Venus Bay makes waves on national stage

VENUS Bay Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) inflatable rescue boat (IRB) teams returned recently from the Interstate and Australian Inflatable IRB Championships in Mollymook, New South Wales with two semi-final appearances under their belt. 

In the Australian Championships, Venus Bay’s under 23 men’s and women’s rescue teams, comprising Declan Woolf, Austin Timmins and Rhiannon McCorriston, and Tyla McAlear, Alice Webb and Declan Woolf respectively, were successful in making the semi-finals. 

With both teams finishing fifth, narrowly missing a finals appearance. 

Venus Bay teams also qualified for six quarter finals, in the under 23 men’s mass rescue (Woolf, Timmins, McCorriston, Lachlan Hickey) under 23 men’s tube rescue (Woolf, Timmins, Hickey), open men’s mass rescue (Timmins, Hugh Knights, Ella Arnold, Sophie Glasson), open women’s rescue (McAlear, Webb, Woolf) and the open women’s mass rescue (McAlear, Webb, Woolf, McCorriston and Arnold, Glasson, Timmins, Alisha Rowden). 

Hickey and Woolf also competed in the Interstate Championships, which saw the nation’s best drivers, crews and patients selected to represent their respective states in the open state and under 23 development teams. 

They teamed up with Nicholas Vouk, Lachlan Hirth, Ava Robinson (South Melbourne Life Saving Club) and Brydie Logan (Williamstown Swimming and Lifesaving Club) to place fifth in the men’s teams rescue, and Woolf joined Jasmine McJames-Court, Lauren Harrop and Georgie Park-Beard (Elwood LSC) to place sixth in the women’s mass rescue.

This helped Victoria place second overall with 49 points, behind Queensland (51 points). 

In addition to athletes, 17 Victorian officials were selected in safety and emergency management, judges, supervisors, starters, appeals, competition liaison, announcing, powercraft and scrutineering roles.

This included Venus Bay members Elliot Amalos, holding the Surf Life Saving Australia officials’ scholarship, and Elise McCorriston.