Donny Szell "The Don" Surfboat

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Don Szell has patrolled Broulee beach for 35 years, joining the club in 1989 as one of the Club’s longest serving continuous members. His commitment as a volunteer was recognised with a National Patrol Service Award for 25 years’ service, and in 1999 and again in 2000 he was awarded the Club’s Patrol Person of the Year.

Don has also been an active member of the surfboat community, attending the 1994 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships as part of Broulee’s surfboat team. More recently he has taken up sweeping and coaching for the surfboat crews who train on Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra.

The Club’s surfboat crews, who train both in Broulee and Canberra, spent 12 months raising almost $30,000 to purchase the Don Szell surfboat — a South Coast Surfboat built just in time for the crews to compete at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships in Queensland in April 2024, where they won a silver medal. The Club formally commissioned the boat on 4 May 2024 at Broulee Beach.

Achievements

The Don Szell surfboat has achieved the following results:

• Silver Medal — Australian Masters Championships 2024, Alexander Headlands, Over 180 Masters Male. Crew: Morgan Freemantle, Jeff Dunne, Steve Moore, Pete Shaw, swept by Gary Pettigrove
• 4th Place — Australian Masters Championships 2024, Alexander Headlands, Over 200 Masters Female. Crew: Robyn Trenton, Susan McKeag, Vikki Fischer, Brenda Lofthouse, swept by Gary Pettigrove

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