A Select Bibliography
February 2006 Updated April 2008
This bibliography attempts to showcase the diversity and depth of interest in surf lifesaving not only as an organisation but as one of Australia’s great cultural icons. In large measure, it mirrors Australia’s social and cultural development through the twentieth century and on to the eve of its centenary.
Surf lifesaving began in Sydney about 1906, although this date and the actual location remain controversial. Since then, a simple volunteer rescue service has developed into a much more complex organisation that has split into related sporting activities, developed and refined lifesaving techniques, equipment and training methods, and become a cultural focus not only of the nation but also of the world. It has provided raw material for artists, creative writers, filmmakers and architects, and for cultural historians and researchers in fields as varied as medicine and the environment. Despite its undeniably male image, women and children have been part of the movement from quite early days, and because of its aura of health and sunshine it remains a staple of the advertising industry.
Such a popular and populist topic produces a vast literature, much of which is repetitive and often ill-informed. This bibliography tries to reduce the mass to a manageable and reliable list of readily available material. Relatively few newspaper references are included, especially in the historical sections: the history of the movement and the clubs is well covered in both journals and books. Art is distinguished from illustration and basic images. The latter so often accompany published texts, and are also relatively easy to locate through sources such as PictureAustralia. However, the lifesaver in Australian literature and architecture provides a measure of cultural value, and is therefore included.
Although extensive, this bibliography is necessarily a work in progress, and it is hoped that readers will advise the National Museum of Australia Library of omissions or deficiencies. All such communications should be addressed to National Museum of Australia library.
Some hyperlinks are to subscription services available in the NMA Library. Readers at NMA can access them directly by clicking on the link. External readers can only do this if their institution also has a subscription to the relevant service.
Contents
History of the Movement
Note: Australian Government Culture and
Recreation Portal gives an overview of surf lifesaving and links to official
surf lifesaving and related websites. http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/surflifesaving/
Andrews, M, ‘White water warriors’, Bulletin, v. 116, issue 5906, 8 February 1994, pp. 93–95.
Between the Flags One Hundred Summers of Australian Surf Lifesaving , Bartholomew, G and E Jaccard , Queensland Narrating Service, 2007
Explains how and why surf lifesaving enjoys iconic status across Australia, and remains relevant and popular today. Covers all aspects of surf lifesaving, including technology, competion, membership, and the professionalism of the organisation and its volunteers.
Booth, Douglas, ‘Healthy, economic, disciplined bodies: Surfbathing and surf lifesaving in Australia and New Zealand, 1890–1950’, New Zealand Journal of History, v. 32 (1), April 1998, pp. 43–58.
Brawley, Sean, ‘“Our Life-Savers”: The Royal Life Saving Society and the origins of surf life saving in Federation Sydney’, in Cashman, R, J O’Hara and A Honey, eds, Sport, Federation, Nation (Sydney: Walla Walla Press in association with the Centre for Olympic Studies, University of New South Wales, 2001), pp. 139–164, 200–203, 205–211. [NMA 306.4830994 SPO]
Bretland, Barrie, ‘75 years on surf patrol’, Australia Now, v. 9 (3), 1981, pp. 8–11.
Bronzed Aussie Gods: A Celebration of Australian Beach Culture (Byron Bay, NSW: Light Source Films, [1999]), videorecording VHS, 54 mins. [Includes the Australian National Surf Lifesaving Titles held on the Gold Coast every year and archival footage showing the changing customs and costumes of the Australian beach culture.]
Bruce, Jill B, Surf Lifesavers of Australia (Kenthurst, NSW: Kangaroo Press, 1992), 40 pp. [NMA PAM 797.320994 BRU]
Collins, Carolyn, ‘New-wave tours target surf threat’, Weekend Australian, 25–26 October 1997, p. 47.
Doepel, Mark, ‘The emergence of surf bathing and surf lifesaving at the holiday resort of Manly, 1850–1920: Currents in conflict’, (unpublished thesis, 1985).
Galton, B, ‘The old surf in Australia’, Australian Surf Lifesaver, 9 December 1994, pp. 30–31.
Surf Lifesaving in Australia, (Greenwood, W.A. : R.I.C Publications, 2007), 81 p.
Higgins, M and others, Between the Flags : 100 Years of Surf Lifesaving : A Traveling Exhibition Presented by the National Museum of Australia , (Canberra : National Museum of Australia Press, 2006), 51 p.
