Forward Journey

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Early doors for 9 of the team on Thurs 5 July - they had packed the bus and trailer with all the donated boards and equipment on the Wednesday evening. There was great chatter and excitement on Wednesday as John and Slim laid down a few rules for the trip including time of departure for the folllowing morning! Meanwhile in the background, Garry and Anita were running around doing last minute organisation for the team including photocopying of passports and handing over discs of photos.

On a still and idyllic chilly morning, John (with broken bag handle from running from his house to the surf club at 4am!), Tiff, Stu, Craig, Steve, Chris and Dash were on time to meet Murray with the bus and trailer. Yes Slim, they did get away on time - being farewelled by Karen (with broken Achilles!), Adrian, Leanne and our dedicated president, Garry. They slowed to the pace of a slow jog and scooped Slimbo and Denise off the roundabout at Kincumber and headed out to the freeway to pick up Ken and his wife, bound for Sydney Airport.

Emails and texts received in Avoca have indicated that the team have arrived safely in Phuket having to order a second bus to fit in all their gear to transport them to their accommodation.

Entries to our blog will now come to you from Thailand ....... over to you team.

Have a great time and good luck with all your ventures and networking. We are all looking forward to joining you in the future to further this wonderful project.

On this page is a photo taken on Tuesday 3 July when John, Slim and Karen travelled to Sydney to attend an official reception with the Commissioner of NSW Fire Brigades, Greg Mullins, where 12 oxyvivas were donated by the NSW Fire Brigades to Avoca Beach Surf Club for use in Thailand for teaching advanced resuscitation. John, Slim and Karen were treated to a guided tour through the City of Sydney Fire Station after the formalities.

An exerpt from an article written by the Public Affairs Officer for the NSW Fire Brigades which will be published in their newsletters and in the Central Coast local Press is as follows:

'The NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB) this week donated 12 Oxy-Vivas to the Avoca Beach Surf Lifesaving Club to assist with the establishment of a Surf Life Saving Club in Thailand.

The Oxy-Vivas, and other donated equipment, will be used by the Avoca Beach Surf Club to implement a surf life saving education program in Phuket.

Two Life Members of the Surf Club, John Mitchell and Alistair (Slim) Peebles, came up with the idea of introducing surf awareness and the culture of surf life saving to the people living in Phuket and on Phi Phi Island following the 2004 tsunami and to combat drownings at Thai beaches.

Through the men’s tireless efforts, a grant from the Australia-Thailand Institute was secured for the program which will train local Thai people in first aid, surf awareness and water safety.

A team of 12 volunteers will fly out later this month to begin implementing the program with members of the Thai Marine Police, lifeguards, school children, tour operators and the wider community.

The NSWFB is one of a number of organisations and businesses to have shown their support for the initiative by donating equipment for the establishment of the Surf Lifesaving Club in Thailand.

NSWFB Commissioner Greg Mullins, who officially handed over the Oxy-Vivas to John Mitchell at City of Sydney Fire Station on Tuesday (3 July), said the NSWFB was pleased its equipment could help contribute to community safety through the establishment of the Surf Life Saving Club in Thailand.

“The NSWFB uses Oxy-Vivas for patient resuscitation and we hope the 12 Oxy-Vivas we have donated will be of as much benefit to the Thai community as they have been to us in saving lives.”


KD

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