Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club

Meet the 2026/27 Board of Directors!

Stacked with experience, energy, and serious dedication, this crew is geared up to make the upcoming season absolute magic.

The 2026/27 Dream Team

● Alan Johns (President): Steering the ship and always up for a chat.

● Tanya Lewthwaite (Administration): Keeping everything running like clockwork behind the scenes.

● Jeremy Evans (Surf Sports): Bringing the heat and hustle to all things competition.

● Andy Chapman (Lifesaving & Patrols): Keeping our beaches safe and our patrol teams sharp.

● Vicki Gregory (Business Liaison, Social & Fundraising): Driving community connections, epic events, and vital funds.

● Josh Charles (Operations & Maintenance): The hands-on leader tackling WHS, building upkeep, and logistics.

● Byron Down (Juniors & Youth): Championing our future legends and keeping the youth pipeline thriving.

● Tom May (Interim - Finances & Budgets): Keeping the books balanced and every dollar working for us.

We’re all excited for the season ahead!

2026 Australian Pool Rescue Championships

Small but mighty!

Our team of just 14 athletes - 5 Masters and 9 Open & Age competitors competed in the 2026 Australian Pool Rescue Championships and produced an outstanding weekend of racing.

Despite being one of the smaller clubs in attendance, Seacliff punched well above its weight, bringing home:

13 Individual Medals
4 Team Medals
⭐ Multiple South Australian State Records
👏 Countless PB’s and outstanding performances.

Our team also achieved some fantastic overall club results:
🏅 Masters Team: 11th out of 26 clubs
🏅 Open & Age Team: 16th out of 38 clubs

Congratulations to every competitor who represented Seacliff with determination, resilience, teamwork and sportsmanship. Whether you stood on the podium, set a PB or raced at your first Australian Championships, you should all be incredibly proud of your achievements.

A huge thank you to our coaches, team managers, volunteers and families for their support throughout the Championships. Your encouragement behind the scenes is what makes weekends like this possible.

Congratulations Team Seacliff!

Congratulations to our newest Life Members, Andrew “Chappy” Chapman and Bernie Tippins.

Life Membership is the highest honour our Club can bestow, recognising exceptional service and dedication.

Andrew has given more than 30 years of service to Seacliff as a lifesaver, instructor, coach, official and leader. With over 800 patrol hours, countless State and National achievements, and an unwavering willingness to step up wherever needed, he has been an outstanding role model and mentor.

Bernie has dedicated more than 50 years to Seacliff, contributing over 1,000 patrol hours, serving with the Helicopter Rescue Patrol, leading patrols and quietly working behind the scenes to support the Club. His commitment and humility have left a lasting legacy.

Congratulations, Andrew and Bernie, on this thoroughly deserved recognition. Thank you for your incredible service to Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club.

🤍🖤

Congratulations to Tom and Joe!

Massive Congrats to Tom May and Joe McKinnon on their selection to the SLSSA High Performance Athlete Program for the 26/27 season.

Both these guys have been selected as Podium Ready athletes following great results over the past season including both making finals in their respective fields at Aussies 2025.

Due to their high level of categorisation within the program, they have been selected for the inaugural SASI High Performance Experience. Delivered in partnership with the South Australian Sports Institute, this program provides athletes with exposure to a high-performance environment through nutrition education, physical performance testing, and ongoing athlete monitoring.

For more information on how this works etc see below:

SLSSA athlete categorisation: https://surflifesavingsa.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9befc63cbc03251f6c4f2739&id=ae40555931&e=639e2e9936

Again a huge congratulations on this outstanding achievement!

🖤🤍

What a weekend we had at SLSSA Pool Rescue State Championships!

Our swimmers gave it everything they had, with PBs, medals and outstanding performances across both individual and team events - it was fantastic to see everyone stepping up to compete in composite teams alongside our Surf Life Saving SA friends - showcasing the true spirit of our club and movement.

To finish 6th overall - just behind Brighton & Henley - with a small but mighty team of only 22 competitors is an incredible achievement. We couldn’t be prouder of every single Black Cap who represented Seacliff SLSC with determination, teamwork and club spirit!

