Wollongong City Surf Life Saving Club’s (SLSC) Nippers are hitting the beach with new boards this season, thanks to an NSW Ports Community Grant.
NSW Ports’ Communications Manager Brooke Eggleton said Wollongong City SLSC was one of 17 grantees to benefit from the 2022 grants program.
“We’re immensely proud to support local, grassroots organisations that do tremendous work in the areas surrounding our ports to help our communities thrive,” Ms Eggleton said.
“Many of these groups – like Wollongong City SLSC – wouldn’t be able to serve our communities without the tireless contributions of dedicated volunteers.
“In fact, lifesavers across NSW rescue 30 people each day and conduct hundreds more preventative actions to help keep beach-goers safe along our state’s coastline.
“We’re thrilled to fund new paddle boards for our local club’s Nippers, which is a fantastic program that helps kids from as young as five-years-old learn about surf awareness and safety, while getting active and making new friends.”
Wollongong City SLSC Junior President Kristie Stepanovski said club members have a long and proud history in the region, having provided patrols during the surf season for well over a century.
“Our club does an incredible job ensuring that the Wollongong community can come and enjoy their local beach safely throughout the surf season,” Ms Stepanovski said.
“Our Nippers program sees children of various age groups undergo a series of lessons from wading, running, ocean swimming, board paddling and lifesaving skills as well as learning basic first aid and resuscitation techniques.
“It’s such a joy to see our youngest members build these life-long skills in a fun and supportive environment, and now they get to train using brand new boards too."
“We thank NSW Ports for supporting our club and helping to ensure the next generation of surf lifesavers are well equipped to support our community.”
Port Kembla contributes $2.9 billion annually to New South Wales’ Gross State Product and supports about 10,000 jobs, with 99 per cent of the port’s workforce living in the surrounding communities.
Further information about NSW Ports’ 2022 Community Grants Program is available here.
And you can click here to learn more about the Wollongong City SLSC Nippers program.
For media inquiries, contact:
Brooke.Eggleton@nswports.com.au | 0419 684 953