Huntsman, Leone, Sand in Our Souls: The Beach in Australian History (Carlton South: Melbourne University Press, 2001), 251 pp. [NMA 333.780994 HUN]
Jaggard, E, Between the Flags : One Hundred Summers of Australian Surf Lifesaving /, (Sydney : UNSW Press, 2006), 262 p.
Explains how and why surf lifesaving enjoys iconic status across Australia, and remains relevant and popular today. Covers all aspects of surf lifesaving; including technology, competition, membership, and the professionalsim of the organisation and its volunteers.
James, Peter, Lifesaver (Sydney: Lansdowne, 1983) 127 pp.
The Lifesavers (Sydney: Austral Pacific for BP Australia, 1982?), motion picture, 16 mm, 25 mins.
Longhurst, Robert, The Lifesaver: Images of Summer (Caringbah, NSW: Playright Publishing, 2000), 155 pp. [NMA 797.200994 LON]
Lowe, AM, Surfing, Surf-Shooting and Surf-Life-Saving Pioneering (Manly, NSW: 195–?).
Maxwell, C Bede, Surf: Australians Against the Sea: The Story of the Life-saving Clubs (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1949), 302 pp.
Peters, Darren and Merran White, The Name of the Game is – Surf Lifesaving (Rushcutters Bay, NSW: Fairfax Sporting Publications, 1993), 64 pp.
Philip, George Blackmore, Sixty Years Recollections of Swimming and Surfing in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney: The Author, 1940). 104 pp. [NMA 797.21099441 PHI]
Slattery, Ray, Grab the Belt! (London: Horwitz Publications, 1963), 128 pp.
Sound the Siren: Exploring the Changing Face of Surf Life Saving in Australia (Sydney: Big Picture Consulting Group, 2000), 48 pp.
Walding, Murray, Blue Heaven: The Story of Australian Surfing (South Yarra, Vic: Hardie Grant Books, 2003), pp. 1–19. [NMA 797.320994 WAL]
Wells, Lana, Sunny Memories: Australians at the Seaside (Richmond, Vic: Greenhouse Publications, 1982), pp. 169–183. [NMA 306.480994 WEL]
Wilson, Jack, Australian Surfing and Surf Life Saving (Adelaide: Rigby, 1979), 111 pp. [NMA 797.1720994 WIL]
Young, Nat, The History of Surfing, rev. ed. (Angourie, NSW: Palm Beach Press, 1994), pp. 40–41, 51, 68–71, 88, 92. [NMA 797.32 YOU]
Club and Regional Histories
Note: Club histories are legion, and are therefore
not included here. For an extensive
listing of published club histories, consult Libraries Australia. This is
an internet-based service which provides access to the national database of
material held in Australian libraries. <http://librariesaustralia.nla.gov.au/apps/kss>
See also: Private Collections.
Best, Alleyn, Fifty Years and More: A History of Surf Life Saving Victoria (St. Kilda: Surf Life Saving Victoria, 2002), 702 pp.
Champion, Shelagh and George Champion, Bathing, Drowning and Life Saving in Manly, Warringah and Pittwater to 1915 (Glebe, NSW: Book House, 2000), 231 pp.
Brady, J, Cardinal Red and Royal Blue : Shipwreck and Surf Lifesaving at Stockton, N.S.W. 1800 to 2007 , ([Raymond Terrace, N.S.W.] : Jeff Brady, 2007), 268 p.
Conrick, Chris, The Northern District Surf Lifesaver, Companion Edition: Featuring Legends & Champions of Surf Life Saving. A History of Surf Life Saving in the Hunter Region (Merewether, NSW: Hunter Surf Life Saving Inc., 2001), 126 pp. [NMA 363.1480994 CON]
Daly, John A, Surf Life Saving in South Australia: A Jubilee History (Adelaide?: Surf Life Saving South Australia Inc., 2002), 180 pp.
Flanagan, Jim, The Bronze Norcoasters: 50 Years of Lifesaving, Far North Coast Branch S.L.S.A. of Australia (Lismore: The Branch, 1985), 112 pp.
Jaggard, Edwin, ‘Saviours and sportsmen: Surf life saving in Western Australia 1909–1930’, Sporting Traditions, v. 2 (2), May 1986, pp. 2–22.
Kirkpatrick, T and C Christianson, ‘North Bondi: Birthplace of surf life saving’, Surfline, October 1982, pp. 9–11.
