Posted 2020-11-18T22:41:03+0000
This weekend (Sunday 2pm at North Bondi) is the 78th Stan Mac Relay – a 20 person surf race relay between Bondi and North Bondi surf clubs. This year will be the 78th consecutive year the race has been run.
So who were Stan and Basil McDonald?
Stan was the first appointed chief beach inspector for Waverley Council at Bondi. Known as “The King of Bondi”, Stan is a key part of Bondi legend and set the pattern for beach inspectors. He is still rated as having the highest rescue count in Bondi history.
His son Basil, a Life Member, worked at Bondi for more than 50 years. He was known as “Mr Bondi” and was awarded the Order of Australia in 1980 for his services to the community and Surf Lifesaving.
For many years the McDonald family ran a beach hire business out of the tunnel. They rented out SurfoPlanes (see https://mypaipoboards.org/interviews/JohnRuffels/JohnRuffels_2011-0305.shtml for more) and did spray tans.
They used to collect the surfoplanes when people abandoned them after the time was up because they couldn’t be bothered coming back with them and other people would rush off and ride them for nothing. They had to scoop them up and carry about 10 or 15 surfoplanes on their head at once.
An eyewitness account from Tom Meagher tells of how, with quick thinking, Basil and his assistants arrived to help armed with SurfoPlanes. Apparently he heard the alarm from the lifesaving bell. People were getting washed out. His father said, “Quick, get out the back there with those surfoplanes and hand them out to the non-swimmers.”
Join us on Sunday 22 November (2:00pm start at North Bondi SLSC) to cheer on our Bondi team.
#firstsurfclub #bondisurfclub #surflifesaving #noliveslost #history #bondibeach #staysafe #beach #slsa #northbondislsc #competition #cooperation
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