Equipment and Resources

Lyster Ormsby, Major Bond and Percy Flynn designed this surf life saving device based on a cotton reel idea.  It was manufactured by Olding and Parker Coach Builders in Paddington NSW and was first displayed to the public in 1907.  Essentially it allowed a swimmer to reach a patient and then the crew on the beach could pull them back to the beach.  It required discipline and control to carry this out efficiently.

The earliest surfboats were heavy and wooden, and featured a sharp bow and stern, which led to the nickname of ‘banana boats’. They were equipped with a line and belt, knife, signalling flags and a shark spear.  The design evolved to include the ‘squared off’ stern and the hulls are now made from modern materials such as fibreglass.  This version is still in use in surfboat racing today. Bribie SLSC purchased the first Surf boat from Sydney in early 1950’s. Initially Surf Boat racing was a male only event however women started competing in the Sport in the 1990's. Bribie had its first female crew in ...

The latest tower supported with funding from the Moreton Bay Regional (now City) council is state of the art and a far cry from its humble timber beginnings.

During the 1980’s and 90’s the Bribie Island SLSC forged a strong reputation as one of Australia’s leading clubs in Rescue &Resuscitation event, which displayed the key skills of being a competent lifesaver, swimming, resuscitation, discipline, and teamwork in a simulated rescue situation. The club excelled at Branch, State, and national levels, winner many titles and medals over many years. Bribie SLSC has a long successful history in R&R competition for ages from Juniors to Seniors.  Elton Williamson continued the R&R tradition from 1979 through to recently, helping the club win many championships medals at all levels of competition.

On Boxing Day 1974, Cliff Spong (subsequent Life Member of Bribie SLSC) and John Fallon left the wharf at Luna Park in Sydney harbour on a journey to Coolangatta (Gold Coast) to prove to the Australian Surf Lifesaving Association the durability and dependence of the IRB. It took another two years and a crossing of Bass Strait for the Association to recognise and adopt the IRB as an innovative and essential part of rescue equipment. Using inflatable pontoons as the main flotation method, these boats are tremendously manoeuvrable and fast in the choppy surf close to shore.  They typically have a 25 horsepower (18.6 kilowatt) outboard motor and a crew of two.  The nickname ‘rubber duckie’ was soon used to describe them, which was eventually abbreviated to ‘duck’.

In 2022, Bribie SLSC became the first club on the Sunshine Coast to train operators in the use of Drones during rostered Patrols.  Operators use this new technology to assist with shark spotting, and assist in emergency rescues, using hi tech camera and GPS technology to pinpoint emergency situations.