Longhurst, Robert, Preserving Lives, Preserving Values: A History of Surf Life Saving in Queensland (South Brisbane: Surf Life Saving Queensland, c2000), 272 pp. [NMA 363.14809943 LON]
Middleton, Ron and Allen S Figtree, The History of the Growth of Surf Lifesaving Clubs on the Illawarra Coast of New South Wales: And the Development & Official History of the Illawarra Branch S.L.S.A. of Australia, 1900–1962/3, also titled Surfing in Illawarra 1900–1962 (Wollongong?: Surf Life Saving Association of Australia, Illawarra Branch, 1963?), 64 pp.
Symonds, T and M Thistlethwaite, Maroubra Surf Lifesaving Club : 1906-2006 : A Century of Service, ([Sydney, N.S.W. : T. Symonds & M. Thistlethwaite], 2006), 131 p.
Winders, John Robert, Surf Life Saving in Queensland: An Historical Record of Surf Life Saving in Queensland (South Brisbane: Council of the Queensland State Centre of the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia, 1970), 140 pp.
Management, Financial, Legal and Environmental Matters
Chapman B, ‘Surf life saving clubs: A mixed blessing’, Australian Parks and Recreation, v. 21 (3), February 1985, pp. 26–27, 30.
The Governance of Surf Life Saving
Hunt, S, ‘Surf's tug of war’, Australian Surf Lifesaver, 22 December 1996, pp. 16–18.
New South Wales Department of Sport and Recreation, ‘Legal responsibilities’, Queensland Lifesaver, n. 3, September 1984, pp. 35, 37, 39.
Sandilands, Ben, ‘Who will save the lifesavers? Australia's surf lifesaving clubs need rescuing from apathy, debt and litigation’, Bulletin (Sydney), 17 December 1991, pp. 61–62.
Surf Life Saving Australia Limited, Club Operational Manual: Surf Life Saving Australia (Sydney: Surf Life Saving Australia, c1995). ‘First draft edition’ at foot of title.
Victoria Coastal Management and Co-ordination Committee, Victoria Department of Conservation Forests and Lands and Victoria Ministry for Planning and Environment, Policy Relating to Surf Life Saving Association Use of Coastal Crown Land ([East Melbourne]: Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands, 1987).
Williams, M, ‘Sport and the law in Australia – 1995’, in Rugby, Racing and Beer: Has Anything Changed? Proceedings of the 5th Annual Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association Conference, Auckland, 20–23 July 1995 (Melbourne: ANZSLA, 1995), 12 pp.
Young, T and I Fullagar, ‘Legal rights of event owners: A recent example from surf life saving’, Sport Report, v. 10 (3), Spring 1990, pp. 16–17.
Recruitment, Equipment, Training
Note: References in this section were selected to give an overview of the work of surf lifesavers and the history of equipment. Physiological, medical and occupational health and safety issues are outside the scope of the bibliography.
The
literature on training tips and techniques includes everything from placing the
flags to organising a surf carnival. This
also is outside the scope of this bibliography.
However, the best single source is the National Sport Information Centre
(NSIC), which enables access to sports and related information and services. http://www.ausport.gov.au/nsic/index.asp
The Australian Surf Life Saving Gear and Equipment Handbook (Sydney: The Association, 1955), 248 pp., plans (folded).
Barnes, R, ‘Wanna be a lifeguard?’, Australian Surf Lifesaver, n. 28, January 1998, pp. 28–29.
Brawley, Sean, ‘“Surf lifesaving owes no person a living”: a third sector case study’, Labour History, n. 81, November 2001, pp. 75–91. [Volunteers in surf lifesaving] [NMA S 331.0994 LAB]
Brown, J, ‘The evolution of surfboats’, Australian Surf Lifesaver, n. 4, April 1994, pp. 8–13.
Byrnes, Stephen, ‘The Australian surf boat’ (unpublished thesis, University of New South Wales, 1980).
Edmondson, T, ‘Surf’s eyes in the sky’, Australian Surf Lifesaver, 7 October 1994, pp. 34–36. [Helicopter rescue]
Galton, B, ‘The end of the longboard’, Australian Surf Lifesaver, 1 January 1994, pp. 78–80.
Great Oz Firsts, Prod. David Flatman (Bendigo: Video Education Australasia, 1994?), videorecording, VHS, 18 mins. [Includes the surf lifesaving reel]
Hogan, Christopher L, ‘Mapping beach conditions to provide an efficient surf rescue service’, Globe, n. 41, 1995, pp. 68–82.
King, M, ‘Surf boats: An early history’, Australian Surf Lifesaver, v. 33, January/February 1999, pp. 16–17.
Kirkpatrick, Terry, ‘75 years and over 250,000 rescues: The techniques are getting better’, Surfline, October 1982, pp. 3–4.
