Australia Surf Life Saving President visits Bude to celebrate 60 years of lifesaving

Surf Life Saving Australia’s President Graham Ford visited Bude Surf Life Saving Club on Crooklets Beach, Bude, this weekend, to celebrate 60 years of surf life saving in Great Britain.

The day’s celebrations saw Bude Surf Life Saving Club members – some as young as seven (the ‘Nippers’) demonstrating to VIPs and the public a range of lifesaving skills, both traditional and modern. Members of the public were treated to a display of original Surf Life Saving methods using the reel and line, to current beach Lifeguard training skills with rescue boards, torpedo tubes and Inshore Rescue Boats. Bude’s members then completed a traditional ‘march past’, wearing full club uniform.

The visit was part of a year of celebrations to commemorate 60 years since the first visit from Australia, leading to Bude SLSC’s formation in May 1953. Bude SLSC, Surf Life Saving GB’s first ever club, started in May 1953 following Alan Kennedy MBE's visit from the Australian High Commission in 1952, during which he saw first-hand the alarming number of drownings occurring in the area, and realised the need for Surf Life Saving.  He went about training local people in Surf Life Saving. Seven of the original 18 people trained in 1953 were present at the celebrations.

To give the celebrations a truly authentic feel, Bude SLSC members dressed in traditional 1950s clothing and re-enacted Alan Kennedy’s first visit to Bude. VIPs in attendance along with Graham Ford were seven of the 18 people originally trained by Alan Kennedy, and SLSGB Board members.

Surf Life Saving GB’s CEO Esther Pearson said:
“Sixty years ago Alan Kennedy started a ripple effect that continues to this day. We now have more than 5,500 surf lifesavers learning and developing their skills to be safe in the water and to protect others who may be in danger. We all enjoyed the fantastic display by Bude SLSC members, who showed their skill and talent on the beach and in the surf, and the sun even shone on us!”

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