Pittwater Life November 2017 Issue

One
for all
Life Stories
Newport’s Sandy Menzies has been a
leading voice in the successful adoption
of inclusiveness in surf lifesaving.
is a day I just want to be
over,” says blonde 54-year-old
“This
Sandy Menzies standing on
the terrace of Newport Surf Life Saving
Club. Sandy is a clinical nurse specialist
for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, and she
is close to tears as she explains that two
of her patients have died within hours
of one another.
“You get close to them,” she murmurs.
We go into the bar area to talk, and
I tentatively suggest that maybe she
should have a drink.
“It’s all locked up,” she replies.
“Would Rescue Remedy help?” I ask,
producing a bottle of the herbal stress
reliever from my bag.
“I’ve already taken a gutful,” she
responds.
From 2014 to 2016 Sandy Menzies was
the first ever female president of the
Newport SLSC. I had visions of meeting
some Amazon woman who, whatever
the weather, runs down to the beach at
dawn and plunges into the surf, while
urging a bevy of men to follow suit. But,
Sandy confesses that she doesn’t like
cold water, and only got back into the
water for the first time this season with
the start of Nippers last month.
She spent much of her life inland,
as having done her nursing training at
Hornsby Hospital, aged 21 she married
Doug Menzies, and they moved for his
work – he was a hospital administrator
– to Armidale. During their eight years
there they had their first two children,
Jess and Kieran, before moving to Cowra
for two years where their third child,
Brendan, was born.
The Menzies clan came back to Sydney
in 1993, and moved into the house
they had bought a few years earlier
in Newport’s Wallumatta Road. Two
years later Jess started Nippers, and
the family involved with the surf club
began. Doug did his bronze medallion
in 1998 and Sandy in 2000.
“I had swum a lot at school, and used
to come to the beach growing up, but
training for it was scary,” Sandy admits.
“Back then you were just given a board
and told, ‘Off you go,’ and I’d never been
on a board. I was covered in bruises
for weeks, and at times the challenge
seemed impossible, but I’m fairly
Story by Rosamund Burton
stubborn,” she says with a smile.
Sandy is one very determined lady
with the firm belief that she can do
anything if she wants to. ‘Unstoppable’
is probably the best way to describe
her. With her bronze medallion under
her belt she rowed surfboats, until
she had to stop due to a shoulder
reconstruction. She was First Aid Officer
at the club for 12 years, only giving that
up when she took on the position of
President. Her other roles have included
Chief Instructor, Secretary and two
stints as Vice President.
All the Menzies family are active surf
club members. Currently Sandy does
patrol as well as assessing and training
for CPR and spinal management, and
Nippers training. Doug is Branch
President. Jess is Newport’s Club
Captain, so in charge of organising
all the patrols. As we’re talking she
appears, looking for some keys. She and
Lauren Budd were recently sponsored by
the surf club to travel to Timor with the
Pittwater Friends of Soibada to do CPR
training at the hospital and schools over
there. Jess’s brother, Kieran is one of
28 NOVEMBER 2017
The Local Voice Since 1991