Kirkpatrick, Terry, ‘SLSAA flags the waves: World's largest volunteer rescue service’, Statetrends, v. 1 (4), 1982, pp. 7–9.
Margan, Frank and Ben R Finney, A Pictorial History of Surfing (Sydney: Paul Hamlyn, 1970), pp. 44–69 (captions to illustrations, mainly of techniques and equipment), pp. 155–157, 163–257 (running text covering both equipment and club history), see also index. [NMA 797.17209 MAR]
Oliver, P, ‘The future of surf rescue is here’, Australian Surf Lifesaver, 4 April 1994, pp. 82–83. [Surf ski]
Pearson, Kent, Surfing Subcultures of Australia and New Zealand (St Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press, c1979), 213 pp. [NMA 797.172 PEA]
Rowley S and D Graham, ‘The Sydney Helicopter Service’, Surfline, October 1982, pp. 57–59.
Scully, Gary, ‘Lifesavers reeling: Plans to remove reel, line and belt rescue method from bronze medallion test for lifesaving’, Bulletin (Sydney), 20 April 1993, pp. 117–119.
Stevens, B, ‘In the club: They're lifesavers aren’t they?’, Inside Sport, 14 February 1993, pp. 88–94. [The surfboat]
Sun Gods of the Surf (Movietone, 1944), motion picture, 10 mins.
Surf Patrol, Writer and dir. Jack S Allen (Australia: Department of the Interior?, 1950?), motion picture, 16 mm, 11 mins.
Surf Life Saving Australia., Surf Lifesaving Training Manual, (Sydney : Mosby : Elsevier Australia, 2006), 155 p.
Two Hundred Thousand Reasons, also titled 200,000 Reasons (Sydney: Surf Life Saving Association of Australia in association with BP Melbourne, 1973), motion picture, 16 mm, 15 mins.
The Patrolling Surf Lifesaver, Presenters Dwayne Thuys and Reen Corbett (Fortitude Valley, Qld: Surf Life Saving Queensland and Channel Nine, 1994). Videorecording, VHS, 21 mins. [Training video. Script taken from the 29th edition revised of the Surf Life Saving Training Manual.]
Wilks, Jeff, Peter Dawes and Brett Williamson, ‘Patrol Smart 7/52: Queensland's Integrated Surf Life Saving Program’, Australian Journal of Emergency Management, v. 20 (1), February 2005, pp. 38–45.
Lifesaving as a Sport, Competitions and Sponsorship
See also: Hunt (Management, Financial, Legal and Environmental Matters)
Aquanauts: The Modified Rules Version of Life Saving as a Sport, (The Royal Life Saving Society Australia, 1993).
Booth, Douglas, ‘Surf lifesaving: The development of an Australasian “sport”’, in Mangan, JA and John Nauright, eds, Sport in Australasian Society: Past and Present, (London: F Cass, 2000), pp. 167–187. Also titled International Journal of the History of Sport, v. 17 (2/3) June/Sept 2000, pp. 167–187.
Booth, D, ‘Swimming, surfing and surf lifesaving’, in Vamplew, W and B Stoddart, eds, Sport in Australia: A Social History (Melbourne, Cambridge University Press, 1994), pp. 231–254. [NMA 796.0994 SPO]
Cooper, K, ‘The cereal war: Death or glory’, Inside Sport, v. 1 (11), November 1992, pp. 48–51, 53–54.
Derriman, Philip, ‘Iron and fibre: The battle of the breakfast strongmen’, Sydney Morning Herald. Good Weekend, 18 November 1989, pp. 10–12, 14, 17.
Dobbinson, S, R Borland and M Anderson, ‘Sponsorship and sun protection practices in lifesavers’, Health Promotion International, v. 14 (2), 1999, pp. 167–176.
Dunne, Jeff, ‘Battle of the beach: Rivalry between the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Surf League and the Uncle Tobys Super Series events’, Australian, 19–20 December 1998, p. 62.
Epov, Peter,‘Surf life saving: A growing sport’, Sports Coach, v.6 (1), June 1982, pp. 7–11. [Interview. Epov was National Coaching and Competitions Director of Surf Lifesaving.]
Galton, B, Gladiators of the Surf: The Australian Surf Life Saving Championships: A History (Frenchs Forest, NSW: Reed, 1984), 288 pp.
