The Club was established on 23 August 1964 when locals recognised the need for a patrolled beach following the increase in population and tourists in Fingal Bay.

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With support from the Seaside Holiday Resort (previously known as the Fingal Bay Holiday Centre) and guided by community discussion on which beach should be patrolled – Fingal or Zenith – the foundations for the club were established where you can find it today.

The first volunteer beach patrol was conducted in 1964, with the beach being patrolled every weekend and public holiday from September to April school holidays.

In 2009, the original clubhouse suffered fire damage after an accident with a candle, and was subsequently rebuilt in 2014 with the support of Port Stephens Council.

The Club’s longest-serving member, whose signature can be found on the first committee meeting minutes from 1964, is Eddy Bergsma OAM.

Still a patrolling member and the surf boat sweep, Eddy helped dig the foundations of the original clubhouse in his twenties.

In 1980, women were first admitted as full members in surf life saving, with females joining patrols and becoming leaders in clubs across the state.

In 2011, the Club elected their first ever female President, Tanya Squires.

The past ten years have been extremely busy for the Club, with the notorious Fingal Spit the site of a number of fatalities; the lifesaving community being front and foremost in delivering their expertise during these challenging times to the victims and their families.

The club recently resurrected Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) racing, aiding younger patrolling members to become better IRB operators and continuing the skills and interest in surf life saving for many years to come.

The Club was proud to host this year’s Sharkskin IRB Championship, with seventeen clubs from across NSW visiting and competing at Fingal.

Fingal Beach became an ‘inclusive’ beach in November 2018, and the Club held an Accessible Beach Day where the matting was opened for use by Mayor Ryan Palmer.

This is the only accessible matting and water chair access available in the Hunter region.

Fingal Beach SLSC is the venue of choice for Hunter Surf Lifesaving carnivals and has hosted a number of large events, including the 2023 Interbranch Championship.

It has also hosted the TreX Port Stephens triathlon event a number of times.

These events bring in a lot of visitors to the community, showcasing the beach and facilities to a greater audience.

“We would like to thank the community for their support for the past six decades,” current Club President Jo Cooper said.

“This fosters long-lasting community connections that has given our club the resources to provide surf safety and rescue education programs and skills, improve equipment and resources to ensure that we provide volunteer beach patrols for many years to come.

“As we move into the next 60 years, our aim is to support and develop our members’ passion for continued commitment to becoming a volunteer lifesaver on Fingal Beach and provide volunteer patrols to ensure that both residents and visitors alike can enjoy their time safely on the beach.”

The Club’s Nippers registration is now open.

Registration and open days will be held on 14 and 15 September at the club, from 10:00 am to 1:00pm.

To find out more, visit https://www.fingalbeachslsc.com or contact the club’s Facebook page.

By Simon EKINS