Blu-ing Newsletter

A few words from President Stretch

Hello South Maroubra Members. We hope you are taking the time to read our fortnightly Blu-ing newsletter, designed to give you timely information on a host of current issues. In this edition I’d like to quickly touch on the following.

News at a glance

• Golf Day relaunched. A big thank you to Andrew McCabe for relaunching our Golf Day at Randwick Golf Course, and to Julian (Nipper parent), owner of Virtus Infrastructure and our event sponsor.
• Nippers off to a great start. Saturday and Sunday Nippers have started well. Thanks to Ash, the Nipper Leadership Team, our Age Managers and Assistants, and Water Safety.
• No Nippers this Sunday. Nipper families are invited to the park for Oktoberfest instead. The Fun Run starts at 9am, register at www.maroubrafunrun.com.au. A German folk band plays, then Soulganic from 3pm.
• Vale Cliffy Gerathy. A past member of our club and a Life Member at Maroubra Surf Club, with great surf boat racing success. The funeral is on Tuesday 27/10/26 at 11am, Holy Family Church, Maroubra Road.
• Coolangatta Gold. Well done to our competitors Sophie, Billy, Olivia, Harry, Alexa, Luke, Tim and Aiden.
• Coming up. The U8 Carnival, Sydney Branch Boat Carnival and Social Sundays. The BK bar and Heritage Room are available for Christmas parties, and don’t forget to join the club Facebook page.

See you at the club
Paul ‘Stretch’ Fownes APM OAM
President

Fun Run and Oktoberfest this Sunday

We look forward to seeing a crowd this Sunday to enjoy a great day. Thank you in advance to everyone who has put their hand up to assist on the day! These events couldn’t happen without your voluntary assistance.

Our annual U8 Carnival and Surfboat Carnival

Both carnivals are on Saturday 14 November at South Maroubra and we need plenty of helpers to make the day run smoothly.

Have you booked your Santa photo yet?

The IRB Racing Team’s annual Santa Photo Fundraiser is back. Book a private beachside session with Santa on 29 November, 6 December, 13 December or 20 December.

• A private session with Santa
• A minimum of 10 digital photos
• A beachside experience at the club
• Your booking supports our IRB racing team

Cost: $40 per booking. Walk-ins are welcome if spots are free, but booking is the best way to secure your time. All proceeds go to the IRB racing team, so please share with family and friends. Questions: santa@southmaroubrasurfclub.com.au.

Capture the magic, support our IRB racing team!

Lifesaving

Patrols rostered October and November

Date	AM patrol	PM patrol
Sat 24 Oct	AR2	1
Sun 25 Oct	2	3
Sat 31 Oct	5	4
Sun 1 Nov	Water Safety and 7	6
Sat 7 Nov	9	8
Sun 8 Nov	Water Safety and 10	11
Sat 14 Nov	3	13
Sun 15 Nov	Water Safety and 14	15
Sat 21 Nov	16	17
Sun 22 Nov	Water Safety and AR1	1
Sat 28 Nov	2	3
Sun 29 Nov	Water Safety and 4	5

Thank you to everyone who has patrolled so far this season.

Lifesaving updates

• Drone patrols and water safety. We now have drone patrols on Nippers days plus an extra IRB. Thanks to Kirsten Newrick (IRB Coordinator) and Ben Liquite (Chief Pilot).
• Gear and equipment. The tower radio and two handhelds are away for repair and will be back in November. The patrol trailer jockey wheel is being repaired and should be ready this weekend.
• Qantas patrol shirts are being distributed.
• New IRB and motor will be christened at the Fun Run, supported by Bendigo Bank.
• Membership and proficiency reminder. Membership fees must be paid before your next patrol, and your annual proficiency must be completed before 31 December.

Reminder: patrol responsibilities and attendance

Who is required to patrol? All Active Members, including SRC members, and Active Reserve Members are allocated to a patrol team and are required to attend all rostered patrols. Providing fully staffed patrols is a core requirement of the Club’s Lifesaving Service Agreement (LSA). Failure to meet this obligation may result in penalties being applied to the Club by SLS Sydney or SLS NSW.

Unable to attend a rostered patrol? You are responsible for arranging a substitute with the current qualifications and proficiency required for your assigned role. Register your request in the Members Portal, or post it in the Club’s patrol substitute WhatsApp group (and make sure the arrangement is also recorded in the Members Portal). Before posting, check whether you can help someone who has already requested a substitute. SRC members must also arrange a substitute if they cannot attend their rostered patrol.

