CRONULLA SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB 107TH ANNUAL REPORT 2013-2014 SEASON MICHAEL BANISTER’S MERITORIOUS AWARD On Sunday 1st of January 2012 at approximately 7 p.m., Club Member, Michael Banister and his family after parking their car at the southern end of Prince Street, North Cronulla started walking along the Esplanade south towards Cronulla Beach. As they walked, Michael noticed a group of approximately ten people playing on a sand bank close to the shore. Two of this group were further out and had jumped into a large hole not realizing they had jumped into a rip. They managed to drift south with the rip onto an outer bank where they were able to stand. It was at this stage Michael said to his wife Sue that they were in a dangerous place. Michael and his family continued their walk and made it to the Alley Rock Pool when Michael noticed that two of the group was trying to swim back to the inner bank across the gully that had formed a strong rip. They were not strong swimmers and started to struggle, but they were lucky enough to get back to the outer bank. At this point Michael became concerned about their safety. He decided to return to North Cronulla, while his wife Sue continued on to collect the children who had run ahead to Cronulla. As Michael started walking back, two of the swimmers attempted to swim back to the inner bank again. They started to struggle as the rip seemed to be stronger. At this stage Michael summed up the situation and formed a plan for rescuing the two. He noticed an old boogie board left at the southern end of the wall about 100 metres from the inner bank. Michael Banister He thought he would use that as his second option. His first option was to get a rescue board and others to help from North ”Michael repeatedly placed his own life in danger in this Cronulla Surf Club, so he ran there but found it locked, and no heroic rescue, and without his efforts, six persons would have one in attendance. The Patrol had left the beach, as it was after undoubtedly drowned that day”. Patrol hours. By the time he ran back over the hill next to the Michael’s history within the Club goes back a long way from lifeguard tower, four members of the group had jumped into the when he joined the senior Club in 1981, following a long career in gully to try to help the first two. By now they had also found the Crays. He was born in 1967, being the second son of Peter themselves in difficulties. and Moira Banister, who were Cronulla Club stalwarts from the Michael then raced to the boogie board and ran across the early fifties. Peter, a distinguished surf lifesaver was later to inner bank ordering the rest of the group back to the beach. He become a Life Member of our Club, and Moira was a member of jumped into the rip; the first girl he reached was a non swimmer the Auxiliary Committee for many years. and was just going under. He struggled with her at first as she Michael has had a long and excellent record within the Club, was panicking and trying to climb on to him. being a competent competitor and a dedicated surf lifesaver. They were both swept further out to sea where he got the He was a popular Patrol Captain for six years. He has served second person, also a non-swimmer. The next two were able the Club well as an administrator, as he’s been a member of to tread water but were very weak. At this stage Michael the Management Committee for seven years. Before gaining had lost sight of another one of the group as he had initially admission to NSW Fire and Rescue, which is his present counted six in the group. He then got the stronger of the occupation, he was a Life Guard with Sutherland Shire Council for men to help him kick across to the fifth person who was the five years, patrolling and working on the beaches of Bate Bay. one of the two who initially went in. He tried to calm all of All of the above experience no doubt played an important part them and two were able to help him kick. Now there were in Michael’s actions in saving these people from drowning on five, plus himself, holding the first girl, however, they were Sunday the 1st January 2012. all able to hang onto the boogie board. It was then that he saw that the sixth person had made it back to the outer Michael Banister’s actions on this day are