Geraldton Surf Life Saving stalwart Peter Saunders receives top honour at gala event

A long-time servant of the Geraldton Surf Life Saving Club, Peter Saunders, was honoured at the 2023 WA Surf Life Saving Awards of Excellence.

Saunders was awarded assessor of the year at the gala ball in Perth earlier this month.

He joined the Geraldton Surf Life Saving Club in 1968 as a nipper and became an assessor in 2001. He is currently an assessor for the surf rescue certificate, bronze medallion and IRB, and a facilitator for advanced resuscitation.

As an assessor in the Mid West, Saunders helps other regional clubs with achieving their volunteer awards and skills maintenance requirements, particularly for IRB assessments.

He also assesses for competition events, including champion lifesaver at the local, State and national level which, together with training members in champion lifesaver events, has enabled members to achieve awards at all levels.

He also uses his time to mentor other assessors as well as trainers, patrol members, junior members and everyone involved in the surf club.

The GSLSC thanked Saunders for his contribution to the club over the years.

“Pete’s contribution to the life and ongoing success of Geraldton Surf Lifesaving Club cannot be underestimated,” they said.

“There would not be a member of Geraldton Surf Club who has not been trained, assessed or mentored by him. Pete has a calm, patient and thorough teaching style ensuring all of the patrollers have the highest standard of training.

“We thank Pete for his lifelong love of Surf Lifesaving and feel incredibly humbled by his achievements. We all look forward to having a club swim or paddle out the back with him in the coming season.”

SLSWA president Craig Smith-Gander paid tribute to the nearly 24,000 members who dedicate their weekends and holidays to helping keep West Australian beachgoers safe.

“These people are the everyday heroes of our beaches, committing countless hours of service to uphold our mission of saving lives and building great communities,” he said.

“While our volunteers span all ages and many roles and responsibilities, all share the goal of helping West Australian beachgoers enjoy our magnificent coastline safely.”