Surf lifesavers get sun-smart to save on bills

Surf lifesavers are used to being sun-smart when they’re out saving lives.

Now, at the Glenelg Surf Lifesaving Club, there’s a new “s” to add to ‘slip, slop, slap’… It’s -  ‘save’!!

With help from the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing, the club recently installed 111 new solar panels – basically covering every square centimetre of the club HQ’s roof.

The impact has been tremendous: previously the club faced an annual power bill of $16,000, but since the solar panels were installed that figure has already been cut by $6,000.

That means there’s more money available to plough into essential surf lifesaving training and equipment. (The Glenelg SLSC puts in 5,000 volunteer patrol hours each summer – so there’s always plenty of need for more training and more gear!)

The total cost of the project was just over $29,000: ORSR contributed $21,500 with a facilities upgrade grant, the City of Holdfast Bay chipped in a bit, and – as befits a bunch of volunteers accustomed to hard work – club members raised the rest through their own fundraising endeavours.