Surf Life Saving Northern Region celebrates the best of 2016-17

The Mairangi Bay, Orewa and Red Beach Surf Life Saving Clubs took out the Lion's share of the Awards at the 2017 Surf Life Saving Northern Region Awards of Excellence held at Shed 10 on 12 August.

On a night when the Region's 17 clubs gathered to celebrate the achievements of the 2016-17 season, the Toyota Financial Services-sponsored Awards recognised the best in 35 categories as well as honouring the service contribution of 25 members.

Yamaha Club of the Year along with the award for Best Patrolled Beach went to Orewa, which also picked up competition trophies for the Northern Region Championships, Senior Competition Club of the Year and the Pool Championships as well as individual awards for Under-16 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year (Hamish Lockie and Lucy Makaea) and Examiner of the Year (Faron Turner) - eight awards in total. Orewa stalwart John Chapman was also honoured with a Life Membership.

Rescue of the Year was awarded to the lifeguards from Kariaotahi SLSC for their efforts on 30 January this year when they were involved in a surf rescue, an extensive search for two missing swimmers, and a motorcycle accident in a short space of time after the patrols had officially finished at 6pm.

The Lifeguard of the Year trophy went to Ollie Irwin (Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol) for the second year in a row, while Raglan Surf Life Saving Club's Mark Shrimpton was named Regional Lifeguard of the Year and clubmate Sam Cron won the Under-19 Lifeguard of the Year award. Rookie Lifeguard of the Year was Joshua Baker of Waipu Cove Surf Life Saving Club.

Mairangi Bay SLSC received nine awards including an almost clean sweep of the individual sports awards: Under-14 Sportsman and Sportswoman (Samuel Poching and Astaria Te Aukura), Under-19 Sportsman and Sportwoman (Bayden Botha and Samalulu Clifton), Open Sportsman and Sportswoman (Nick Malcolm and Danielle McKenzie), Surf Coach of the Year (Jason Pocock), Surf Official of the Year (Royden Woodcock) and Outstanding Contribution to Junior Surf (Mike Brown).

The club's Morrison family also featured prominently in the service awards, Grant Morrison receiving a Life Membership while his wife Val and son Daniel received Distinguished Service Awards.

Red Beach SLSC picked up two of the top individual service awards, with Dylan Turner named Volunteer of the Year and Debra Cairns winning the award for Club Administrator of the Year. Red Beach also showed it had plenty to offer in the sports arena too, taking out the Junior Surf Championships trophy, the Cath and Eddie Millar Cup for Junior Surf excellence, the award for Junior Competition Club of the Year and the Masters Competition Club of the Year trophy.

Sunset Beach Lifeguard Service won the Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) plaudits on the night, taking out the IRB Championships and winning Competition Team of the Year for its female IRB crew (Taylor Shrimpton, Jemima Ferrier and Eva Imrie), while club member Shane Edwards received an award for Outstanding Contribution to Power Craft.

Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service won the Genesis Communications Award for Innovation with their game-changing programme to employ drone technology in lifesaving operations and search and rescue.

Instructor of the Year went to Samuel Turbott from the Karekare SLSC, while the award for Surf Instructor of the Year went to Samuel Teteina from the neighbouring Bethells Beach SLSC, which also picked up the award for Developing Surf Official of the Year (Donal Dray-Hogg).

In addition to the awards to Val and Daniel Morrison, Distinguished Service Awards went to Mairangi Bay members Duane Dalton, Jackie Grant and Steve Vaughan, as well as Allan Roberts, David Godfrey, Pauline Butt and Shane Armitage from the Muriwai club. Service Awards were presented to Greg Maddox (Far North Surf Rescue), Ian Siddins and Trevor Keinzley (Orewa), Blair Cranston, Colleen Murphy, Kevin Cornish and Mark Shreib (Red Beach), Michael Buck and Simone Spencer (Mairangi Bay), Greg Sager, Mark Goodhew, Robin Foubister and Sonia Joy Connon (Muriwai) and Carolyn Edwards (Sunset Beach).

