Scotch College

Big splash in the world of lifesaving

In the nationally recognised Year of the Surf Lifesaver, Scott Yeomans, who once disliked lifesaving, has won a major state lifesaving award and has qualified for a national award.

Words: David Ashton Photography: Kathryn Cairney

Outstanding Old Boy lifesaver Scott Yeomans (’02) has won the Wishart Medal as Victoria’s Lifesaver of the Year, receiving his award for his general performance in and contribution to surf lifesaving. Also contributing to the award were Scott’s 200-plus voluntary surf patrol hours and his 15 major rescues in 2006, and also his team’s performance in the state inflatable rescue boat (IRB) championships, in which they won three gold and one silver medal.

Also part of Scott’s IRB team were three other Old Scotch boys – Andy Doyle (’02), Jeremy Farrington (’96), the team captain, and Nick Demiris (’01), the team manager.

Scott, now 23, became a lifesaving ‘nipper’ at the age of seven at the Anglesea Surf Lifesaving Club, but he didn’t like it much and gave it away. Eight years passed before he gave it another try, at 15, and he’s since gone on from strength to strength.

Scott is now chief lifesaving instructor at Anglesea. Last year he clocked up more than 350 voluntary hours as a teacher.

In March he travelled to Perth for the national championships, which included events similar to the Victorian championships, plus an interview in which searching questions about lifesaving were asked. He also had to give a three-minute presentation on a lifesaving subject.

A commerce student at Deakin University, Scott has deferred his studies so that he can travel, pursue his lifesaving interests, and work part-time to help boost the bank balance a little. On Thursday afternoons he is a cadet officer at Scotch.

On 27 March, he returned to Scotch for the special ‘Summer at Scotch’ lifesaving day, and he helped give lifesaving demonstrations to about 100 Year 8 boys.

Footnote: the Year of the Surf Lifesaver (YSL) marks the 100th anniversary of surf lifesaving in Australia. YSL acknowledges the fundamental role surf lifesavers play in keeping Australian beaches safe, and in the formation of Australian beach culture.