Keeping us safe since 1913

Not one person has lost their life under the watch of Bulli Surf Life Saving Club during 95 years of patrols on the beach.

The club’s members have been the guardians of their local strip of sand and water since 1913 and as the 95 year milestone approaches are reminded more than ever to be proud of their spotless record.

And it’s not just saving lives that the club excels at.

This year members took home about 150 medals in the Illawarra championships, a massive increase on previous years and their best ever medal haul.

Club President Keith Caldwell has been part of Bulli SLSC since his youth, joining up in 1976.

He has experienced first hand the last third of the club’s history.

Despite his obvious commitment to the club, Mr Caldwell admits that he is not a fan of all the changes he has witnessed to surf life saving over the years.

“We’ve got to conform to all OH&S issues and there’s a lot more paper work – it makes it hard for a lot of members,” he said.

“(The amount of paperwork involved) turns a lot of people away.”

Mr Caldwell said the club is more like a workplace than a volunteer organisation in some ways, but said he understands that the change is just a symptom of our modern litigation-friendly society.

Regardless of any changes to the way things are done, Bulli SLSC and the other surf clubs up and down the Illawarra coast are still focused, committed and passionate about saving lives and promoting safety.

According to Mr Caldwell, Bulli Beach attracts crowds from Western Sydney as well as the usual locals.

He said that these inland day-trippers are often less familiar with the surf, adding to the importance of having lifesavers on the beach.

To celebrate Bulli SLSC’s 95th anniversary the club has organised a weekend of celebrations, starting this Friday with an informal function a Bulli Workers Club.

On Saturday night past and present members, some travelling long distances to come along and honour the club, will celebrate with an official function at the Workers Club.

At 10am on Sunday morning there will be a recovery barbecue with free sausages and cheap drinks at the surf club itself.