From surfing to lifesaving

BEING a volunteer lifesaver has become a way of life for Scott Johnson of Venus Bay Surf Life Saving Club.

“I am originally from South Australia, so I attained my bronze medallion on January 23, 1988, at Chiton Rocks SLSC, where I have been president, club captain and treasurer and I’m a life member,” Scott explained.

“I moved to Victoria in 2004 and have been at Venus Bay SLSC since.”
Scott’s involvement in surf lifesaving came about through surfing.

“Back in the 1980s, most of Chiton Rocks’ members were surfers, including the establishing member the legendary Jimmy Miller, since the club has a bunk house which allowed for weekend surfing trips from Adelaide.”

From Chiton to Venus Bay and even North Steyne SLSC, when he lived in Sydney for a year, lifesaving has provided an array of opportunities of Scott, including his new role on the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) team.

“Becoming a member of the RPAS team was a flow-on effect from COVID-19 and lockdowns.

“Being locked up and working from home, I was watching a lot of YouTube videos.

“I’d always had an interest in drone photography but once we were allowed out of the house, I started doing a bit of nature photography.

“Then, at the start of 2021, I bought myself a little drone and was playing with the idea of if this was something I could get involved in within LSV’s RPAS team.

“There is a bit of science and calculations involved but by sticking at it, I was accepted into the RPAS team as a casual and when LSV’s eastern RPAS base at Venus Bay was opened, I volunteered to run the base.

“A ‘normal’ day is ideally pretty dull because it means there’s no one in trouble but even then there is still safety and equipment checks to do, and if there are no taskings, we try to visit the local clubs, say hello and show them what we are doing.

“It’s like the police driving around on patrol and on standby until something happens, but then when it does, very quickly springing into action.

“Most of our taskings are missing persons. For example, in January, we had someone who had gone into the water during the night and hadn’t been seen, so we loaded up the car and drove to the location, liaised with LSV and VicPol on the beach then got to work with the other resources and coordinators for a search and rescue effort.

“Being a part of the RPAS team is me living out my fantasy and has not only allowed me to familiarise myself with drones but also reinforce my people management skills.

“I thought it would be a good way for me to extend my lifesaving career once my ability to do beach patrol ends.

“I am still patrol captain on the Geri Patrol at Venus Bay SLSC, so hopefully that won’t be too soon.”

For Scott, volunteering is about helping others and meeting people.

“It’s good to interact with others, in particular, younger people.

“My teenage kids aren’t involved in lifesaving, but I meet a lot who are, I enjoy seeing their potential as lifesavers and that of the whole mix of interesting people involved.

“We take safety seriously but being a volunteer lifesaver is still fun with the relationships and friendships you make while doing something valuable for the community.”