary accidents or damage occur due to incorrect storage.

Finances

The club’s current financial position is strong, and this has been attributed to good financial governance. The funding agreement we have with the City of Wanneroo has assisted us in maintaining this position as well as other grants from SLSWA. Our plan is to increase our fees for the upcoming season due to increased running costs of the new facility. Additional income will be forthcoming from the use of our gym, where we will charge membership fees. It is hoped that our fundraisings and grants committee will make application and take advantage of any other grants that become available where we can qualify.

Positive notes

• Nomination for Patrol Club of the Year.
• Increase in membership.
• Increase in members trained.
• Increase in patrolling membership.
• Great vibe at our club.

Challenges

• Members stepping up into new roles.
• Ongoing running costs.
• Management of club growth.

Conclusion

YSLSC is well poised for a great future considering the facilities, location and growing population in the area. I urge new members to get involved in the club’s activities and growth and to take on roles to challenge themselves and make the club a better one for all.

I would like to serve the club as President for this coming season. I have work to do here and complete what I have started. I will endeavour to assist all those who work with me on the committee and in sub-committees to achieve the goals and aspirations of our club.

The club is a great way to meet new friends, challenge ourselves and have quality family time for all.

For 2019/2020 season, I wish all the committee members great success in their roles and all our members, parents and others who have assisted in any way or form a big thank you as without you, this would not be the great club it is today.

Billy Prinsloo
President
Yanchep Surf Life Saving Club
21 July 2019