Life Member - Gail King

Published: April 18, 2024

Gail is among those in the club who offer up the gold standard of service, season in and season out.

• Joined SLSA in January 2002
• Bronze Medallion gained 23/3/2002
• 20 years service
• 976.8 patrol hours
• Committee positions
• Chief Training Officer
• Vice Club Captain

She has been a positive force in the club since signing up and is always pushing to take the rank-and-file lifesaving abilities above and beyond.
Gail has achieved this largely in her role as an instructor/assessor and chief instructor, but also on the beach by her approach to being an effective Patrol Captain.
She set the tone for her guiding influence when she was named her team's Best Patrol Member in 2006-2007.
Gail attained her IRB driver’s qualification, and as such has been a trailblazer for females taking on a primary rescue role in these proven motor craft.
She shared patrol captain duties with Jim Dolan before assuming sole PC duties in recent years with her usual calm assurance.
Her driving goal has been to advance every active member's ability to respond to emergency situations.
In the 2010-11 season Gail was a foundation committee member of the club's new social committee headed by her co-patrol captain Jim Dolan.
In that same year she was part of the surf club's trainers and assessors’ team which assisted with the examining of 354 award proficiencies and trained up 15 new bronze members, 18 first aiders, 11 surf rescue certificates, and 7 silver medallion beach awards.

The 2012-13 season saw Gail part of the upskilling surge with the assessor/trainer numbers building from 10 to 15.
In the 2014-15 season Gail won the praise of the club's Chief Training Officer Chris Smithies for gaining a place on the Australian Surf Life Saving Queensland Academy as a facilitator to oversee the training of lifesaving skills.
Her caring nature has seen her offer special support for young surf club members.
In 2016 Gail volunteered to chaperone teenagers Bryce Hammond and Liam Clarke on a groundbreaking lifesaving exchange to the Del Mar beach in the USA as part of the Twinnings Club Program.
In 2016-17 as Chief Training Officer, Gail noted that it took between 80-100 hours of volunteer time to qualify a Bronze squad.
In the 2017-18 season Gail skillfully led a team of 18 TAFs (Trainers, Assessors, Facilitators).
She completed her third straight season as CTO in the 2018-19 season winning the admiration of many seasoned veterans for her dedication to lifesaving excellence.
Her final report said: "The education of our members has developed significantly over recent years with a professional approach taken."
Gail, the Patrol 7 PC, was a popular choice for the club's highest honor, the Dave Cush Meritorious Service Award in the 2020-21 season.
This was in part due to her other role as the club's membership protection information officer, providing vital information about members' rights.

Gail has enabled a clear pathway for others to realize their full potential and has through her dedication to training added strength and assurance to the club's overall lifesaving performances.