Unbeaten Marine SLC reflects on a decade of successes
The achievements include the National Grand aggregate champions.
AS the competitive surf lifesaving season draws to a close, Marine SLC, based at Ushaka Beach, has had an unprecedented unbeaten season. The 2018/2019 season started with the club bagging two silver medals and a bronze medal at the World Lifesaving Championships in Adelaide during November 2018. The team of 16 Athletes, coaches and managers took on the strongest ever international field at the home of lifesaving, Australia, to finish 8th in the grand aggregate and the only South African team in the top 20 in the world.
“It has been a long road, supported by a team of dedicated admin and coaching staff to take a club that, 10 years ago, was a group of 10 or 12 members based in a container in the Ushaka car park to the most competitive club in SA. It has all been down to the hard work of the likes of Trevor Martin, Gary Brummer, Bambi Lewin and Mark Lewin who stuck to their passion and rebuilt the Addington Beach based club into undeniably the most competitive lifesaving club in the country,”said club administrator Russell Sadler.
Back home, after ten months of focus and training the Marine Senior team romped to victory at the KZN Senior Championships held on their home beach early in 2019. Not to be outdone the Marine juniors put in a huge effort to emulate their senior mentors result. Despite an already long and tough season the Marine squad headed up to SA National open water championships in Bloemfontein to successfully defend their title as Open Water Champions. For the season finale a small but determined team headed down to Port Elizabeth to defend their title at the General Tire SA Lifesaving Championships, which they did in impressive style.
Their unbeaten run in 2019 caps a decade of growth for the Durban club from a dream to the champion South African lifesaving club, spearheaded by the club captain and South Africa’s most successful and decorated lifesaving athlete Carmel Billson, chairman Dave Rees, mentor Mark Lewin, and team and club secretary Bambi Lewin. The 2019 season achievements include: National Grand aggregate champions, National open water champions, 8th Grand Aggregate at World Lifesaving Championships 2018, KZN Junior Champions and KZN Senior Champions.
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