Club History
The tragic drowning of a 15 year old youth in the mouth of the Rubicon River in January 1985 led to the founding of Port Sorell Surf Life Saving Club in 1986 under the direction of Lyn and Dennis Barratt. The local boat hire operator at that time had rescued more than 25 people from the water between 1984 and 1986. In 1987 the club name was changed to Shearwater and Districts Surf Life Saving Club. By 1992 the club had 10 Bronze Medallion holders and 40 Nippers. It reverted back to it’s original name ‘Port Sorell SLSC’ and was granted probationary affiliation with SLST, but still had nowhere to store any equipment or use as a training base. Patrol equipment was borrowed from and returned to Devonport SLSC each weekend and a patrol tent was set up near Taroona Street’s “Diving Board Beach”. This area was recognised as the most popular beach with locals, shack owners, and the on site campers who moved into that area each summer.
The Barratts continued to work tirelessly with the club committee to secure support from all levels of Government for the development of a club house while continuing to provide youth activities and lifesaving services from a tent and then a caravan on the Hawley Esplanade. The ongoing barriers placed before them at that time from some locals, and the Department of Environment and Planning, saw a barrage of article and letters in the local newspaper over a period of twelve years which finally lead to the club being disbanded in July 1998 and most of the group moving to the Devonport club.
Fortunately for the area, during 1999 a lobby group formed under local spokesperson Keith Haines to ensure that lifesaving services would establish a patrol at one of the local beaches over the summer and would continue to pursue the development of a club house.
Final approval and agreement for a small storage shed was reached in 2002 and although definitely not in the preferred location, construction of the Port Sorell SLSC storage facility was completed on some swamp land in the northern corner of Freers Beach which at one time had been ear marked, then deemed unsuitable, for a caravan park. It was constructed by volunteers and officially opened later that year.
Since that time there have been several building extensions with the club house now being a popular venue for functions and community activities. There are around 55 patrolling members, 20 members competing in the Senior/Masters ranks, and 80 junior members participating in the Nipper program. Family and community members also make up a great group of volunteers.
Port Sorell SLSC, although having a small community base, have been successful in producing fantastic athletes and exceptional youth leaders of whom we are very proud. Our members have been recipients of Surf Lifesaving Tasmania Awards of Excellence over the years including: SLST Life Saver of the Year, SLST Junior Life Saver of the year, SLST u19 Athlete of the year and SLST Club of the Year.
