Avalon SLSC volunteer Richard Cole receives the National Medal
Avalon Beach Surf Life Saving Club’s patrol captain Richard Cole is celebrating 20 joyous years at the club this year and was recently awarded a National Medal for 30 volunteer hours a year for 15 consecutive years – about 450 hours! That takes dedication.
The National Medal is awarded to individuals on behalf of the Governor-General of Australia, Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn, and recognises long and diligent service in organisations that are dedicated to protecting life and property at a degree of risk to their members.
The surf club is like a second home to Richard and though he didn’t grow up in Avalon, his grandparents had a house at Paradise Beach (a small beach on the Pittwater side of Avalon), and he spent a lot of time around Avalon as a child.
“I grew up on the North Shore and my wife grew up in Avalon,” says Richard. “So, I’ve always had an association with the area. We used to spend a lot of time down here as kids.”
It seems like Richard was destined to end up living in Avalon. It’s a very family orientated area and the club mirrors that sentiment.
“I’ve been involved (with the club) since about 2005 when my kids started doing nippers. Then I started patrolling and became an IRB (inflatable rescue boat) driver,” says Richard. “We’ve got a fantastic membership and a very united club,” Richard says. “There are a lot of people whose whole families are involved which is terrific.”
Richard was involved in designing the clubhouse
In fact, many volunteers do well over 30 hours a year, with some racking up about 100, which Richard says, if you’re president, can be like having a second full-time job.
Richard’s four children were involved in the club as they grew up, with one getting their Surf Rescue Certificate and three getting their Bronze Medallion, though they’re all living in share houses in town now, he says.
Richard has also made his mark on the clubhouse as an architect and was involved in the rebuilding of the current clubhouse with fellow architect Robert Hopton, which was completed over 10 years ago. He says it was a lot of work, but very rewarding.
“It was fantastic,” says Richard. “But it would have been nice to have the funding that some of the recent clubhouses have received in their rebuilding. We got about $1.3 million from the old Pittwater Council. It’s been transformational operating out of a rebuilt club, because the old one was a struggle – it was bursting at the seams,” says Richard.
After about three years as club president and seven as vice president, Richard has stepped down from the board of management this year and is concentrating on his role as patrol captain and IRB trainer. The IRB, also known fondly as the rubber duckie, was originally developed by Avalon surf life saver Warren Mitchell in the late 1960s.
Richard has seen a lot of rescues over the last 20 years and says visitors are fooled by how nice North Avalon Beach looks.
“Avalon’s up there with the most dangerous beaches in Sydney. It’s not a big beach, but we’ve normally got three rips and some surf. If people aren’t familiar with it, they can get into trouble pretty easily.”
Avalon Beach gets a lot of visitors and if people aren’t strong swimmers, Richard says they often suggest going up to Palm beach or somewhere like that, which is a bit safer.
“Even last season, we had a number of groups who came down and went straight into the water near a rip,” Richard recalls. “And when we talked to them, they had no idea that you were supposed to swim between the flags, so despite all the messaging, it doesn’t necessarily get through to everyone.”
The club is celebrating its centenary this year and Richard is looking forward to the upcoming patrol season, which kicks off on 27 September and runs to 26 April 2026.
“We’ve got a fresh team, but with a lot of experience, and I think it’s great to have that renewal and fresh people with new ideas,” says Richard.
“I think we’re pretty well set up for the next hundred years!”