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Clovelly SLSC members recognised ROM April 2021 Branch Winner

Congratulations to members of Clovelly SLSC who have been recognised  as Branch winner Rescue of the Month April 2021. 
It was a balmy Sunday morning on the 11 April 2021, with a brisk wind and choppy seas and large sets coming through, when Patrol 6 doing their last patrol of the Season did a rove at Gordons Bay at approximately 11.50am. They were sitting on the rocks at the boat ramp watching the swimmers when Hugo Holt (15years old) noticed a group of scuba divers drifting towards the rock about (5 meters from the boat ramp) and went to check if they were alright.
One of the ladies in the group was not managing. She was struggling as we later found out her dive equipment wasn’t working (and she had lost her mouthpiece). Her Dive Master Damon tried to swim her in but the conditions were too much for her, and Damon was struggling to swim in with her. The Divers usually use the boat ramp to enter and exit the water, but the conditions had worsened making it really difficult to come in.
He signaled to Hugo Holt (15 year old Bronze) for assistance. Hugo called to Cormac Hickey (15 year old Bronze) and Madeleine Soo (13 years SRC) to bring the tube. He entered the water and helped keep the diver above water until he was met by Cormac and Maddie with the tube. The tube didn’t fit round her with all her equipment so Maddie and Cormac they asked her to hold onto the tube while they swam her in where they then assisted her onto the rocks to safety by the remaining patrol.
When Cormac got Hugo’s request for assistance, he dispatched Diego to the headlands to try and radio through to the Patrol. They were in a black spot. The wind and low cloud cover wasn’t conducive to line site radio transmission, however Diego Del Busto (SRC) managed to get a signal and radioed his Patrol Captain that they were conducting rescues on a group of divers.
Roslyn Manuel (PC) contacted the Council Lifeguards to inform them that a rescue was going down and dispatched her ARTC and Silver Search and Rescue operators Richard Baskin, Fiona Phelps, Nancy Mikhaiel and Edwardo Sanchez to assist with First Aid kit, Oxygen and Defib, as there was no further communication with the Patrol at Gordons Bay.
With Damon trying to assist the female diver, the remaining 4 people in his dive party got detached from the group.
They together with another 4 free divers were helped out of the water onto the rocks to safety led by Hugo who remained in the water to assist them up the rocks while the SRC’s lined up on the rocks in order to help pull the divers in. During this time Support Ski 3 had arrived and assisted by bringing 2 of the patients who had drifted quite far out closer to the shore, so that Hugo and his team could assist them onto the rocks to safety.
By the time the additional members of patrol had arrived, including the lifeguard, everyone had been safely assisted onto the rocks and out of danger.
Due to Hugo’s quick thinking and leadership together with Cormac and Maddie and the rest of the roving patrol, they were able to extract all 10 divers out of the water with none of them needing any additional assistance.
Hugo Holt completed his Bronze in October 2021
Cormac Hickey complete his SRC – Bronze April 2021
Madeline Soo, Mathew Ching, Noah Fontaine & James Young completed their SRC this season
Diego has completed his second year as an SRC and will do his Bronze next season.
A debrief was held by Roslyn Manuel (Patrol Captain) and Matt Spooner (Sydney 10; Director of Lifesaving & Education).
Follow up phone calls were done 13 April 2021 to check on the welfare of the rescuers by Roslyn Manuel (Patrol Captain).

In the words of my college Ed Sanchez:
What a TEAM! Such a strong bunch of selfless driven young guns, it safe to say that we are proud that this is the future of our club! What an awesome bunch!

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Bondi members recognised for Rescue of the Month

Congratulations to Bondi SBLSC members Richard Nicholas and Courtney Date who have been awarded Branch ROM March 2021 Winners. 
Following the NSW Sydney Rain event the Colo, Nepean and Hawkesbury Rivers exceeded the Major Flood Class Levels, the scope and intensity of the following had not been seen in a generation. Communities along the Colo River and along the Putty Road found themselves isolated in the rapidly rising waters with the potential for some properties to be inundated causing a significant risk to life. The State of Emergency Service commenced an evacuation. 
As we are all aware SLS Sydney tasked club IRB teams and Duty Officers to assist with this disaster working together with other emergency services.
At approximately 1pm on Tuesday 23 March a Marine Rescue NSW vessel and its crew of 3 were transporting 2 adults and 2 small children evacuees when it became caught on a cable which pulled the vessel over onto its side in swift water, at which point it rapidly filled with water and capsized shortly after. Two crew members were ejected into the water and managed to hold onto the hull. The other crew member and the 4 evacuees were then trapped upside-down in the upturned boat.
On seeing this unfold the crews of an SES Boat and Bondi SBLSC IRB, crewed by Richard Nicholas and Courtney Date sped to assist. The crew of the SES boat used their craft to try and prevent the Marine Rescue Vessel being washed away with the 5 persons inside, with a crew member and Courtney Date from Bondi IRB jumping into the water to attempt to rescue the now trapped persons.
The water was cold and still moving quickly, visibility was low and there was much debris including the item that had originally capsized the vessel. To enter the water was extremely hazardous however the SES member and  Bondi member Courtney Date did so without regard for their own safety, as in doing so there was a real and present risk to their lives. The 2 adult evacuees managed to exit the submerged boat and were recovered into another SES rescue boat. The SES crew member and Courtney Date made numerous attempts to enter the upturned hull by ducking under the water being totally immersed. Visibility was zero and the boat was being washed downstream. Together they eventually managed to reach inside the hull and pulled a trapped child out by their legs. The second child was then pushed down out of the submerged hull by the other crew member whilst he himself was trapped inside. The children were recovered into rescue boats. The crew member then swam out of the hull being the last person to be recovered.
This rescue was extremely hazardous and was conducted in extremely difficult conditions. Without the swift, decisive and courageous actions of Courtney Date, Richard Nicholas in his ability to control the craft to allow Courtney to effect the rescues, and their emergency services counterparts, this incident could have resulted in the fatalities of these trapped.
Congratulations and thank you to Bondi SBLSC members Richard Nicholas and Courtney Date for your bravery in effecting this rescue.