A drowning shapes surf club’s history

This month, Red Beach Surf Club will mark 70 years of serving the community, patrolling both Red Beach and Pakiri Beach.

Life member Ross Malyon says the formation of the club came about through a drowning at nearby Ōrewa Beach.

In the summer of 1953, Toby Mitchell, on holiday in Pinewoods Motor Camp at Red Beach, witnessed the fatality from his bach on a hilltop overlooking the Ōrewa estuary. He felt that if surf lifesavers had been on hand at Red Beach they might have been able to reach the drowning person with less difficulty than the rescuers experienced. He discussed his ideas on forming a club at Red Beach with Allan Gardner, the chairman of the Auckland Surf Life Saving Association at the time.

Mitchell, along with Red Beach residents and holidaymakers interested in safety at their beach, banded together to progress the idea of establishing a surf club.

During Easter of 1953, they invited Auckland Surf Life Saving Association officials to meet with them and discuss forming a club.

On Sunday, May 31, 1953, the officials were again invited to attend a meeting of Red Beach residents on the community green in Pinewoods Motor Park – this time to add another name to the list of Auckland surf clubs. Mitchell was elected as the club’s

Something to celebrate

first president.

With an initial membership of around 25, the new club’s teams trained through the winter of 1953 to become qualified lifeguards for the following summer.

Red Beach Surf Club’s 70th celebration at the beachfront clubrooms is on Sunday, June 25, from 2pm to 6pm. The afternoon will begin with a ‘mix n’ mingle’, followed by formalities with two guest speakers, a short presentation celebrating the club’s history, and the viewing of memorabilia throughout the club. Every effort has been made to contact past members, and registration is a requirement for admission. Registrations already received span all seven decades. The event will be a forerunner to the club’s Diamond Jubilee in 2028.