Volunteer Adrian Hill has been recognised for his work with the North Narrabeen Surf Lifesaving Club with a special award
Adrian Hill didn’t start out in surf lifesaving – in fact, it was initially competitive swimming that drew him to the water. “I started in Surf Lifesaving in 1996. I was a member of a swimming club, members of South Narrabeen invited me up because I was quite a competitive swimmer,” Adrian said. “I did my bronze, moved out of competition and into rescue services – that’s where I’ve been the last 25 years.”
He first joined North Narrabeen SLSC during a period when the club was struggling to get patrol captains, and now, two decades later, he’s the club president and was honoured as the 2025 Northern Beaches Adult Volunteer of the Year.
“I joined the club as a patrol captain to help, did some training with some of the young people coming through,” Adrian explained. “Then (the previous captain) moved on, so I took the role as a club captain for one year, and then I took over as president. I’ve been president for the last three seasons.”
His presidency has addressed some of the club’s biggest needs, including youth retention, where he implemented programs to help transition young people from nippers into the senior club. It was for this work that Adrian was recognised by The Centre for Volunteering, who administered the award.
“We engage members, and make sure competitors are happy, because engaged young competitors make great patrolling people, bringing everyone under one club structure rather than having silos,” Adrian explained. “We put people on patrols that encourage them and their growth.
“(Club member) Andy Cross got heavily involved in the nipper program’s community education. We opened the dialogue between the nippers and brought everyone under the same strategy to move forward, it was a big plus for us.
“We’ve got a lot of older members in the club that are great mentors and sounding boards, but it’s now the chance for young people to drive the direction of the club’s movements.”
Winning the award was a great moment for Adrian, who is equally proud of his volunteer work. “The most rewarding thing for me is being a mentor. I’ve worked with some great young people over the years, some of these people now hold senior positions at a state and national level. It gives you pride that you’ve been a part of their journey.
“We don’t put ourselves down for awards. That’s not why we do what we do. We do it because it gives us a sense of community and self-belonging. I’m only a small part of the bigger picture, we’ve got a great team at the club that puts in hundreds of hours every week to keep the club growing.”
For now, Adrian is busy with the club’s next project. “We’re currently in negotiations with council and the state government for funding and grants for some building works to help bolster our club to drive new membership. The next stage is the critical one for us, a complete revamp of our internal area.”