Cape Paterson SLSC

The Cape Paterson Surf Life Saving Club is located on the cliffs overlooking the "First Surf" surf beach towards the western end of Surf Beach Rd in the coastal town of Cape Paterson.

For information on the times the beach is patrolled, visit the Patrol Times page.

Club Colours  

Our official club colours are Red, Black and Green.   

Committee & Club Position Holders

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is held around June/July each year. The following Club positions are elected by the club membership each year and the 2008/2009 season Committee Members are:

Hall Hire

The Cape Paterson SLSC Hall is available for hire for weddings and other functions.

The hall is available all year round however during the patrolling season (end of November to Easter) there is limited availability due to our members requirements for weekend patrols, training camps and club functions.

The hall has:

• an excellent kitchen
• two bunkrooms with a total of 24 single bunks
• a large balcony with an unmatched view of the coastline and many other features

Send an email to hall.hire@cpslsc.org.au to enquire about availability and facilities.

History of the Cape Paterson SLSC

Written December 1995, Author Arthur Phillips (President 1986/87 – 1995/96)

The Cape Paterson Life Saving Club was formed at a public meeting in the Wonthaggi RSL Clubrooms on 22 March 1960 and became affiliated with SLSA on 20 April 1960.

There was, and still is, a Royal Life Saving Club (Wonthaggi) about a kilometer from the first surf beach, and as a real estate firm was developing the area, a road was form to the surf beach.

Clinton Shiells, an ex Torquay club captain and who was the Bass District Supervisor at the time, had taken a teaching position in Wonthaggi and realized a surf life saving club should be formed at the surf beach.  He persuaded some senior members of the Wonthaggi Royal Life Saving Club, notably Messrs. Ron Gilmour, Less Legg, Allan Birt to consider forming a Surf Life Saving Club – a move not completely popular with the Royal Club due to the possibility of losing members but, after a meeting on the sand dunes, led to the inaugural meeting at the RSL

Mr Wally Purvis, of the well known Gippsland building firm, was elected the first President, Ron Gilmour the first Club Captain, Les Legg the first Boat Captain and Allan Birt to the Committee.  Les was also the first Club Captain.

The first clubhouse, a 3 metre by 10 metre fibro shed, was built near the site of the present boat-shed by the members in readiness for 1960/61 season.

The season began with 5 active members and conducted its first carnival on 7 January 1962.

In 1961 Cape Paterson, due to the generosity Caltex (Australia) Pty Ltd, purchased its first surfboat (clinker) from the Lorne SLSC renamed it the Caltex Gippsland.  Unfortunately is was wrecked in 1964.  The bow was mounted and in snow fastened to the clubhouse wall as a monument to Caltex and that historic craft.

In the early years office bearers and members were restricted to local (Wonthaggi) area.  This began to cause communication problems with State Centre and also limited membership.  Some potential members were attracted to the board riding fraternity, also operating and administration problems became evident as Melbourne people who had holiday homes and joined the club could not hold office or participate in a lot of club activated due to committee meetings being held mid week in Wonthaggi.

In 1963 Peter McGenniss, a former member of Point Leo, joined Cape Paterson and became assistant Gear Steward.  Having a strong personality, Peter persuaded the club to change their committee meetings to Sundays on the beach.  This enable non-office bearers to see how the club operated.

The next year Peter became Secretary and set about training and teaching new office bearers surf life administration techniques.  He also recruited and trained active members – resulting in 50/50 percentage of local and Melbourne members.

In 1964 Ron Gilmour and Les Smith (second President) were elected the club’s first life members.

Plans for a two-storey club house were submitted in 1965, but due to wrangles with Local Authorities and Government Departments (surveys etc) approval was delayed for two years.  A further years delay was caused by possible ramifications of State Centre being formed into a Company.  Finally, in November 1968, the club was granted to build, and the present Clubhouse was officially opened by the Mayor of Wonthaggi at the Victorian Titles head at Cape Paterson on 9 February 1969.

