SLSA Hall of Fame Members
The Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) Hall of Fame was developed to permanently display, commemorate and recognise members and teams who have achieved oustanding accomplishments and exceptional contributions to the development of surf lifesaving in Australia. The following Bondi SBLSC members are inducted into this Hall of Fame. We are all very proud of their achivements and thank them for the great contribution they have made to this club and surf lifesaving.
Major John Bond
Major Bond was a pioneer in the field of instruction. At the clubs second meeting in March 1907 he was elected as the clubs first Chief Instructor. He was a Boer War Veteran serving with the Royal Australian Medical Corp and along with Lyster Ormsby & Percy Flynn was responsible for the design and implementation of the now famous surf reel. Bond conducted initial line training classes in the Waverley Bowling Club. He is buried in Waverley Cemetary overlooking the ocean which he played such a pivotal role in. He is a Life Member of Bondi SBLSC and Bronte SLSC in recognition of the roles he played in instruction with both clubs.
Positions Held: Chief Instructor
Lyster Ormsby
Lyster Ormsby is a foundation and life member of our great club.
He was our first Club Captain and was instrumental in the design of the famous surf reel (with John Bond and Percy Flynn) and also the first duty roster.
A huge man possessing natural leadership skills he was also responsible for the formation of the Surf Bathers Association of NSW (the beginnings of the Surf Life Saving Association).
Positions Held: Club Captain 1907-1908, Club President 1921-22.
Harry Nightingale
Harry ‘Salty’ Nightingale was instrumental for the development of surf lifesaving in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He was head coach of the Ceylon Swimming Association and Australia at the Empire Games and was considered a pioneer in the field of Rescue & Resuscitation. The Open 6 Person R&R Trophy at the NSW Surf Life Saving Titles is named in honour of Harry. Harry won the Australian Championships in R&R in 1932,1935, 36, 40 and 1958-1963, and as Coach of the Open R&R in 1972 and the Surf Teams in 1934 and Unrestricted Surf 1937. For his his services to the club he was granted Life Membership.
Positions Held: Chief Instructor
Tom Meagher OBE
It has been righly said that Tom Meagher “lives” for the SLSA” and what it stands for. Tom joined BSBLSC in 1922 and after a long term as vice-captain served five years as captain. Between 1922 and 1938 he helped the club win the Australian R&R championships seven times and also annexed the national belt title in 1925 & 1926. His wonderful handling of the dangerous situation on Black Sunday in 1938, when he was Chief Beach Inspector, portrayed his fine surfmanship. On the memorable day when Boy Charleton & Arne Borg clashed at the Domain Baths, Tom made history by swimming the 100yards in 65 seconds while draggingh a surf belt. He was awarded the Bronze Medal and Certificate of Merit from the Royal Shipwreck & Humane Society for a reescue performed at McKenzies Point on October 1, 1939. He received a repeat of this award for a rescue at Bondi Beach on December 12, 1941. Tom saw service in the Pacific during World War 2. He established the Solomons Islands Surf Club in 1944 with fellow life member Carl Jeppesen. He was awarded a Coronotion Medal by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 2nd and is a Life Member of our club.
Positions Held: Patron, President, Vice President, Captain, Vice Captain, President SLSNSW.
Brian Hutchings
Life Member Brian “Hutcho” Hutchings was arguably Bondi greatest competitor. He defeated legends of the surf including, Manly’s Max Riddington, North Cronulla’s Bruce Bourke, North Bondi’s Gary Winram and Freshwaters Barry Lumsdaine. In his first season in senior competition he won three senior surf races from three starts. For his efforts he was rewarded with selection in the Australian Team to meet New Zealand at the Royal Surf Carnival held at Bondi in February 1954.He won the Australian Open Surf Race Championship in 1954, 1956 and 1959 and won silver in 1960 and bronze in 1958. He also won the Australian Open Belt Race Championship in 1961 & 1963.
Positions Held: Management Committee 1953-1958
SLSA HALL OF FAME INDUCTION OF THE BONDI SURF BATHERS’ LIFE SAVING CLUB’S
R&R TEAMS FROM 1915 – 1929
The BSBLSC’s teams, which dominated 6-person rescue and resuscitation (R&R) championships in the early 1900s, have been inducted posthumously into Surf Life Saving Australia’s Hall of Fame.
The induction – which was recognised as one award – took place during SLSA’s Awards of Excellence dinner at the Observation City Hotel at Scarborough in Perth on Friday April 4 during the 2007-08 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships.
Bondi won six Australian R&R team championships in the period 1915-1929 and were placed second three times, in 1919-20; 1924-25 and 1926-27. The championships were not held between 1915-16 and 1918-19 because of the First World War. Members of its winning teams were:
- 1915: H.B. ‘Tibby’ Fletcher; George Brown; Victor Coppleson; R. Clark, R. ‘Bob’ Douglas; W. ‘Bill’ Douglas; Tom Walker; instructor W. ‘Bill’ Craven.
- 1922: Tibby Fletcher; Bill Douglas, E.A. ‘Ern’ Clark; W. ‘Bill’ Marriott; Claude Seabrook; George Brown; instructor Bill Craven.
- 1923: Tibby Fletcher; Tom Meagher; Bill Douglas; Claude Seabrook; Ern Clark; Stewart Campbell; instructor Bill Craven.
- 1924: Tom Meagher; Ern Clark, Tibby Fletcher; Phil Johnston; Bill Douglas, Claude Seabrook; instructor Bill Craven.
- 1926: Tibby Fletcher; Tom Meagher; Phil Johnston; Claude Seabrook; Bill Marriott; E.C. Bush; instructor Bill Craven.
- 1929: Col Douglass; Jack Woods; Tom Meagher; Reg Stevens; Cedric ‘Ted’ Emanuel; Allan Rennix; instructors Bill Craven and Bill Douglas.
Fittingly, Bondi, recognised as the foundation club of the movement, has more Hall of Fame inductees than any other of SLSA’S 305 clubs nationwide.
Brian Hutchings, Tom Meagher, Harry Nightingale and Lyster Ormsby were inducted into the inaugural intake in March 2004. The addition of the R&R teams as one induction has increased Bondi’s representation in the Hall of Fame to five. Major John Bond, a pioneering member of both the Bondi and Bronte clubs and Bondi’s first Chief Instructor, was also inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.