A full list of finalists follows:

Lifesaving Awards

Instructor of the Year:
• Samuel Turbott - Karekare Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Wade Downey - Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club
• Jodie & Peter Wood - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club

Examiner of the Year:
• Faron Turner - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Gail Abel - United North Piha Lifeguard Service
• Wayne Sutton - Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service

Outstanding Contribution to Power Craft:
• Shane Edwards - Sunset Beach Lifeguard Service (winner)
• Peter Kramer - Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club
• Shaun Green - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club

Rookie Lifeguard of the Year:
• Paige Cooper-Smith - Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol
• Joshua Baker - Waipu Cove Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Angus Kirkman - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club

U19 Surf Lifeguard of the Year:
• Monica Nevill-Jackson - Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol
• Jake McClure - Waipu Cove Surf Life Saving Patrol
• Sam Cron - Raglan Surf Life Saving Club (winner)

Regional Lifeguard of the Year:
• Luke Dimick - Whangamata Surf Life Saving Club
• Stephen Butt - Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service
• Mark Shrimpton - Raglan Surf Life Saving Club (winner)

Surf Lifeguard of the Year:
• Ollie Irwin - Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol (winner)
• Nicholas Tomkins - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club
• Mackenzie Cook - Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service

Sport Awards

U14 Sportswoman of the Year:
• Astaria Te Aukura - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Pippa Nicol - Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club

U14 Sportsman of the Year:
• Samuel Poching - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Angus Henare - Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club
• Kalani Gilbertson - Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club

U16 Sportswoman of the Year:
• Lucy Makaea - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Tayla Dalton - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club

U16 Sportsman of the Year:
• Hamish Lockie - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Levi Ata - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club
• Michael Slessor-White - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club

U19 Sportswoman of the Year:
• Hannah Williams - Piha Surf Life Saving Club
• Samalulu Clifton - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Ella Drinnan - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club

U19 Sportsman of the Year:
• Bayden Botha - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Oscar Williams - Piha Surf Life Saving Club
• James Scott - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club

Open Sportswoman of the Year:
• Danielle McKenzie - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Georgia Newman - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club
• Kirsty Wannan - Piha Surf Life Saving Club

Open Sportsman of the Year:
• Nick Malcolm - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Ben Gillies - Piha Surf Life Saving Club
Adam Parker - Piha Surf Life Saving Club

Competition Team of the Year:
• Sunset Beach Women's IRB Crew A - Taylor Shrimpton, Jemima Ferrier and Eva Imrie (winner)
• Muriwai Meerkats Woman's Boat Crew - Ricky Butt, Alison Craigie, Nicole Owen, Jessica Parkin, Kathryn Wright
• Piha Mean's Pool Team - Adam Parker, Max White, Sean Newcombe

Surf Coach of the Year:
• Shane Edwards - Sunset Beach Lifeguard Service
• Jason Pocock - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Danny Morrison - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club

Developing Surf Official of the Year:
• Donal Dray-Hogg - Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol (winner)
• Susan Platt - Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service/Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club
• Graham Pashley - Omaha Surf Life Saving Club

Surf Official of the Year:
• Roydon Woodcock - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Simone Spencer - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club
• Glenn Phillips - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club

Outstanding Contribution to Junior Surf:
• Mike Brown - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Dylan Turner - Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club
• Steve Franich - Orewa Surf Life Saving Club

Regional Awards

Volunteer of the Year:
• Dylan Turner - Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Anthony O'Meara - Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service
• Danny Morrison - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club

Club Administrator of the Year:
• Elle Scheepens - Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol
• Dawn Newson-Adams - Surf Life Saving Kariaotahi
• Debra Cairns - Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Michael Buck - Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club

Surf Education Instructor of the Year:
• Liam Cunningham - Raglan Surf Life Saving Club
• Lorraine McDonald - Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol
• Samuel Teteina - Bethells Beach Surf Life Saving Patrol (winner)

Rescue of the Year:
• Surf Life Saving Kariaotahi (winner)
• Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service
• Far North Surf Rescue

Club of the Year
• Orewa Surf Life Saving Club (winner)
• Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club
• Ruakaka Surf Lifesaving Club

Ends