Paul, 66, of Forster was honoured for doing precisely this with a life membership of the Cape Hawke Surf Club at its recent presentation night.

“I was completely surprised.  You may have even seen a glimpse of emotion in one of my eyes — but it was probably sea water.  I feel very proud and very humble,” he said.

At the AGM, Paul passed on the mantle of president after serving at the club for 12 years and leaving behind a permanent legacy.

“It was my commitment when I became president to build a new surf club.  It was finished in September 2014, so this seemed like a good time to retire from this position,” he said.

The new two-storey building features a ground floor area available for weddings and functions and club rooms and member only areas above. A new gear storage shed was built initially.

“The original building started as a Council amenity block with a kiosk and gardener’s room.  There were three extensions, but it was not up to date with modern standards and not up with safety regulations.  Basically, we had grown out of it.  The new building was built on its imprint,” Paul said.

But according to Paul, surf life saving is less about the building and more about building a team.

“That’s the reason I have stayed in it for so long.  It’s a great environment and the fellow club members become a family.  This is a community in itself,” Paul said.

While Paul may have stepped down as president, he is still an active member, maintaining some smaller roles and still on patrol.

“You never know.  In a little while, I might slip into another role,” he said.

For Paul, surf life saving took over from his commitment to Apex, first at Campbelltown, then Broken Hill, then Mollymook.

“When you hit 40, they throw you out and my children were involved in the Mollymook surf club.  That’s what started me off.  It was all new at the time, coming from the bush to beach,” he said.

His work as a policeman brought him to Forster in 2000 and his passion for surf lifesaving continued.  First attaining his bronze medallion at age 40, he now has silver medallions in basic beach management and advanced emergency care (resuscitation, defibrillation and advanced first aid).

“You have to retire somewhere, and you couldn’t get a better place than Forster.  It’s a good size with good weather, with most facilities and not the hustle and bustle of a larger country area.  We are a blended family with five children and 13 grand children.  They love to visit.

“At the beach, you talk to everyone who goes past, give advice on the conditions.  I find it relaxing.  You are away from the computer and the phones.  This is four hours when you are not doing anything else.  You aren’t cutting the grass or washing the car,” he said.

“But you can only feel relaxed about doing a patrol knowing you are surrounded by expert, young, capable swimmers and paddlers.  We have a good team.  We know we are capable and prepared for anything that might arise.  And that gives you comfort and it should also give comfort to the people using the beach.”

Paul said he is regularly joined on patrol by his wife Kerry.

“If you want to find me, check the water’s edge, look for the guy with the grey hair.  And remember to say ‘hello’. I am the biggest and the oldest there,” he said.

Cape Hawke popular but unpredictable:

Paul said that Forster beach was considered a safe, north facing beach with few waves while Cape Hawke had more challenging conditions.

“There are a few rips and gutters.  It’s popular but it can be unpredictable, so you have to be attentive.  Most incidents are caused by silly people doing silly things,” he said.

He remembers one incident in which the patrol was keeping an eye on a group of tourists, swimming in their clothing.

“It was the last day of the season and we were lowering the flags.  A film crew was there for the ceremony but as we were doing it, we were also watching this group.  

We noticed that one had drifted away to a different area.  So our rescue was all recorded by the television cameras.  The point of this is that even though we were there and watching, one person still got by.  Swimming fully clothed is always a sign to us that these people aren’t familiar with conditions.”