Winner Booklet - 2023 Otago/Southland Awards of Excellence

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
OTAGO/SOUTHLAND 2023
WINNERS

INTRODUCTION
The 2022 Otago/Southland Awards of
Excellence recognise the contribution of our
amazing members, from the grass-roots of
Surf Life Saving during
the 2022/2023 season.
Nominations are judged against the criteria
outlined for each award by a local Honours
and Awards Committee.
The winners of some categories of the local
Awards of Excellence will automatically
become finalists for the prestigious SLSNZ
National Awards of Excellence
to be held later in 2023.
Congratulations to all of our nominees. We
are incredibly proud and grateful for all
that you do and achieve.

CONTENTS
HONOURS AWARDS
Regional Service Awards
Regional Distinguished Service Awards
JUNIOR SURF AWARDS
U8 Female/Male Top Competitor
U9 Female/Male Top Competitor
U10 Female/Male Top Competitor
U12 Female/Male Top Competitor
U14 Female/Male Top Competitor
Richard Murray Awards
Most Promising Junior Lifeguards
OTAGO JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Club Participation Trophy
Top Overall Club

CONTENTS
SURF SPORT AWARDS
U15 Female/Male Top Competitor
U17 Female/Male Top Competitor
U19 Female/Male Top Competitor
Open Female/Male Top Competitor
IRB SPORT AWARDS
Top U19 Female Team
Top U23 Female Team
Top U23 Male Team
Top Open Female Team
Top Open Male Team
OTAGO IRB CHAMPIONSHIPS
Top Overall Club
bp SOUTH ISLAND IRB CHAMPIONSHIPS
Top Overall Club

CONTENTS
SURF SPORT AWARDS
Surf Official of the Year
Event Guard of the Year
Service to Junior Surf Coaching
Coach of the Year
Team of the Year
Sportsperon of the Year
LIFESAVING AWARDS
Regional Lifeguard of the Year
Beach Education Instructor of the Year
Rookie Lifeguard of the Year
Rescue of the Year
Instructor of the Year
Patrol Support of the Year
Lifeguard of the Year
SUPREME AWARDS
Presidents Trophy for Outstanding Contribution
Volunteer of the Year
Patrol Club of the Year
Club of the Year

CONTENTS
LIFESAVING AWARDS
Regional Lifeguard of the Year
Beach Education Instructor of the Year
Instructor/Examiner of the Year
Rescue of the Year
Freemasons Rookie Challenge Top Team
Rookie Lifeguard of the Year
Emerging Lifeguard of the Year
Patrol Support of the Year
Lifeguard of the Year
SUPREME AWARDS
Volunteer of the Year
Patrol Club of the Year
Club of the Year

REGIONAL SERVICE
AWARDS
The Service Awards acknowledge members who have
given outstanding service to Surf Lifesaving
over a period of years.

FELIX COOK
ST KILDA SLSC
JODY MOWAT
ST KILDA SLSC
NYREE DICKIE
KĀKĀ POINT SLSC
OLIVIA RICHARDSON
KĀKĀ POINT SLSC

PHOEBE ABURN
BRIGHTON SLSC
STEPHAN RODGER
ST KILDA SLSC
TIMOTHY BALL
ORETI SLSC
TRENT DICKIE
KĀKĀ POINT SLSC

JAKE SHEARSTONE
ST KILDA SLSC
CRISTY WATKINS
ST CLAIR SLSC
WAYNE FA'ASEGA
WARRINGTON SLSC
MARK FAMILTON
WARRINGTON SLSC

KEN MCHOULL
WARRINGTON SLSC
REBECCA MCNAUGHTON
WARRINGTON SLSC

REGIONAL
DISTINGUISHED
SERVICE AWARDS
Distinguished Service Awards recognise those who have
continued to give outstanding service.

DAVID BOURKE
ST KILDA SLSC
CHRIS HAIG
ST CLAIR SLSC
BRENT MATEHAERE
ST CLAIR SLSC
MARK HASTIE
WARRINGTON SLSC

JUNIOR
SURF
AWARDS

Junior Surf
Awards
TOP U8 FEMALE
TOP U8 MALE
Genevieve Hodgson - St Clair SLSC
Scarlett Keogh - St Clair SLSC
Frank Cayford - St Kilda SLSC
TOP U9 FEMALE
Riley Haliwell - Kākā Point SLSC
TOP U9 MALE
Ayden Chittock - Kākā Point SLSC
TOP U10 FEMALE
Lola Povey - Kākā Point SLSC
TOP U10 MALE
Max Wilkinson - Kākā Point SLSC
Koa Phillips - St Clair SLSC

