Hi Team Tama!

Welcome back to another epic edition of ‘She’s a Lifesaver’, yes we are still going strong and I think this is now our 18th profile  - go Tamarama Women!

I met our next wonderful Tama woman at our Celebration of Women in SLS day as she joined the fab morning patrol, she was also one of our La Nina Bronzies. Growing up in PNG, she is a water baby at heart, a wedding celebrant in her part time as well as being a Tama legend. 

Introducing the awesome Kate Young, newest member of Patrol 4 so I asked her PC Chris Barrett for a few words, “ Kate has been a sparkling addition to patrol 4 with enthusiasm for life and life saving and importantly some great chat in the tent which is just as well because her arrival has coincided with average weather and limited active patrolling. We are all pumped to have her in patrol 4 and excited by what she’ll contribute in building a great team and club culture”

Over to Kate...

Thanks - Zoe, VP

Tell us a bit about yourself: 3 words that best describe you?  Positive, curious and adventurous

How did you get into Surf Life Saving? How did you join Tama? Being a Cancerian I think my natural habitat is the ocean 😉, but in a more practical sense I spent my childhood growing up in Papua New Guinea,  being in a tropical climate most days were spent either in the pool or ocean. For weekends and school holidays we’d venture off to ‘Salamaua’, a remote Island off the coast of Lae (pictured below – yeah can you believe this place exists!). As kids we would run a muck on the island swimming, snorkeling, fishing, skiing and boating, it was a childhood dream and water coursed through our veins!

As a young adult I packed up my backpack and spent 4 years in London…and although it was full of European adventures and pub antics, my heart longed for the beach! When I made the decision to return to Australia I was adamant that I would live by the ocean, and after a number of dodgy apartment viewings in Bondi I decided Glamarma was more my scene 😉 and called this beautiful beach home for the next 9 years.

The last 2 years of covid lockdowns offered more time for reflection and I was keen to give back to the community. So when exploring different options, it was a no brainer to combine my love for the ocean with the place I call home – and so my journey started late last year with Glamarama Surf Club!!

Dreamy PNG

What are the best things about being part of the Surf Life Saving community? Diversity and inclusion! From day one it was clear that the Life Saving community is not only a welcoming bunch, but also a super interesting group of people! I feel every day you interact with our community you walk away learning something new, gaining a different perspective, or just being entertained by people’s stories adventuring within the deep blue sea.

What has been your biggest achievement from being part of Surf Lifesaving? As a new member I think there are loads of achievements to come, but I must confess I did vomit after the Bronzie swim trial so I must have pushed myself hard ha!  But in all seriousness it would have to be the wonderful friendships I’ve made in such a short period of time (shout out to Josh and Nathan – they made me do it!). Spending 8 weeks training with the Bronzie cohort creates strong bonds, not just because you have each other’s butts in your face doing unconscious board rescues, but learning and growing knowing that you will save lives is a huge responsibility that you take on together. Our Bronzie group were really supportive and encouraging towards each other and we’d often go for lunch or dinner after training which built a beautiful team culture. It also helped having incredible trainers who reflect the same values.

Rain, hail or shine, Bronzie friendships are a real thing

Tell us about what you do when not on the beach at Tama looking after people? Day to day I work for SBS, a company that really embodies the same values that I have observed at our club so I love it 😊 (Mardi Gras pic). On the weekends you can find me side hustling as a wedding celebrant (yes I am taking bookings – spread the word!) or surfing along our incredible NSW coastline.

SBS ally at Mardi Gras

Favourite place to go for food in Sydney? Char on Bondi Rd is my go to 3 times a week (healthy and delicious)!  But if we’re getting fancy I’d say North Bondi Fish.

Ideal holiday destination right now? Surfing trip to the Philippines! It was on my list pre-covid so I’m determined I will get there this year!! If anyone reading this has been please send tips!

What would be your advice to any woman thinking to give surf lifesaving a go? Absolutely do it! I took up surfing 5 years ago and although I love it, it’s quite a male dominated and intimidating sport for women. I was lucky to find a group of girls that I regularly go surfing with, which gave me more confidence in the water. I found my community. The same goes for Surf Life Saving. If you have fears around the water or physical activity, Tamarama provides a safe, supportive, encouraging and most of all fun environment to give you the confidence to go beyond your comfort zone. Once you do that you won’t look back! Plus you get to save lives….how cool is that!

La Nina Bronzies celebrating their graduation on a rare dry day

What have you learnt from your time at Tama? What has been something you learnt that has surprised you? That pee is not helpful on blue bottle stings! And if you ever swim through an armada it’s helpful to have Michelle by your side. She will calm you down and encourage you to be like Dory….just keep swimming!

Thank you Kate for taking the time to be part of our ‘She’s a Lifesaver’ profile, and joining us at Tama, love the words about our culture at Tama, and thank you for joining our club, we are so lucky to have you.

See you all soon, have a great week!