Lifeguarding
Member News and Information
Special General Meeting
A Special General Meeting (SGM) of Whiritoa Lifeguard Service Inc. will be held on Friday 27th December 2024 at 2pm at the Clubhouse in accordance with the rules of Whiritoa Lifeguard Service Inc. If you did not receive the Notice of Special General Meeting please request this to be resent from the Club Secretary at whiritoaslsc@gmail.com.
The purpose of this SGM is to table and approve the audited annual accounts for the financial years ending 2022, 2023 and 2024, which were not available at the time of the applicable Annual General Meeting (AGM).
To ensure all questions can be addressed in full, Members are requested to submit their questions in advance to the Club Secretary at whiritoaslsc@gmail.com no later than 2pm 26 December 2024. Please note that the floor will not be opened for questions during the SGM.
If you are unable to attend, you may download the proxy form below to appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf. Proxy forms must be received by the Secretary no later than 2pm 26 December 2024.
We strongly encourage all members to participate in this important meeting to ensure compliance with our legal and constitutional obligations.
Amelia Wood reaches new lifeguard milestone
We are delighted to share that Amelia Wood, our exceptional senior lifeguard and IRB Examiner, has been accepted to the prestigious National Lifeguard School!
This extraordinary achievement speaks volumes about Amelia's dedication, skill, and unwavering passion for excellence in lifeguarding. The qualifying and selection process for National Lifeguard School is known to be incredibly rigorous and demanding. According to the course description, "If a candidate can achieve their Advanced Lifeguard Award, they are among the fittest and most capable lifeguards on the beach. They will have demonstrated highly competent skills in all lifeguarding aspects in a patrol setting." Amelia's acceptance into this program signifies that she has surpassed these stringent criteria, placing her among the elite in the field.
Amelia is only the second female lifeguard from Whiritoa to achieve this distinction and is our first representative in a decade. Her accomplishment not only sets a new benchmark for our team but also inspires all aspiring lifeguards in our community.
Amelia, the WLSC committee extends our heartfelt congratulations and deep appreciation for your outstanding achievement. Your hard work, resilience, and passion have shone brightly, and we are honoured to support you in this journey. We wish you all the best as you embark on this exciting new chapter at the National Lifeguard School. May your experience be both rewarding and enriching, and may it pave the way for even greater successes in the future.
Congratulations Amelia!
AGM update
Committee changes for 2024
Welcome to Ricky Gary Carruthers who has joined the committee as the new Facilities Manager. Ricky is already a well-known member around the club and will be a valuable addition to our committee. Patrina Kerr (previously in the Facilities Manager role) has been appointed to the Chairperson role.
Following the recent AGM, we also welcomed Paul Shannon who has kindly offered to step into the position of Health & Safety Manager.
We look forward to working with both Ricky Gary and Paul.
All up to date contact details for our committee members can be found at https://www.whiritoalifeguards.co.nz/contact-us/ We welcome your feedback and communication.
Club Constitution Sub-Committee - call action by 30 June
As agreed at the AGM, the committee would like to form a small sub-committee to review our club’s constitution. The review is primarily being driven by key changes to the new Incorporated Societies Act 2022 with proposed amendments being recommended by SLSNZ to all clubs around New Zealand. In addition to these changes, there have also been some requested amendments to the constitution by a club member. Therefore, we believe it is an opportune time to review all of this concurrently. It is important to note that the amendments being proposed by SLSNZ are not an intention to take over governance of our club, but rather to provide support to clubs nationwide that require it. And further to this, any proposed amendments will need to be ratified by a majority vote from the Whiritoa Club Members at our 2025 AGM before being accepted.
As we are a member driven club, it is important to ensure we have a cross section of our members involved in reviewing our constitution on behalf of us all. If you would like to be part of this sub-committee (comprising of up to 4 individuals), please send an email to chairperson.whiritoaslsc@gmail.com by 30 June 2024. (Please include a summary of your background should we receive more excess nominations and be in a position to select the sub-committee members).
Please find the Minutes for the 2024 AGM in the link below. (When you click on the following link, the document will automatically download to your device)
Chairperson end of season update
Prizegiving 2024!
It was a fabulous evening of celebrations and remembrance, we started with a silent moment to honour the recent passing of Mitch East. Many clubbies from Toa attended the Celebration of Mitch's Life at Pāpāpmoa Surf Life Saving Club. Mitch was a valued member of our surf club as both a lifeguard, qualifying in 2010 and as our first-ever club Surf Sports coach.
Congratulations to all our winners! And thank you to all your amazing coaches!
Junior Surf Awards:
Sand Crab of the Year - Evie Langdon
Runner Up - Maeve Lanning
Little Nipper of the Year - Charlotte Bishop
Runner up - Austin Rummins
Big Nipper of the Year - Lauren Cummings
Runner Up - Hadleigh Sherpa
Cadet of the Year - Fletcher Ensor
Runner Up - Lyla Rummins
Rookie of the Year_ Lachie Ensor
Runner Up - Laura Barton
Trainee of the Year - Jackson Pinique
Runner Up - Blake Taylor
Junior Surf Sports - Freddy Bevan
Runner Up - Zanthe Thompson
Senior Surf Sports - Jacob Margules
Runner Up - Sienna Anderson
Ben and Felix Award - Ashlee Grover
Surf Lifeguard Awards :
Cooper Matthews
Blake Taylor
Maria Bogusz
Isobel Cummings
Jackson Punique
Lifeguard Development Awards
IRB Driver Award - Richie Wood
IRB Crewperson Awards :
Andrew Dickinson
Steve Wood
Porter Hooper
Jayden Dickinson
Charlize Kerr
James Williams
Jakob Kampenhout
Surf First Aid Award :
Addy Carruthers
Thomas Waters
Annabel Smith
Advanced Surf First Aid Award :
Dylan Shannon Metzger
Richie Wood
Pain Management Award - Amelia Wood
COACH of the Year - Lauren Young
Runner Up - Charlize Kerr
Instructor of the Year - Amelia Wood
Gumboot Award - Jack Tarry
Lifeguarding Awards
Junior Lifeguard of the Year - Kaitlyn Dickinson
Runner Up - Jack Tarry and Dylan Shannon-Metzger
Senior Lifeguard of the Year - William Waters
Runner Up - Lauren Young
Patrol Captain of the Year - William Waters
Patrol Team of the Year (Seal Award) - Patrol Team 1 (see photo)
50 Hour Award :
Jack Tarry
Dylan Shannon-Metzger
William Waters
Richie Wood
Lauren Young
Amelia Wood
Jayden Dickinson
Lucy Waters
Annabel Smith
Foreman Award with 146 Volunteer Hours - Jack Tarry
Supreme Club Awards
Bart Simpson Award - Richie Wood
Gavin Goodwin Award - 100+ volunteer hours :
Dylan Shannon-Metzger
Jack Tarry
Appreciations for service :
Patrina Kerr
Elaine Blair
Belinda Matheson
Chrystal Hapuku
Vicki Skill
Ross and Gail McCullough
Jane Bell
Ricky Garey
Volunteer of the Year :
Jane Bell
Belinda Matheson
President Award - Patrina Kerr
Well done to all!
Whiritoa Lifeguard Service
1 Kon Tiki Road,
Whiritoa, Waikato,
New Zealand 3691