📣A special shout out to our U11 boys - Maurie, Aksel, Lincoln and Sonny. While they didn’t come away with any bling competing in their very first champs, they showed up for all three sessions, gave every event their absolute best, cheered on their teammates and wore smiles from start to finish - a highlight of the season was the young ones reactions watching Taj and Fletcher compete in the Line Throw - something to aspire to in the years ahead boys! What awesome role models to have on your team!

Congratulations to all the Seacliff SLSC competitors on a fantastic State Championships weekend!

🖤🤍

Best of luck to our Seacliff SLSC finalists at tonight’s Surf Life Saving South Australia Awards of Excellence!

We are incredibly proud to see Seacliff represented across FIVE prestigious categories, recognising the dedication, commitment and outstanding achievements of our members throughout the season.

Congratulations and good luck to:

• Darryl Pope – Coach of the Year Finalist
• Taj Ward – Athlete of the Year Finalist
• Open Male Rescue Tube Rescue Team (Jeremy, Jordan, Taj & Xab) – Surf Sports Team of the Year Finalist
• Ocean Rise (Lori, Tony & Team) - Community Engagement of the Year
• Jed Down - Young Volunteer of the Year

To be named among the best in South Australia is a remarkable achievement in itself. Thank you for the passion, effort and Seacliff spirit you bring to our club and the wider surf lifesaving community.

We’ll be cheering you on tonight!

🖤🤍

This evening we celebrate the last of our awardees from Presentation Night, recognising outstanding dedication, leadership and club spirit across Seacliff SLSC.

Congratulations to Darryl Pope, recipient of the Coach of the Year Award - Back to Back! A Life Member and driving force behind the growth of R&R at Seacliff, Darryl is an inspiring mentor who generously gives his time to support and develop members. His passion, knowledge and commitment continue to have a lasting impact on the Club.

Congratulations also to Rob, recipient of the Club Captains Trophy. Rob’s unwavering commitment to patrolling embodies what it means to be a Surf Life Saver. With more than 165 patrol hours this season and over 2,100 across his career, his dedication to service, humility, quiet determination and sense of humour is outstanding - thanks Rob!

Congratulations to Emma Neal, recipient of the President’s Trophy. As Communications Officer, Emma works hard behind the scenes to keep members informed & social media up to date while also expanding her involvement through patrols, gaining qualifications, officiating and supporting fundraising initiatives and club events. Her willingness to help wherever needed is greatly valued - thank you Emma!

Well done to Andrew Chapman, recipient of the Best All Round Club Person Award. As Club Captain this season, Chappy led from the front, supporting members and contributing wherever needed. Respected by members of all ages, his passion for the club shines through! - A dedicated patrolling member and competitor, he exemplifies commitment, reliability and club spirit!

Four very deserving recipients - congratulations Darryl, Rob, Emma and Chappy!

This evening we celebrate the first of our perpetual trophy recipients from Presentation Night recognising outstanding dedication, service and club spirit!

Congratulations to Derek Bawden, recipient of the Most Efficient Patrol Person Award. Derek is known throughout the Club and our SLS Community for his unwavering commitment to patrolling and truly personifies what it means to be a Surf Life Saver. With more than 165 patrol hours this season and over 2,100 career hours - including 1,122 at Seacliff SLSC - his quiet dedication, humility and sense of humour make him an invaluable part of our Club and movement.

Well done also to Evelyn Marr, recipient of the Most Efficient Young Person Award for the season. After gaining her SRC early in the season, Evelyn threw herself into patrolling, accumulating an impressive 47 patrol hours - more than half completed voluntarily to her rostered patrol - despite patrols not being mandatory for U14 competition members. A fantastic example of commitment and service.

A round of applause to Jed Down, recipient of the Most Efficient Youth Award. Ever-present around the Club, Jed is always willing to help and brings a positive attitude to both nippers and patrols. This season he earned his Bronze Medallion, completed more than 100 patrol hours, supported junior water cover, coordinated Youth and Junior R&R and achieved silver medals at both the Sydney Branch Carnival and Aussies in the Open Men’s 5-Person R&R team.

Three incredibly deserving recipients — well done Derek, Evelyn and Jed!

🤍🖤