Galton, Barry, Gold, Silver, Bronze: Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Australian Surf Life Saving Championships Official Record ([Fortitude Valley, Qld]: Surf Life Saving Queensland, [1994?]), 168 pp. [NMA 797 GAL]
Jaggard, Edwin, ‘A jubilee celebration: the Australian Surf Championships, 1951’, Studies in Western Australian History, n. 10, April 1989, pp. 134–140.
Mandle, WF, ‘Sports history’, in Osborne, G and WF Mandle, eds, New History: Studying Australia Today (Sydney: George Allen and Unwin, 1982), pp. 82–93. [NMA 994 NEW]
Pearson, Kent, ‘Surfies and clubbies in Australia and New Zealand’, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology, v. 18 (1), March 1982, pp. 5–15. [NMA S 301 AUS]
Pearson, Kent, ‘The nature of sport in urban Australia’, in Mercer, David and Elery Hamilton-Smith, Recreation Planning and Social Change in Urban Australia (Melbourne: Sorrett Publishing, 1980), pp. 38–45.
Safe, Mike, ‘Champions of breakfast: It's crunch time for the iron men as Uncle Tobys and Kellogg's fight on the beaches’, Australian. Magazine, 14–15 November 1992, pp. 8–9, 11–13.
Surf Life-saving (St. Lucia: University of Queensland, 1972?), motion picture, 16mm, 20 mins.
Thompson, M, 'Sun Stroked [Ironman Competitions are in Need of Resuscitation]', Inside Sport (Cammeray, NSW) (170), 2006, pp.72-78.
Vamplew, Wray, Richard Cashman and Jim Daly, ‘Sport and recreation: South Australian statistics, 1864–1983’, South Australian Historical Statistics (1984), pp. 193–235. [NMA 319.423 SOU]
Lifesavers – Cultural and Psychosocial Aspects
Booth, Douglas, ‘Surfing '60s: A case study in the history of pleasure and discipline’, Australian Historical Studies, n. 103, October 1994, pp. 262–279. [NMA S 994 AUS]
Booth, Douglas, ‘War off water: The Australian Surf Life Saving Association and the beach’, Sporting Traditions, v. 7 (2), May 1991, pp. 135–162. Also privately published by the author (Canberra: 1991), 37 pp, bibliography.
Brawley, S, ‘Ethnicity and local history’, Locality, v. 8 (1), Winter 1996, pp. 9–10.
O'Connell, S, 'How to Value an Australian Icon: The Economic and Social Value of Surf Lifesaving in Australia', Australian Journal on Volunteering v.11 (1), 2006, pp.76-79.
Drummond, M, ‘Masculinity from a feminist perspective: Or how
feminism helped construct the new man’, Issues in Educational Research
v. 4 (2), December 1994, pp. 95–102. Full text <http://education.curtin.edu.au/iier/iier4/drummond.html>
[Accessed 7 September 2005]
Drummond, M, ‘The social construction of masculinity as it relates to sport: An investigation into the lives of elite level athletes competing in individually-oriented masculinised sports’ (unpublished doctoral thesis, Edith Cowan University, 1995).
Drummond, Murray, ‘Masculinity and self-identity in elite triathlon, body-building and surf lifesaving’, in Gender, Sexuality and Sport: A Dangerous Mix (Petersham, NSW: Walla Walla Press, 2002), pp. 39–48.
Hickie, David, ‘Aussie bronze: How the surf lifesaving legend lives on’, National Times, 11–17 November 1983, pp. 24–27.
Jaggard, Edwin, ‘The Australian Surf Lifesaver as a national symbol, 1920–60’, paper presented to a conference at University College, Dublin in July 1996, Australian Identities, 1998, pp. 58–72.
Jaggard, Edwin, ‘Chameleons in the surf: The oppositional nature of surf lifesaving and surfing in which the former is characterised by mateship and masculinity, and the latter by individualism and flexibility’, Journal of Australian Studies, n. 53, 1997, pp. 183–191.
McGowan, Tony, ‘Saviour and sportsman: The cultural significance of the lifesaver’, Artlink, v. 16 (1), Autumn 1996, pp. 44–46. [NMA S 705 ART]
Molloy, J, ‘Culturally and linguistically diverse youth embrace surf lifesaving’, Australasian Parks and Leisure, v. 7 (1), Autumn 2004, pp. 20–21.
Neill, R, 'Sentinels of Summer: [the Story of the Surf Lifesaving Movement is Inextricably Bound Up with the History of 20th-Century Australia]', Australian (30-31), 2006, Review 4-5.
