As hundreds of young competitors from across NSW take centre stage this weekend for the annual NSW Junior State Life Saving Championships at Kingscliff, some local students will be learning what it’s like behind the scenes.
Seven students from the Entertainment course, a joint initiative between the Kingscliff, Banora Point, Kingscliff and Tweed River High Schools and Kingscliff TAFE will learn just what it takes to run a major event, like a State Championship.
According to course teacher, Robyn Ludeke, the seven Year 11 students Edan Curik, Holly Stewart, Sarah Willoughby, Logan Elsey, Cody Carpenter and Calvin Lees will work with the organisers across a wide range of jobs to keep the event running smoothly.
“The students will be doing a work-placement at the titles with David Field (the Cudgen Headland Surf Club chairman) supervising them,” she said.
She said the students would be doing everything from setting up equipment and toilets to helping with first aid.
Mrs Ludeke said the students normally do their work placements at concert venues or at the region’s annual schools dance spectacular but, with Kingscliff hosting the surf titles, it was the perfect chance for students to experience what it was like to work at a major event.
She said over the past two weeks Mr Field had been instructing the seven and their nine other classmates on OHS and other safety issues.
“He has also been putting them through their basic first aid and CPR,” Mrs Ludeke said.
The entertainment course, which has been running in the valley for several years now, teaches the students the basics of venue sound and lighting as well as OHS and risk management and aims to prepare them for jobs in the entertainment industry.
Mrs Ludeke said over the years a number of students had gone on to further studies – taking on sound and lighting courses and some were now working in the industry.
She said while this year some of the students would go on to work with the surf club, the club always had an involvement in the course, delivering their safety instruction each year on a voluntary basis.
