Share the waves with surfing legends at the Lifeline Classic on 15 September
Surfers get your teams ready! The Lifeline Classic will return to Queenscliff Beach on 15 September and it’s sure to be an epic event. The annual competition raises vital funds for Lifeline Northern Beaches’ crisis support and suicide prevention services and is the one place where you might just end up sharing a wave with a local surf legend like Layne Beachley.
Lifeline Classic
8am, Sunday 15 September | Queenscliff Beach lifelineclassic.lifelinenb.org.au
The event is now in its seventh year. Bruce Vial has raised more than $10,000 consecutively over the last three Lifeline Classics, and clearly recalls the first time he took part. “It was an eye-opening and very exhilarating experience,” says Bruce, a Lifeline board member. “I was surfing against some of the elite surfers on the Northern Beaches. Let me assure you, my skill level is far and away below that.
“But the purpose wasn’t for me to dominate as a surfer, it was to support Lifeline and to help raise important funds.
“We actually won! Because we were the highest fundraiser that year, raising $8,800, we got to pick the best professional surfer and he helped us win the tournament!”
Teams of four surf on the day, and each team aims to raise $5,000. For funds raised over this amount, teams receive bonus points. At the start of the day, there is a fundraising presentation, and teams which have earned enough bonus points will get to choose a pro-surfer to join their team. One surfer from each team is in the water at a time, while the rest wait to be tagged in. The top two teams in each heat progress to the next round.
Former Pro-surfer Layne Beachly at the 2023 Classic
All ages are welcome to join, and there is a category for high school students. There will be 20 pro-surfers and local rippers attending, including Saxon Reber, Samson Coulter and Lex O’Connor.
Bruce is also the fundraising coach, who helped David Vaealiki and his team from not-for-profit gym NBRHD raise money for last year’s event. “The good thing about the Lifeline Classic is they help you out with fundraising activities,” David says. “They helped us organise a Bunnings barbecue.”
“It’s one of those charities you can rely on,” he says. “If you’ve got an issue, you can call that number and you can get in contact with someone.”
Sarah Grattan, chief executive officer of Lifeline Northern Beaches, says the charity hopes to raise $100,000 to help fund its community programs. “Our local team of crisis supporters based in Balgowlah gives more than 16,000 hours each year and answers more than 55,000 calls from around the country – over five per cent the national total,” Sarah says.
“When we look at the statistics, the biggest killer of 25-to-44 year olds is suicide. It’s a crisis and our community has far too often felt the devastating effects. The Lifeline Classic is a way of connecting with our community through one of our favourite pastimes – surfing.”
Bruce says competitors and spectators attending the family-friendly event are guaranteed a great day out. “Last year it was superb surfing,” he says. “People were landing aerials and getting tubes. It was absolutely first rate.”
Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24 hour phone service); Lifeline crisis text and chat support: 0477 131 114