An all girls cast of Pacific Palms Surf Life Saving Club members will come together at Elizabeth Beach this weekend to keep swimmers safe while also celebrating 40 years of female involvement in the surf lifesaving movement.
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Pacific Palms SLSC director of member services, Rebecca Austin, who organised the initiative with fellow members Janet Allen and Jan Moran, said two groups would patrol the beach dressed in pink on Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 1pm.
She said the initiative was not only to celebrate 40 years of women in surf but to demonstrate that women were no longer restricted by their gender in the surf lifesaving movement.
"We want to encourage girls of all ages to know they can go as far as they want in surf lifesaving," Ms Austin said.
"It's a pathway program for women potentially going into higher roles in surf lifesaving."
Ms Austin, who has been involved in surf lifesaving for the past three years, said it was a surprise to learn that women had only been officially admitted into the movement in 1980, but she believed the culture was a lot more accepting now.
"Lifesaving as a whole is a really good community to be involved in," she said.
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Ms Austin said Pacific Palms SLSC was very receptive to the idea of the Pink Patrol when it was first put forward and there were plans in place to hold it every year.
Originally planned for June, the initiative had to be postponed because of COVID-19 and Ms Austin said it was a blessing to be able to hold it now instead of having to call it off completely.
"It's been a tough year for everybody so something positive was really important," she said.
Ms Austin encouraged anyone on Elizabeth Beach on Saturday or Sunday to come along and say g'day and urged any women who were interested in surf lifesaving to give it a go.
Tomorrow marks the opening of the summer beach patrol season and all swimmers are reminded to swim between the flags and heed the advice of lifesavers.
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