South Tweed Sports Club staff member Julie Shuttleworth has been selected to travel to Thailand with an Australian lifeguard team to train lifeguards on Phuket Island.
Julie, who works on the Tweed beaches as a lifeguard during the Christmas, Easter and September holidays, was selected because she holds advanced lifesaving awards including Rescue Water Craft operator and the SLSA Gold Medallion.
Phuket had a terrible loss of life each year through drowning but, since 2010 when the Australian-trained Phuket Lifeguard Services guards took over, deaths and serious incidents have fallen.
Even though Julie is going as a volunteer and will pay all her own expenses, she feels the experience gained and the assistance she can provide make it all worthwhile.
“The team leader is very happy I am going because he said that there is only one woman working as an Australian qualified lifeguard in Thailand,” she said.
“It’s a great opportunity to work with the Thai lifeguards and help them with beach management and develop their rescue and resuscitation skills. If I can be a role model to local Thai women and encourage them to become lifeguards, that would be tremendous.”
South Tweed Sports Club are looking at ways to assist Julie with her trip and wish her well with this fantastic experience.
“Our staff have shown over the years their community spirit with club events, their own staff benevolent fund and out of work community service. Julie’s pending trip is another example to make us all proud,” Club Chief Executive Officer Gordon Rhodes said.
Julie heads off to Phuket in mid-September and cannot wait to begin training and ‘make a difference’.
You can read more about Julie’s trip here www.southtweedsports.com.au/community or you can contact Gordon for more details or offers of sponsorship/assistance via the details below.