No shows, make-up patrols and penalties (updated). Make-up patrols are now approved by the Director of Lifesaving and Education, the Assistant Director, or the Operations Support Manager. A missed patrol must be made up within three weeks, otherwise a penalty patrol applies as well. SRC members do not receive a penalty patrol, but a No Show is recorded.

Requests to be excused (updated). Bronze Medallion members need approval from the Director, Assistant Director or Operations Support Manager before the patrol date. For SRC members, Patrol Captains may excuse them in exceptional circumstances such as school sport; contact your Patrol Captain before the date.

Submitting a request does not mean you have been excused. Wait for confirmation.

Competitor requirements. Members wishing to compete at Branch, State or Australian Championship events will have their patrol hours, No Shows and outstanding make-up or penalty patrols reviewed to ensure they meet the Club’s requirements.

Education team update

It has been a busy start to the season for the education team.

• UAV (drones). Ben Liquite has completed his Training Officer Certificate, and John Pochnee and Angelo Koukos will join as trainers. Congratulations to our new UAV operators Alan Morris, Hinson Fu, Sam Carter and Gabriella Georgius. More UAV courses are coming.
• IRB Drivers. Zack, Lauchlan and Maya have completed the course.
• Resuscitation. The U11 girls completed their Resuscitation award with Codie.
• Adult SRC has produced 7 new Water Safety volunteers.
• Coming up. Bronze Medallion training, IRB Crew training (fully booked), the last two IRB Skills Maintenance sessions, and a U14 SRC group starting in early November.

So it’s all happening in education! Thank you to all our trainers and assessors.

Skills maintenance reminder

Skills maintenance is in full swing and two dates are already done. Book early: only two IRB sessions are left. Complete the online modules first by enrolling through the eLearning Hub; a practical session is required for BM, SRC, ART and IRB Crew/Driver.

• Sat 7 Nov: ART 10am, BM/SRC 11am (Education Room)
• Sun 8 Nov: IRB Driver/Crew 7am (Lifesaving Shed)
• Sat 5 Dec: ART 8am or 2pm, BM/SRC 9am or 3pm (Education Room); IRB Driver/Crew 7am (Lifesaving Shed)
• Sun 13 Dec: ART 8am or 2pm, BM/SRC 9am or 3pm (Education Room)

Read the full skills maintenance requirements for 2026/2027

Competition

Upcoming carnivals

• Sat 24 Oct: Wanda One
• Sat 31 Oct: NSW Beach Stormers Round 1, South Maroubra
• 7 to 8 Nov: Sydney Water Series Rounds 1 and 2, Fairy Meadow
• Sat 14 Nov: U8 Carnival and Surf Boat Carnival, South Maroubra
• Sat 21 Nov: Water Series Round 3, Warilla Barrack Point
• Sat 5 Dec: North Cronulla Christmas Carnival; Water Series Round 4, Gerringong

NSW Beach Stormers at South Maroubra

Join us on Saturday 31 October to watch Round 1 of the NSW Beach Stormers at South Maroubra, with the fastest athletes on the sand. We need help setting up the beach track and flag pit, so please contact Director of Competition Peter Kondilios if you can lend a hand.

Nippers

What a fantastic start to the Nippers season! Highlights so far include the U11 girls earning their Resus Award, Junior Club Captain interviews, apparel sales and a busy BBQ. We are looking for more BBQ volunteers, so please contact doy@southmaroubrasurfclub.com.au if you can help.

No Nippers this Sunday. We are back on the beach on 1 November.

Good luck to everyone competing at Wanda. At the U8 Carnival, our sponsor Zippy is providing a free foamie to the winners!

• Nipper information, calendar, age chart and booklet

Around the club

Golf Day: what a great day

Congratulations to Michael Ryan and Team Muru, winners of the 2026 Golf Day. Thank you to all our sponsors, especially Julian and Team Virtus.

We are looking for BBQ Heroes!

Are you looking to take on a role at the club this season? Send an expression of interest to finance@southmaroubrasurfclub.com.au.

Reminder: surf club gym changes for 2026/2027

Please read the updated gym rules before your next session. Full details are on the gym page and in the gym instructions and guidelines (PDF).