This long delay in receiving building approval resulted in major problems for the club: substantial lowering of members’ morale, severe problems in raising sufficient finance to commence building, alterations to plans and dissension among club members, leading to the resignation and retirement of several experienced and prominent personnel.  This severely retarded the progress of the club and hindered the ability to recruit members and raise finance to complete the clubhouse throughout the early and middle seventies.

Cape Paterson’s local members provided the competitive spirit in the sixties.  Extremely fit and competent in the toughest conditions in surf boat races, the club became very boat orientated with a new heavy unsuitable self-draining boat and an older craft for training, it began to compete regularly.

The junior boat crew won the club’s first team pennant in 1967, beating Victoria’s top crews in choppy and heavy surf.  Although the self-draining boat was wrecked shortly afterwards, hampering training, they still gained third place at the Victorian Titles.  In 1968 at Jan Juc in big surf, the Cape B and C crews came second and third.

Cape Paterson won the Peter Nixon Trophy for the Gippsland club winning the most points at carnivals in 1967/68.  The following season the club again won the Peter Nixon Trophy.  In these seasons Cape Paterson finished fourth and third in the State Centre Patrol Competition illustrating that the club was both competitive at carnivals and proficient on the beach.

At this time Club Captain Rod Rogers initiated a handicapped monthly competition, later modified to an iron-man type competition.  This proved a great success in improving the fitness, training and maintaining the interest, and improving the number of members skillful handling of a surf boat.

During these formative years a strong and active ladies auxiliary provided invaluable support in raising funds to purchase surf boats and other necessary lifesaving equipment, as well as catering for various functions.

Without the cooperation and assistance of the Wonthaggi Royal Life Saving Club it would have been much more difficult to form and develop the Cape Paterson Surf Life Saving Club.

Albert Abraham, who had succeeded Les Smith as President, led Cape Paterson into the seventies and, as with Frank Harvey and Jim McBain in their terms as President, experienced a severe shortage of funds to complete the building.  It was not until the mid seventies that their combined efforts and with assistance and advice from the Victorian State Centre, saw the first floor flooring installed, enabling tenders for that floors interior walls and ceilings to be called for.  Coldon Homes carried out this work and were most considerate in settlement of their account.

Membership, active in particular, began to pick up late in the decade after a few lack lustre years.  The most turbulent period in the club’s history and that Cape Paterson Surf Life Saving Club survived is testimony to these leaders and their supporters’ integrity and determination.

Club stalwart Norm Legge was elected a life member in 1973 and years later, after his death, a medal was decided upon, in his honour, to be awarded at the club committee’s discretion, to any club member who performed exceptional service in any one season, but not necessarily awarded each year.  This should become a most prestigious award.

John and Yvonne Cantwell, who had become prominent in the club’s administration in this period took Cape Paterson in to the eighties and during John’s term as president the club was incorporated in common with modern business practices.  In 1980 the first three female lifesavers achieved their Bronze Medallions in the club – two of whom are still members in 1995.  Since then women have served in every office, except those of president and club captain and it is hard to visualize where the club would be today without their sterling efforts.  In 1985 several of the ladies began their annual Easter Paddy’s Market day.  This has since proven to be a resounding financial success as well as becoming an anticipated event in the Cape Paterson community calendar.

Steady progress over the last twelve years has enabled Cape Paterson to keep up with changing technology in communication and surf rescue equipment.  As in other surf clubs retention of members is the biggest potential problem, and it is working to overcome this by promoting the Nipper and Cadet areas while continuing to advance its senior members’ knowledge and skills.

Up to 1996 Cape Paterson Surf Life Saving Club has 10 life members, has performed rescues and treated first-aid cases.

A family orientated club with the Harvey, Legg, Cantwell, Donohue, Abraham, Fitzgeral, Rogers, Prendergast and Phillips families prominent in its history and with some third generation members now in its ranks, Cape Paterson is poised to continue to carry out its duties to the community in making the beaches safer and approaches the future confidently.

Honor Boards

Coming soon.