THE Nambucca Valley Country Music Club has made a donation to Nambucca Heads Surf Life Saving Club’s nippers program to help ensure young people can continue to learn vital surf safety and lifesaving skills.
The music club has built a strong reputation for raising funds and donating them to a wide range of worthy organisations throughout the district.
Daren Alder, junior activities co-ordinator at Nambucca Heads SLSC, said support from local organisations such as the Nambucca Valley Country Music Club played an important role in helping the club upgrade and purchase training equipment while keeping registration fees affordable for local families.
“Nambucca Nippers would like to thank the Nambucca Valley Country Music Club for their generous donation to the club,” Mr Alder said.
“Nambucca was where the original nippers program was created and has now been rolled out across Australia and the world.
“There are now over 60,000 registered nippers in Australia and it all started at Nambucca Heads.”
Nambucca Nippers told News Of The Area that funds were set aside each year to confidentially assist families who found registration costs difficult to afford.
This helped the club ensure that children could participate in surf safety and awareness programs regardless of financial circumstances.
“With this donation we are looking at purchasing some specialised boards and equipment to ensure that all nippers are able to participate and hopefully move into pathways to becoming active patrol members,” Mr Alder said.
While surf lifesaving is often associated with strong swimmers performing rescues in the water, Mr Alder said modern patrol operations now relied on a wide range of skills and volunteers.
The club is currently welcoming new members who can contribute in a variety of ways, including operating shark-spotting drones, undertaking radio communications and supporting patrol activities on the beach.
Mr Alder said these emerging technologies and skills were also becoming part of the training provided to young members.
“We teach these newer roles to the nippers and with the continued support of organisations such as the Nambucca Valley Country Music Club we can continue to train our nippers to active patrolling members who give of their time to keep our beaches and waterways safe.”
The donation will help ensure local young people continue to have access to quality training, equipment and opportunities to develop into the next generation of surf lifesavers.
By Mick BIRTLES
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