Pearson, Kent, ‘Conflict, stereotypes and masculinity in Australian and New Zealand surfing’, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology, v. 18, July 1982, pp. 117–135. [NMA S 301 AUS]
Ramsland, John, ‘“They ride the surf like Gods”: Sydney-side beach culture, life-saving and eugenics, 1902–1940’, in A Race for a Place: Eugenics, Darwinism and Social Thought and Practice in Australia: Proceedings of the History and Sociology of Eugenics Conference, University of Newcastle, 27–28 April 2000 (Callahan, NSW: University of Newcastle, 2000), pp. 263–273.
Saunders, Kay, ‘“Specimens of superb manhood”: the lifesaver as national icon’, Journal of Australian Studies, n. 56, 1998, pp. 96–105.
Smith, Gary, ‘Heroes of the surf: The lifestyle and sport of lifesaving’, Reader's Digest (Australian edition), February 1986, pp. 26–30.
Surf Life-saving (St Lucia: University of Queensland, 1972?), motion picture, 16 mm, 20 mins.
Women and Lifesaving
Female Athlete Handbook ([Bondi Beach, NSW]: Surf Lifesaving Australia, 2004), 12 p.
Hyde, Doris, ‘Women in life saving’, Interviewer Penny Cuthbert (Oral history recorded at Coogee, NSW, 12 May 1995 for the Australian National Maritime Museum, for the exhibition 'Sirens and heroes'), sound cassette, 30 mins.
Jaggard, Edwin, ‘Australian surf life-saving and the “forgotten members”: The history and mythology of Australia's surf life-saving movement’, Australian Historical Studies, n. 112, April 1999, pp. 23–43. [NMA S 994 AUS]
Kirkpatrick T, ‘Women and life saving: They have always been involved’, Surfline, October 1982, p. 13.
McGregor, Craig, ‘The second wave: Women and the role of the surf lifesaving movement’, Sydney Morning Herald, 23 March 1999, p. 14.
Rosen, Gaye, ‘Women and sport in Australia: Surf life saving as a case study’, in Sports Sciences Section: 52nd ANZAAS Congress, May 1982 (North Ryde, NSW: Macquarie University Sports Association, 1982), pp. 36–49.
Scully, Gary, ‘All pain, small gain: Iron woman competitors are breaking down the barriers of this male-dominated sport and beginning to attract sponsorship and spectators’, Bulletin, v. 114, issue 5852, 29 December–5 January 1992–1993, pp. 164–165.
Children and Lifesaving
Barnes, R, ‘Children in surf lifesaving: Part 2’, Australian Surf Lifesaver, 8 November 1994, p. 58.
Barnes, R, ‘Surf life saving points way on dealing with child abuse’, Business of Sport, v. 3 (3), December 1998, p. 7.
Bradley J, ‘School surfing: A short history’, Surfcoach, n. 10, January 1983, pp. 17–19.
Children in Surf Life Saving National Conference, Adelaide, 16th–17th January 1986: Proceedings (Canberra, Australian Sports Commission, 1986).
Hennessy N and C Lee, ‘An appraisal of the Royal Life Saving Society's Swimming and Life Saving Award Scheme’ (unpublished thesis, Victoria College, 1984).
Jenkins, N, ‘Children in surf lifesaving’, Australian Surf Lifesaver, 7 October 1994, pp. 62–64.
Junior Surf Life Saving Manual: Prepared for Parent Coaches Seminar, November 20–21st, 1982. ([Perth]: Surf Life Saving, Western Australia, Junior Division, [1982]), 24 pp.
Light, R, 'Participation, Community and Learning in the Nippers [Paper in: Youth Sport in Australia and New Zealand. Light, Richard and Pope, Clive (Eds).]', Change (Sydney, NSW) v.9 (1), 2006, pp.7-15. <http://search.informit.com.au/fullText;res=APAFT;dn=200705091>
Roberts, DM, ‘The role of competition for children’, in Children in Surf Life Saving National Conference, Adelaide, 16th–17th January 1986: Proceedings (Canberra: Australian Sports Commission, 1986), pp. 1–9.
Surf Life Saving Association of Australia, An Introduction to Children in Surf Life Saving: Video Booklet (Brighton le Sands, NSW: The Association, 198–), 27 pp.
The Art and Architecture of Lifesaving
See also: Ramsland (Lifesavers – Cultural and Psychosocial Aspects)
Gold Coast City Council, A Guide to the Gold Coast's Historical Sites (Gold Coast Qld: The Council, [1999]), pamphlet. [Includes Southport Surf Lifesaving Club].
