Nixon West is proud to be on patrol
Dee Why Surf Lifesaver Nixon West is only 14, but already sees his volunteer role as his way of ‘giving back’ to those who have helped him during his years at the club. The newly awarded Northern Beaches Junior Lifesaver of the Year says he tries to get down to the beach every day he can.
“I do lifesaving (to give back),” Nixon says. “I feel like being at the surf club for eight years and being kept constantly safe at the beach by patrolling members, now I get to be one of them and help people who might not be as confident a beach-goer as I am. That’s my main reason – giving back to the community.”
It is this dedication, along with other qualities like self-leadership, socialisation and teamwork, that led to Year 9 student Nixon being selected out of 20 boys for the 2025/2026 Surf Lifesaving (SLS) season award. The St Paul’s Manly student started SLS at age five, and has been with the Dee Why club since he was eight.
Nixon says the process leading up to the award ceremony involved completing a course to earn a Surf Rescue Certificate and answering a questionnaire as part of the club nomination, on which he had to describe his proudest moment of lifesaving. “Mine was getting my surf rescue certificate – and going on patrol with my dad,” he explains.
Nixon says his dad, Chris, came to patrolling when Nixon was in the under 9s. He earned his Bronze Medallion and started doing rescues, and Nixon says Chris is ‘a man who inspires me.’ “He’s saved plenty of lives in treacherous scenarios,” Nixon says.
Following an interview with a panel from the club, he was selected to go on a branch program, where he spent time meeting representatives from other clubs and learning further about lifesaving pathways. Following an interview with a judging panel at SLS NSW headquarters, Nixon was invited to the awards ceremony – where he was named the male Northern Beaches Junior Lifesaver of the Year.
Nixon with this family
He enjoys patrolling with his dad, Chris (right)
“I think everyone was a bit lost for words at that point,” he says of the announcement. “All they could do was give me a hug and say congratulations because in that moment, it was just like ‘Wow!’”
Tilly Hobbis from Bilgola SLSC was announced the female Junior Lifesaver of the Year, and now she and Nixon will represent the Northern Beaches at the SLSNSW development camp on 8 to 10 April in Collaroy. They will then undergo an interview process to determine the state winners.
In the meantime, Nixon can be found at Dee Why beach. “I’m rostered onto one patrol, but patrolling on four because there are patrols who always need someone,” he says. “So I’m down there pretty much every weekend.”
