Malcolm Kelly did not become a lifesaver for the accolades.
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He wanted to help serve the community.
So, although honoured to receive NSW Surf Life Saving’s Rescue of the Month award for an off-duty rescue at Bar Beach last month, the 27-year-old hopes he won’t have to make a habit of it.
Just after 5:30pm on October 16, the Cooks Hill trainer and assessor was helping out in the bar area when a police officer rushed in to report a woman had been washed off the rocks and was in distress.
Mr Kelly sped to the storage shed, pulled out a rescue board and sprinted down the beach and into the surf.
Two surfers had come to the aid of the woman in the water and Mr Kelly carried her on his rescue board back to shore where paramedics and police were waiting.
“I’ve done plenty of rescues on patrol but that was the first time I’ve done one after hours,” Mr Kelly said.
“I was there for nippers in the morning and I was working behind the bar at the surf club on the Sunday evening then a police officer came running in and said a lady had been washed off the rocks and was drowning.
“There really wasn’t time to think, I just reacted on instinct and did the best I could. The surfers did a great job that gave me the time to get out to her and the club’s rescue team was fantastic and was ready to launch if needed.
“I consider this award to be a great honour. I don’t do surf lifesaving for awards or recognition or anything like that. While it’s nice to be recognised and appreciated the reason why I do it is because I love it.”
The 27-year-old never did nippers himself as a child but ended up doing his Bronze Medallion and becoming a surf-lifesaver when his nephew joined up.
“I just went down to the beach to help out with his age group,” Mr Kelly said.
“It is the best thing I’ve ever done; just everything and everyone involved. The people are there because they want to be there and want to help out with the community.”
He is now a patrol captain with the club and one of many everyday heroes on our beaches through Summer.
Mr Kelly is now a finalist for Surf Life Saving NSW rescue of the year.
With Summer starting on Thursday, Cooks Hill Surf Club president Richard Hermens said it was an opportune time to remind the general public to be safe and aware of the hazards at the beach.
“We have got to remind the general public all of the time about the dangers of the beach and to remind them to swim between the flags,” Mr Hermens said.
“Heading into summer, it’s all about trying to prevent people from getting into trouble in the surf. Nobody wants to be doing rescues if they don’t have to.”
Mr Hermens said there were plenty of stories like Mr Kelly’s but you did not always hear about them.
“Most people know surf-lifesaving as a sport but there are so many stories of just everyday people, like Mal, who are heroes,” Mr Hermens said.
“It is just everyday people dedicating their time to keep people safe.
“In a situation like that, where the beach was unpatrolled, people have got to swim close to a group of other swimmers.”