Rees honoured as top lifeguard at 2010 Awards of Excellence

24.08.2010

More than 250 guests were on hand to honour Surf Life Saving’s best and bravest at the 2010 Surf Life Saving Australia Awards of Excellence, held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday night.

Lifesavers, lifeguards and dignitaries from around the nation gathered to see Lleam Rees from the Australian Lifeguard Service (Qld) take out the DHL Lifeguard of the Year award. Rees, a relative newcomer to the professional lifeguard scene, has been a lifeguard for 3 years and senior lifeguard at Sunshine Beach and Double Island Point since 2009.

Other notable award winners on the night were David McLean from Queensland who took out the DHL Surf Lifesaver of the Year award, Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club from Victoria who won the DHL Club of the Year award, and Graeme Rollins from Tasmania who took out the DHL Volunteer of the Year award.

Surf Life Saving Australia Lifeguard Manager, Andre Slade, paid tribute to all the award winners on the night, saving his biggest praise for the important role lifeguards play in keeping our beaches safe.

“Lifeguard of the Year recognises the contribution that paid professional lifeguards make to our organisation. The integration of lifeguard services alongside volunteers and support services is integral to providing seamless lifesaving services along our coastline.

“The lifeguard of the year epitomises the professionalism and commitment needed by Australian Lifeguard Service employees to ensure high quality lifeguard services are delivered to local government and land managers,” said Slade

Rees was recognised for the integral role he has taken in developing and maintaining inter-agency relationships with local ambulance, policy and other emergency services in the Sunshine Beach area.

A very active lifeguard, Rees places high priority on public interaction through proactive lifeguarding and is a favourite with locals.

“Lleam is a very worthy recipient of this prestigious national award, said Slade

“The Australian Lifeguard Service is proud to have Lleam as our top role model for new and current lifeguards, we’ll certainly be ensuring Lleam plays a role in the future development of the service, not just in Sunshine Beach, but throughout Australia.”

The evening also recognised those who performed significant rescues on Australia’s coastline. A total of 10 individuals were awarded Meritorious Awards, including six heroic individuals from Tathra, NSW who showed extreme bravery in their attempts to save the lives of a father and his two young sons off Tathra Wharf in 2008.

Lifeguard of the Year nominees were: Lleam Rees, ALS (Qld); Jarrad Cain, ALS (NSW); Nic Lewis, ALS (SA); Trevor Strydom, ALS (WA); Cameron Griffin, ALS (NT).