Henderson, Beryl, Monuments and Memorials (1988), p. 224. [NMA REF 994.4 HEN]
Hon, Vicki, ‘A collage of culture’ (unpublished thesis, University of New South Wales, 1998).
Newcastle Council, City Engineer's Department, Proposed Surf Shed for Nobby's Beach (Newcastle, NSW: The Council, 1923), technical drawing.
‘Olympic overlays: Where's the architecture?: Clubbies add a playful presence’, Architecture Bulletin, August 2000, pp. 12–13.
Richards, S, ‘The beach, the bathing pavilion and the surf club’, National Trust Queensland Journal, n. 4, October 1994, pp. 19–21.
Valla, Rudi, ‘The history and design of surf life-saving pavilions in Sydney’, (unpublished thesis, University of New South Wales, 1986).
Wilkins, Robert, Minor Additions to Surf Shed, Nobby's Beach, also titled: Nobby's Surf Club Proposed Extensions (Newcastle, NSW: 1924), technical drawing.
Lifesaving in Australian Creative Literature and Film
Prose
Dando, Eric, ‘Surfing with Jesus and dead fish’, in Hot Sand: An Anthology (Ringwood, Vic.: Penguin, 1997), pp. 217–229. [Biography]
Grover, Montague, Thirty Pieces of Silver (1930). [Novel]
MacGregor, Milton, ‘Smith of Marrickville’, Lone Hand, v. 6 (32), December 1909, pp. 165–172. [Short story]
Morehead, Sheila, ‘At seventeen’, in Dugan, Michael, Barbara Giles and JS Hamilton, eds, The Hat Trick: Australian Short Stories (Kew, Vic.: BHP and Fellowship of Australian Writers, 1981), pp. 63–67. [Short story]
Myers, David A, ‘Tarzan tank’, in Myers, David A, Mudmaps to Paradise (Rockhampton: Capricornia Institute, 1987), pp. 10–14. [Short story]
Myers, David A, ‘The peeping tom’, in Myers, David A, Mudmaps to Paradise (Rockhampton: Capricornia Institute, 1987), pp. 15–19. [Short story]
Sevitt, Colin, ‘The green ocean of star shaped leaves’, in Taste: Fresh New Writing: UTS Writers’ Anthology (Rushcutters Bay, NSW: Halstead Press, 2003), pp. 45–50. [Short story]
Westburg, Barry, ‘Little mysteries of our city of tear gas: V: The lifeguard’s vigilance’, in Westburg, Barry, ed., Wingwalking (North Ryde, NSW: Angus and Robertson, 1988), pp. 130–134. [Short story]
Poetry
Carlile, Laura MD, ‘Lifesaver’, in Queensland Writing: The 1954 Anthology of the Queensland Authors and Artists Association (Fellowship of Australian Writers, Queensland Section) (Brisbane: The Association, 1954), p. 79.
D (pseud.), ‘The Life Saver’, Bulletin (Sydney), v. 41, issue 2127, 18 November 1920, p. 14.
Devlin, Esther, ‘Mona Vale surf rescue’, in Devlin, Esther, ed., Australian Folklore in Verse (Sydney: Great Western Press, 1988), p. 10.
DT (pseud.), ‘Australian beach scene’, Bulletin (Sydney), v. 82, issue 4232, March 1961, p. 46.
Greener, Leslie, ‘The surfers’ march’, in Griffin, David, ed., Changi Days – The Prisoner as Poet: A Selection of Works by Australian and British Poets Submitted to the Changi Literary Society 1942–1945 (East Roseville, NSW: Kangaroo Press, 2002), pp. 85–87.
Harman, AG, ‘The Newcastle surf tragedy: 12th March, 1925’, in Harman, AG, A.G. Harman’s Poems: Written on Fact, Not Fiction (Newcastle, NSW: The Author, [1927], pp. 4–5.
JC (pseud.), ‘[Untitled]’ (from ‘Ode to our Australian lifesavers’), Bulletin (Sydney), v. 82, issue 4228, 22 March 1961, p. 55.
Kinsella, John, ‘Adolescence, back beach, and the nature of memory’, in Hawke, John, ed., The Nightjar: The 1997 Newcastle Poetry Prize (Newcastle West, NSW: Coal River Press, 1997), pp. 79–80.
Leunig, Michael, ‘Failing to swim between the flags’, Age (Melbourne), 22 January 1998, p. A10.
McMahon, L, and P Blahuta, Salt Water Heroes : A Story of Australian Surf Lifesaving, (City East, Qld. : Lisa McMahon & Associates, 2007), 1 v.