Junior Surf
Awards
TOP U12 FEMALE
Peta Richardson - St Clair SLSC
TOP U12 MALE
Leo Blair - Brighton SLSC
TOP U14 FEMALE
Victoria Aburn - Brighton SLSC
TOP U14 MALE
Jamie Blair - Brighton SLSC
RICHARD MURRAY
AWARDS
Jay Wilkinson - Kākā Point SLSC
Sophiah Ray-Hindle - Brighton SLSC
MOST PROMISING
JUNIOR LIFEGUARDS
Toby Hill - St Clair SLSC
Fabian Eschenmoser - Oreti SLSC
Isabella Miller - Brighton SLSC

Otago Junior
Championships
CLUB PARTICIPATION TROPHY
ST KILDA SLSC
TOP OVERALL CLUB
BRIGHTON SLSC

Top Competitor
Awards
TOP U15 FEMALE
TOP U15 MALE
TOP U17 FEMALE
TOP U17 MALE
TOP U19 FEMALE
TOP U19 MALE
TOP OPEN FEMALE
TOP OPEN MALE
TOP MASTER FEMALE
TOP MASTER MALE
Charlotte Aburn - Brighton SLSC
William Laws - St Clair SLSC
Zoe Allibone/Amelia Loudon - St Kilda
SLSC
Javara Clark - Brighton SLSC
Mereana Martin - St Clair SLSC
Isaac Robertson - St Clair SLSC
Phoebe Aburn - Brighton SLSC
Matt Lloyd - St Kilda SLSC
Naomi Ingram - Warrington SLSC
Kate Jerram - St Kilda SLSC
Nick Hardwood - St Kilda SLSC

IRB Sport
Awards
TOP U19 FEMALE CREW
TOP U23 FEMALE CREW
TOP U23 MALE CREW
TOP OPEN FEMALE CREW
TOP OPEN MALE CREW
St Clair SLSC
L Tyndall, S Mclellan
St Kilda SLSC
E Peacock, A Loudon
St Kilda SLSC
D Noakes, M Lloyd
Brighton SLSC
P Aburn, A Adams
St Kilda SLSC
B Pickles, N Harwood

OTAGO
IRB
CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Otago IRB Championships is a key IRB event for
all Surf Lifesaving to test their skills and fitness
against fellow Otago IRB Clubs in some highly skilled
and action packed racing.
TOP OVERALL CLUB
ST KILDA SLSC

bp South Island
IRB
CHAMPIONSHIPS
The bp South Island IRB Championships has a proud
history of being one filled with hard, fast, and actionpacked
racing. The third largest Inflatable Rescue
Boat racing competition on the Surf Life Saving
calendar, crews from throughout the country will
line up to showcase their surf skills, fitness and
experience amongst their peers
TOP OVERALL CLUB
ST KILDA SLSC

Surf Official of
the Year
Kate is heavily involved in surf sports, and
volunteered a considerable amount of hours in the
Surf Official space this season.
Kate has worked at local, region and national events,
and maintains a high standard across various events
from junior surf to IRB racing.
Kate does a great job mentoring new officials, and
advocate for Surf Sport in the Otago/Southland area.
This season, Kate has been responsible for, and
successful in corralling officials for the majority of
the local IRB events this season.
WINNER
KATE JERRAM, ST KILDA SLSC

Event Guard of
the Year
Lara has stepped up considerably as an event guard
this season, and applied her skills regularly
throughout the year at various events.
Laras positive attitude and effort on the water
ensures smooth delivery of events knowing the water
safety is under control.
This season Lara also event guarded at the 2023 TSB
New Zealand Surf Life Saving Championships where
she displayed her skills in some challenging
conditions.
WINNER
LARA TYNDALL, ST CLAIR SLSC

Coach of the
Year
Whilst competing at the highest level, Rosie still finds
time to mentor and develop the next group of beach
competitors coming through in Dunedin.
Rosie is the Otago regional junior coach, as well as
coaching the senior land-based athletes.
This season, Otago competitors won gold in the U15
Male Beach Flags and Silver in the U15 Male Beach Flags
and Beach Sprint. A testament to Rosies mentorship and
work.
Rosie is a member of the New Zealand High Performance
Squad and has made herself available to take on beach
sessions as well as theory/classroom-based sessions
explaining to those interested what it takes to be of that
level and how to get there
WINNER
ROSIE FALCOUS, ST CLAIR SLSC

