CEO’S REPORT
John Brennan OAM Chief Executive Officer
Effective in our business
On behalf of Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) I am proud to bring you our Annual Report for 2016/17.
We continue to implement innovative strategies to enhance our operations at all levels. The past season saw a significant change in the way SLSQ collects coastal data, with the launch of the Lifesaving Incident Management System and Operational Console. This sees patrols equipped with smart device technology to log rescues, incidents, and real-time beach conditions into a central database, providing them with unprecedented access to a live stream of information from all patrolled beaches.
It has been another historic year for SLSQ as we continued to experience strong growth, both on and off the beach. It is important to acknowledge the collective achievements of our organisation during the past season have only been made possible through the hard work of many people working tirelessly behind the scenes. With that in mind, I wish to formally thank SLSQ president Mark Fife OAM and the Board of Directors, along with our staff members for their outstanding contributions. I also wish to thank our volunteer members who have proven time and time again to be lifesavers in every sense of the word.
Meanwhile, SLSQ’s professional lifeguard arm, the Australian Lifeguard Service Queensland, continues to solidify its reputation as a global leader. This was evident in 2016/17 when the service secured contract extensions with South Bank Parklands, and Sunshine Coast and Noosa Regional Councils. Meanwhile, SLSQ’s lifeguards also celebrated 25 years of partnership with Burdekin Shire, Livingstone Shire, Gladstone Regional, and Bundaberg Regional Councils.
SLSQ’s overarching vision is supported through the four strategic imperatives outlined below.
Committed to our community: The surf lifesaving movement in Queensland can be traced all the way back to 1909, when the first official rescue was successfully performed at Greenmount Beach. A lot has changed in the years since, but one thing that remains the same is our unwavering commitment to saving lives.
The past season also saw SLSQ celebrate two significant milestones, with the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service and Surf Communications Centre both notching 40 years of saving lives. As an organisation, we owe a great deal of gratitude to the founding members of each service, along with the volunteers and staff whose efforts have taken them from strength to strength in the years since.
This was reflected by the actions of our men and women on patrol this season. In 2016/17, SLSQ’s volunteer surf lifesavers and professional lifeguards combined to perform 648,479 preventative actions, treat 74,370 first aid patients, and save the lives of 2,561 people through in-water rescues. Even a quick glance at these figures highlights the importance of SLSQ’s lifesavers and lifeguards to the Queensland community and its expanding tourism market.
Sustainable for our future Our overarching vision as an organisation is ‘Zero preventable deaths in Queensland public waters’ and, importantly, that continues to form the crux of every decision made, both on and off the beach. While there’s no doubt this is an ambitious vision, I am confident that the programs and structures we have established in SLSQ’s 2020 Strategic Plan have positioned us well to meet any challenges head on as we move into the next season and beyond.
Moving forward, we will continue to look for opportunities to build upon our service delivery in a bid to increase protection for Queensland communities and, ultimately, eliminate drowning deaths.
Connected to our people:
In 2016/17 we continued to take innovative and progressive steps towards increasing our reach along Queensland’s coastline and boosting safety at all public waterways across the state. This was made possible thanks to vital support from the Queensland Government and a raft of passionate corporate supporters. In the past 12 months we continued to strengthen these relationships, which will no doubt deliver significant flow-on benefits to SLSQ and all Queenslanders.
During the past 12 months, SLSQ continued to look for opportunities to engage with our volunteers and staff members, while providing them with tangible development and progression opportunities. In 2016, hundreds of surf lifesavers and lifeguards attended SLSQ’s State Conference on the Sunshine Coast. Held across three days, the Conference incorporated all key business and operational areas, providing a unique opportunity for our members to upskill.
It is an exciting time for SLSQ as we move into the future, and I look forward to working with you once again to save lives and reduce drowning deaths across all waters in Queensland.
In the sporting arena, SLSQ continued to build upon its championship events which attracted strong competitor numbers. Time and time again our athletes have proven themselves to be amongst the best in Australia and across the world. We will continue to look for opportunities to enhance our sporting programs for the benefit of all members. Our efforts to engage with members continue to pay dividends, most notably when it comes to recruitment and retention. In 2016/17 SLSQ recorded a healthy 3.1 per cent growth in membership. This is a wonderful result and a reflection of the hard work being done behind the scenes to provide our members with a diverse range of leadership and development programs.
SLSQ ANNUAL REPORT
John Brennan OAM Chief Executive Officer - Surf Life Saving Queensland
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