By Matthew Sims
The Williamstown Swimming and Life Saving Club [WSLSC] has returned home from the state final of the TRE Motorsport Victorian Inflatable Rescue Boat [IRB] Championships with a variety of medals.
Held at the Lorne Surf Life Saving Club on Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26, the WSLSC masters women’s team came home with two gold medals in the surf rescue and mass rescue events.
Overall, the club came in fourth place in the open division behind Ocean Grove Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club, the Elwood Life Saving Club and overall champions 13th Beach Barwon Heads Surf Life Saving Club.
Life Saving Victoria aquatic sport board director Aaron Green said the IRB was the ‘workhorse’ of lifesaving rescue equipment and was used for 142 rescues during the 2021/2022 patrol season across the state.
“IRB racing is not only a thrilling spectator sport, particularly in the surf, but facing a range of conditions like those at Lorne is also great practice for our athletes, who are the same lifesavers you see on patrol across the state during the summer,” he said.
“Congratulations to all competitors on an excellent two days of competition and an enormous thank you to our volunteers who officiated, judged and managed the event, as well as Lorne SLSC for being our host club.”
WSLSC’s results included:
* Masters women’s surf rescue – 1st place – Sarah Meehan, Talia Rodder, Ann Renda;
* Masters women’s mass rescue – 1st place – Sarah Meehan, Talia Rodder, Ann Renda and Alastair Thomas;
* Open men’s teams rescue – 1st place – (Calum Dickson, Christian Aquila, Alastair Thomas, Shaun Leith, Jasmine Happ and Brydie Logan;
* Open men’s rescue – 2nd place – Christian Aquila, Shaun Leith and Brydie Logan; and
* Open men’s mass rescue – 3rd place – Calum Dickson, Alastair Thomas, Jasmine Happ and Talia Rodder.