Services to Junior
Surf Coaching
Sarah and Chris have dedicated numerous hours to the
running of Kākā Point in the 2022/23 season. They have
dedicated every Saturday to the beach, where they have
invested in their Junior Surf programme. From doing
safety checks before nipper session, to planning and
running the session to cater for a vast variety of skill
levels in the nipper groups, from beginners to
competitive level.
Chris has helped at every Junior Surf Interclub and Otago
and Southern Championships as a lifeguard in the water.
Sarah has also helped where she can at Interclubs on the
beach and helped at the Southern Regions on the beach
to assist the surf officials.
Chris and Sarah’s, all round dedication to the juniors at
Kākā Point has been vital to creating the welcoming,
family focused environment the club has achieved in
recent times.
WINNER
CHRIS & SARAH CHITTOCK,
KĀKĀ POINT SLSC

Team of the Year
The St Kilda U23 Female IRB Crew had an incredibly
consistent season this year across all events.
At the 2023 bp South Island IRB Championships, this
crew won gold in all U23 Female disciplines, walking
away as Top Overall U23 Female Crew. As well as winning
Gold in the Open Female Teams Race.
At the 2023 bp New Zealand IRB Championships, the girls
won Silver in the U23 Female Mass Rescue in some
incredibly challenging conditions, a testament to their
skill as a crew.
Locally, the girls remained at the top of their class,
proving their hours of training are certainly paying off.
WINNER
ST KILDA U23 FEMALE IRB CREW
EMILY PEACOCK, MADI LOUDON,AMELIA LOUDON

Sportsperson
of the Year
Charlotte Aburn, representing Brighton SLSC, was
honoured with the Sportsperson of the Year award.
In her debut year in the Opens category, Aburn
demonstrated exceptional consistency throughout
the season.
At the highly competitive 2023 TSB New Zealand Surf
Life Saving Championships, Charlotte won gold in the
U15 Female Diamond and Run Swim Run events. She
also earned silver in the U15 Female Surf Race.
At the 2023 Southern Region Championships, Aburn
emerge as the Top Overall U15 Female athlete. This
award came after she secured gold in the U15 Female
Diamond, Run Swim Run, Surf Race and Board Race
events. She also earned the bronze medal in the U15
Female Beach Sprints, and achieved an impressive
fourth-place finish in the U15 Female Board Race.
Aburn’s achievements in her first year in the Opens
category serves as a testament to her dedication and
hard work. She shows great promise for future years
to come across multiple disciplines.

WINNER
CHARLOTTE ABURN,
BRIGHTON SLSC

LIFESAVING
AWARDS

Regional Lifeguard
of the Year
Madeline showed outstanding professionalism and attitude
towards this regional guard season.
Madeline's engagement with members of the public, and the
wider Regional Lifeguard team was regularly highlighted by her
peers throughout the season.
She was involved in a number of incidents at St Kilda beach
where her knowledge and skills as a lifeguard was demonstrated
tremendously.
WINNER
MADELINE LOUDON, ST KILDA SLSC

Beach Education
Instructor of the Year
It was another hugely successful year of Beach Education in
Otago, and that comes down to the amazing team of instructors
that we have here. Again the team showed their incredible
lifeguarding skills, enthusiastic attitudes, sense of humours,
ability to think on the spot, flexibility and outstanding
communication skills. And this year we would really like to
acknowledge the incredible contribution of Gabby Trotter. Gabby
balances the role of administration of the programme down here
in Otago with being an outstanding instructor. Her enthusiasm is
infectious, her organisational skills are second to none, and her
knowledge is always so welcomed by the new and experienced
instructors alike. Thank you for another brilliant season Gabby,
we are truly lucky to have you on our team.
WINNER
GABBY TROTTER, BRIGHTON SLSC

Instructor/Examiner
of the Year
This year Carla has put a huge amount of effort, time and energy into
the Kākā Point as an instructor, mentor and examiner. She has
examined 7 new surf lifeguards this session. As well as, 3 IRB drivers
and 4 new IRB crew where she acted as a probationary IRB examiner.
Carla has travelled long distances often with kids in tow to help
provide much needed support and instruction at the pool. While also
providing a lot of extra hours throughout the week and weekend to
help get the IRB drivers and Crew up to assessment standards. She is
always very approachable with all the questions that we have and has
provided us with a lot of support and guidance throughout the
lifeguard awards, IRB drivers and crew courses.
The knowledge that Carla has is outstanding and she is more than
happy to pass down her knowledge which has been much
appreciated by everyone going through the various awards this
season.
WINNER
CARLA MURRAY,
KĀKĀ POINT SLSC/ST CLAIR SLSC

