Around 100 current and former members of the Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club will gather to celebrate 75 years since the club was founded. Photo / Strike Photography and Architects 44
Around 100 current and former members of the Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club will gather to celebrate 75 years since the club was founded. Photo / Strike Photography and Architects 44
The Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club celebrates 75 years this weekend with a jubilee celebration as Gisborne’s clubs usher in their summer seasons.
Kaiaponi Waikanae SLSC, established in 1950, has a dinner planned for Saturday night in the clubhouse.
Only a handful of tickets remained available as of Thursday.
On patrol at Waikanae, as hundreds of club members have done for 75 years - Michaela Clearwater, Macey the dog and Rodney Richards. Photo / Supplied
ManagerClara Wilson said they were expecting around 100 for the event.
“We’ve got former members coming from around New Zealand and some from overseas for it.
“There’ll be speeches from various people through the various eras of the club during the night.”
A key area of the considerable Waikanae success in competition over many years was their excellence in Rescue and Resuscitation events. This team in 1962 won the national six-man R&R title. Photo / Gisborne Photo News
She said it will be great to see many people come back for it.
“We have displays of photos and memorabilia, uniforms and the like, and we’re expecting a lot of stories from the past, a lot of reminiscing.”
The 75th celebrations will start with a casual get-together on Friday night, then a play on the ocean on Saturday morning, before Saturday night’s jubilee dinner.
The club will be taking registrations for its Nippers programme from 10am on Sunday.
Waikanae will not only celebrate 75 years this weekend, it will also launch it's 'Junior Surf' programme for the season. Photo / Supplied
The Riversun Wainui club will run an open day this Sunday as they gear themselves up for summer.
It will commence at 10am that morning.
“We’re excited to get our season going and we’d love to see as many people there as possible for a fun morning for the whole club,” a Wainui spokesperson said.
“Our open day there is for all those associated with the club’s ‘Junior Surf’ programme and for the club’s lifeguards and patrol support personnel.
Dawson Building Midway will likewise usher in their season on Sunday morning with an open day, and get their ‘Junior Surf’ programme under way as well.