Madsen, Garth, ‘The lifeguard’, HOBO Poetry Magazine, n. 17, June 1998, p. 42.
Manifold, JS, ‘Ocean beach’, in Ker Wilson, Barbara, ed., Australian Kaleidoscope (Sydney: Collins, 1968), p. 202.
Myers, David A, ‘Australia Day surf carnival’, Patterns, v. 6 (2), Summer 1980, p. 23.
Plimsoll, Mark, ‘The habitual hero’, Bulletin (Sydney), v. 30, issue 1545, 23 September 1909, p. 28.
Randall, Estelle, ‘The lifesaver’, in Randall, Estelle, Aussie Life: Poems (Bendigo: The Author, 1986), p. 32.
Riddell, Elizabeth, ‘Lifesaver’, Bulletin (Sydney), v. 52, issue 2664, 4 March 1931, p. 11. Also in: FitzGerald, Robert D, ed., Australian Poetry 1942 (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1942), pp. 57–58; Riddell, Elizabeth, From the Midnight Courtyard (North Ryde, NSW; Angus and Robertson, 1989), p. 4; Riddell, Elizabeth, Selected Poems (Pymble, NSW: Collins/Angus and Robertson, 1992), p. 21.
Surfer (pseud.), ‘The unemployed hero’, Bulletin (Sydney), v. 32, issue 1631, 18 May 1911, p. 11.
T the R (pseud.), ‘The king hit’, Bulletin (Sydney), v. 60, issue 3076, 25 January 1939, p. 14.
Children’s literature
Katz, Helen, Surf Rescue: True Stories of Bravery and Courage (Eltham, Vic.: BlueCatBooks, 2004), 47 pp.
Kerr, Melinda and Jane Skarratt, Tipper Becomes a Nipper (Port Melbourne: Lothian, 2001).
Kerr, Melinda and Jane Skarratt, Tipper the Nipper Counts to Ten (Port Melbourne: Lothian, 2001).
Kerr, Melinda and Jane Skarratt, Tipper the Nipper Gets Nipped (Port Melbourne: Lothian, 2001).
Kerr, Melinda and Jane Skarratt, Tipper the Nipper Gets Rescued (Port Melbourne: Lothian, 2001).
McNab, Nan, Surf Lifesaving Services (South Melbourne: Macmillan Education Australia, 1997), 31 pp.
Meillon, Claire, The New Surf Club (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1959), 202 pp. [Young adult novel]
Osborne, Muriel, Stay Between the Flags (Melbourne: Cambridge University Press, 2002), 16 pp.
Pelusey, Michael and Jane Pelusey, Surf Lifesaving (South Yarra, Victoria: Macmillan Education Australia, 2005), 32 pp.
Shelley, Noreen, The Life Savers (Vic.: Longmans Green, 1963).
Stevens, Jean F, Surf Lifesaving (Sydney: McGregor, 1976), 32 pp.
Film
Note: Documentary films and videos are included with print material under the relevant topic.
Thoms, Albie, Surfmovies: The History of the Surf Film in Australia ([Noosa Heads, Qld]: Shore Thing Publishing, [2000]), 192 pp. [NMA 791.4362162 THO]
Australian Surf Lifesaving Goes Overseas
‘ANZ Air contingent improves its lot in the Sinai’, Wings, v. 34 (4), Summer 1982, p. 31. [ANZAC (Sinai) Surf Life Saving Club]
‘International Life Saving Federation’, Australian Surf Lifesaver, 11 February 1995, pp. 20–23.
Jackson, IF, Sand between My Toes : The Story of Surf Lifesaving in New Zealand, (North Shore, N.Z. : Penguin Books, 2006), 215 p.
Joustra, Wio, ‘ANZAC contingent finds desert vigil has its lighter side’, Australian, 1 April 1982, p. 5. [Sinai Surf Lifesavers Club]
‘Land of the rising sun’, Australian Surf Lifesaver, 1 January 1994, pp. 46–47.
Roberts, Greg, ‘Helping Asians stay in the swim’, Age, 24 April 1999, p. 8.
Private Collections
There are many private collections of lifesaving materials held in clubs and by individuals around Australia. The Australian Historic Records Register (AHRR) is a list of paper-based records held in private hands in Australia, dating from settlement to 1988. Source documents include letters, diaries, photographs, financial records, posters, sketches, catalogues, minute books, registers and other material, providing an insight into life in Australia from settlement to 1988.
This database is available for subscription on the Informit Online Internet service. Ask your local librarian. [NMA http://search.informit.com.au/]