a wonderful bank. He then had to kick out of the rip and back to the testament to the extensive training surf lifesavers throughout outer bank. After sometime they all got onto the outer bank the world receive. Cronulla SLSC and the Surf Life Saving where they could stand in knee deep water. Association of Australia are justifiably proud of Michael for his untiring effort to save six people from certain drowning. Michael then looked for the sixth man who he thought had made it back to the beach, but he again had been caught in In recognition of Michael’s heroic rescue, and on the the rip and was much further out than what the first five had recommendation of our Club, Surf Life Saving Australia decided been. Michael told the five to stand together on the outer bank, to award him their second highest award for bravery, the and not to move until he got back. He used the rip and boogie Meritorious Award, Individual Certificate of Merit with Bronze board again. The man was now a long way out and he lost Insert. sight of him on two occasions. When Michael finally reached Michael Banister is the epitome of what the Cronulla Club the this person, the patient was very weak and unable to hang perceives to be a model member. He has triumphed as a on, so Michael used the board rescue technique to get him competitor, he is a competent and dedicated surf lifesaver who back to the outer bank, where the other five had remained is prepared to risk his own life to save others, and he has made as instructed. This took some time to negotiate the heavy a significant contribution to the Club’s administration. swell. Michael then ferried the six back from the outer bank MICHAEL PETER BANISTER, individually though the rip to the beach. CRONULLA SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB SALUTES YOU. Michael Banister’s extraordinary effort showed a tremendous awareness of the situation at hand, and he displayed an outstanding amount of skill and courage. Michael’s actions were described by an independent eye witness who said, CRONULLA SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2013-2014 CRONULLA SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB INCORPORATED FOUNDED 1907 OFFICIALS FOR THE 2013-2014 SEASON PATRON B.M. Ezzy VICE PATRONS K.E. English, G.C. Forshaw, J.H. Hollingdale, I.A. Goode PRESIDENT R.P. Short DEPUTY PRESIDENT B.D. Turner CLUB CAPTAIN K.D. Day SECRETARY P.R. Larssen TREASURER R.C. Pinker EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE R.P. Short, B.D. Turner, K.D. Day, P.R. Larssen, R.C. Pinker SENIOR VICE PRESIDENTS G.A. Allum OAM, M.P. Banister, G.A. Carter, W.J. Druery, R.W. Johnson VICE PRESIDENTS G. Annesley MP J. Fredericks S.J. Marshall J.W. Rayner B.J. Briggs M.T. Free V.F. Marshall L.F. Saville R. Casaceli R.E. Gibson S. Morrison MP R.K. Smith J.P. Cassidy J.C. Gibson D. Moss M. Speakman SC MP J.L. Catt T. Halyard H. Nakhla G.B. Staunton MBE B.A. Christian R.C. Hammond G.W. Neilson R.L. Stedman R. Diver-Tuck K.J. Hollingdale S.A. O’Donnell C.J. Stephenson F.P. Doran M.G. Howlin S.T. O’Donnell J.M. Stephenson C. Durkin A.J. Hunter L. Payne B.K. Thompson T. Eady G. Jones F.W. Pengelly OAM R. Enderby M.J. Kerr OAM J.M. Purcell LIFE MEMBERS W.F.J. Stroud† (1919) B.G. Pearson† (1949) I.A. Goode (1985) N.W. Cayley† (1920) A.J. Purcell† (1949) K.E. English (1987) C.O.J. Monro† (1923) J.H. Borserini† (1950) W. Halpin OAM† (1988) W.C. Pickering† (1924) D.C. Lucas OBE† (1950) A.J. Hanson (1990) Hon. R.T. Ball† (1924) E.C. Sier† (1952) K.S. Morton (1992) Hon. J.C. Fitzpatrick† (1924) G.R.M. Challis† (1953) C.R. Gough (1995) J. Garlick† (1924) R.C. Miller† (1955) R.F. Hitchenson (1995) R.W.S. Harris† (1925) J.R. Switzer OAM† (1956) J.W. Bentley (1996) H.S. Tugwell† (1925) W.G. Marshall OAM† (1958) A.P. Metti (1997) G.P. Rogers† (1925) R.W. Grant† (1960) K.J. Neilson (1998) J.W. Richardson† (1925) K.E. Dunkley† (1960) L. Macpherson (2001) W.J. Bennett† (1925) H.T. Spurway† (1961) J.F. Wilson (2001) R.E. Whitfield† (1926) W.R. Buchan† (1963) B.L. O’Donnell (2003) T.E. Rofe† (1926) N.A. Dixon† (1964) N.T. Johnstone (2003) M.J. Farrell† (1926) R.A. Thompson† (1964) M.F. Butterfield (2005) A.C. Crammond† (1927) A. Moseley OAM (1965) R.B. Bignold (2006) C.H. Crammond† (1927) W.H. Eady OAM† (1968) K.R. O’Donnell (2006) W.G.