Join in ... with Murray Bridge Lifesaving Club

More than 120 Australians drowned in inland waterways in 2024-25.

That’s the sobering statistic which led to the establishment of Murray Bridge Surf Lifesaving Club two years ago.

The club hopes to train up a generation of Murraylands children, equipping them with the skills they need to stay safe on the river.

But to do that, they need more adult volunteers to keep an eye on their kids while they’re in the water.

If you enjoy spending time by the river, could you help?

Committee member Erin Scammell explains what the club’s all about.

This regular feature is brought to you by Outside Developments – time to go outside.

When did you first get involved with life saving?

I got involved in surf lifesaving around 2019. I was involved with Brighton Surf Life Saving Club in Adelaide, where I got my bronze medallion and became a surf boat rower, and did some patrols down there and fell in love with it. The kids all became a part of it, too; they were doing Nippers for about three years before we moved up to the river.

Surf Life Saving South Australia won a grant to pilot a program which they've coined Rippers – River Nippers. When that grant was won and they brought the Rippers program here, I didn't think twice about it. A couple of the parents got involved and we put together a board. The pilot program ran for two years and now we are established under our own steam.

What do you do as an inland life saving club?

Surf Life Saving Australia have a three-pronged approach: it's (about) river safety, it's competition, but it's also training pathways for people to get qualifications ... Because we're a new concept to a community that hasn't had access to the Nippers program before, or surf life saving, we've designed a hybrid program. (You) come and dip your toes in to get an understanding of what the safety piece looks like, and then touch on what the competition piece looks like.

We're going to do a come and try (event) at the end of November; it'll also be our launch pad where we announce the established club to our community. We're real, we're here to stay and we want to make a difference. Drownings have increased nationwide, and the biggest impacted area is inland waters.

What do you get out of your involvement?

Community, big time – it's the connection with people, other people in Surf Life Saving Australia, but also the board and Nippers community members. I think it's really nice to see the smiles on the kids’ faces, and the parents as well, because they come along and sit back and relax. They get to enjoy it, and they can upskill themselves, too.

What has been your fondest memory in life saving?

In the surf boats, a frightening but fond memory is when a wave was coming at us and we're in a 600-kilogram boat and it's rolling to shore with the wave behind me. That’s the first thing that comes to mind, but realistically it's probably when we walked down onto the beach for the first time and my kids got out there and started learning and playing smiles on their faces.

What’s your goal for the club?

My goal personally is to ultimately have clubrooms here on the river where people can come, they can congregate, they can do training and development but also, they can have meals and watch their kids doing their training. Seeing this come to life is my goal, and seeing people just relax into it. If we had the clubrooms, people could relax and just call that home.

Why should people join Murray Bridge Lifesaving Club?

Safety – 100 per cent. (Having people) be aware of what they can do to keep their community safe. The question (is) "can you keep me safe?" from the kids' perspective, and (we're about) ensuring the answer is yes.

• Contact: murraybridgelifesavingclub@gmail.com.
• Who can join: Anyone can be a member. Volunteers for water cover and age group managers require a bronze medallion and surf rescue certificate.
• Where to go: Sturt Reserve, Murray Bridge (to be confirmed).
• When to go: From late November; for times and dates, follow Murraylands Surf Lifesaving Club on Facebook.
• What you need: Any specialised equipment is supplied by the club. You will probably want some bathers, though.
• More information: www.mblsc.com.au.

To express an interest in promoting your community or sporting club with a Join In feature, email peri@murraybridge.news. To express an interest in sponsoring this regular feature, email jane@murraybridge.news.