Rescue of the Year
At approximately 1:55pm on Saturday afternoon, a call came from
Surf Com to St Kilda base stating that there were two body boarders
at Tomahawk beach in trouble and unable to return to shore. An IRB
crewed by Amelia and Liam was quickly deployed. At the same time,
Matt was patrolling in an IRB at St Clair with Greg and heard the call
come through. Matt radioed Surf Com offering assistance which was
accepted. Matt and Greg then started heading towards Tomahawk in
the St Clair IRB. On route, Surf Com radioed through an update
stating that one body boarder had made it back to shore whilst the
other had managed to get onto some rocks but would not be able to
return to shore.
On St Kilda IRB arrival, Liam swim in with a rescue tube to assess the
situation and begin patient care. Once the St Clair IRB arrived, a plan
was put in place where the St Kilda IRB would be beached, and Amelia
would then be dropped off to assist Liam in getting the patient of the
rocks. Amelia and Liam got the patient out to a location where the
patient could then be picked up by the waiting IRB and returned to
shore. The surf had some decent size to it and was breaking which
meant the patient had to be supported by the lifeguards in the water
until the pickup was completed. All lifeguards showed good skills and
knew what to do to get the job done. Without intervention from the
surf lifeguards, there would of been a very different outcome. On
return to the beach, a member of St Kilda (Ben Pickles) had made his
way down to the beach to help with the rescue
WINNER
ST CLAIR/ST KILDA SLSC,
SATURDAY 4TH FEBRUARY 2023

Rookie Lifeguard
of the Year
Timothy has been a consistent and enthusiastic member of
patrols as well as attending weekly lifeguard training sessions on
top of Rookie sessions. Furthermore, Timothy’s attendance to
patrols has been considered helpful and contributing to the
patrol and the patrol culture.
This season, Timothy completed 47.50 volunteer hours.
Timothy demonstrated a willingness to learn all the aspects of
the Rookie lifeguard program, taking on the many challenges
with intelligence and in a coordinated fashion. Timothy is a great
role model amongst his peers, and when he moved to do a task,
his peers went with him. Timothy has great leadership potential.
WINNER
TIM O'BRIEN, ORETI SLSC

Patrol Support
of the Year
Gregor is regularly found at St Kilda SLSC, volunteering his time
as a Patrol Support. This season Gregor attended all of his
rostered patrols, as well as several others where additional
support was required. Logging 27 hours for the season.
This season, Gregor was involved in a major first aid requiring the
extrication of a suspected spinal cord injury patient from Lawyers
Head to St Kilda SLSC so they could be transported to hospital by
ambulance.
Gregor maintained proficiency in his awards, and is a strong
advocate for surf life saving in his local community.
WINNER
GREGOR CHRYSTAL, ST KILDA SLSC

Lifeguard
of the Year
Madelene Ozanne, a dedicated member of the Warrington Surf
Life Saving Club (SLSC), won Lifeguard of the Year. Her
outstanding contributions during the 2022/23 season were
invaluable to the club and community.
Ozanne played a pivotal role in training the club’s new Surf
Lifeguards, successfully guiding and mentoring five people to
attain their Surf Lifeguard Award. As the Lifeguard Coordinator,
she demonstrated exceptional organisation skills, ensuring
efficient patrol coordination, and maintaining an adequate
number of Surf Lifeguards on the beach.
Charlotte Becconsall, Warrington SLSC Committee Member, said
she is a highly respected figure within the club and wider
community.She said, “Maddy has started to incorporate aspects
of Surf Lifeguard training, such as first aid scenarios, with the
Nippers, who love learning more about how to be a Surf
Lifeguard. This helps to bridge the gap between Junior Sports
and Lifeguarding. The initiative she has taken promoting the
work Surf Lifeguards do to our younger members is very
valuable.”
Becconsall said her reliability, passion, and unwavering
dedication makes her an invaluable asset to Surf Lifesaving

WINNER
MADELENE OZANNE,
WARRINGTON SLSC

SUPREME
AWARDS

Presidents Trophy for
Outstanding
Contribution
WINNER
PAUL GAGER, WARRINGTON SLSC

Volunteer
of the Year
Felix Cook from St Kilda SLSC was awarded the prestigious
title of Volunteer of the Year. Since relocating to Dunedin for
University, Cook has demonstrated unwavering dedication
and commitment to Surf Lifesaving in Otago. His involvement
spans across numerous roles at St Kilda SLSC, including
Lifeguard, Patrol Captain, Lifeguard Coordinator, Committee
Member, Honours and Awards Coordinator, and both Surf
Lifeguard and Rock Rescue Module Instructor.
Cook has also actively contributed to the broader Surf
Lifesaving community in various capacities and he’s played a
vital role in national Surf Lifesaving initiatives and events.
Peter Gibbons, the President of St Kilda SLSC, commended
Cook’s immense passion. He said, “Felix is a huge advocate
for Surf Lifesaving in Otago/Southland and puts in countless
volunteer hours into various operational areas”.

WINNER
FELIX COOK,
ST KILDA SLSC

Patrol Club
of the Year
WINNER
BRIGHTON SLSC

Club
of the Year
WINNER
BRIGHTON SLSC