Living treasures attend veteran lifesavers day
Four long-service members best described as ‘living treasures’ were among those who attended Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club’s annual Veterans Day lunch recently.
They are the club’s oldest living member, Stan Heaton, 96; the two only surviving club members involved in the 1938 Black Sunday rescues, Ken Francis and Ted Lever; and Murray Tate, who represented Australia in eight rugby union Tests in the 1950s.
Five people drowned and between 180 and 250 people were rescued by Bondi lifesavers on Black Sunday, February 6, 1938 in the largest mass surf rescue in Australia’s history.
Three of Tate’s sons, Bob, Jim and Peter, are also long service club members.
On the day, the club honoured nine of its members who have devoted half a century or more of voluntary service to the surf lifesaving movement.
Recipients of Surf Life Saving Australia long-service awards presented at the lunch were:
Sixty years service: David Emanuel, Don Kennedy, Barry Murray, Len Shannon, Les Stock. George Maina was awarded posthumously his citation, having recently passed away.
Fifty years service: Bob Horton, Bob Otway and Tom Penton.
Groups of club life members and Australian championship winners were among more than 100 club veterans who attended the function which was held in the club’s upstairs Scenic Lounge overlooking Bondi Beach.
