Local surf life saver does the Coast proud

By Simon HottonNambour resident Steve Dunn is like many Sunshine Coast locals, he loves the beach and has dedicated much of his life to keeping our beaches safe. Lunchtime, Christmas day 2013, Steve left his family celebrations surrounded with food, drink and other assorted Christmas goodies and made his way to Maroochydore Surf Club to take up his watch as patrol captain.At around 3pm last Christmas Day, Steve and his crew noticed a group of four tourists enter the ocean and shortly afterwards two of the four seemed to be in real trouble, having difficulty keeping their heads above the surf. Steve and his team immediately jumped into action, pulling the two distressed swimmers from the water. At least one of the troubled swimmers was no longer breathing. The team expertly delivered resuscitation to the two tourists,  before they were taken to hospital for further treatment and observation.  Steve and his crew's heroic effort diverted a tragedy that Christmas Day.Due to his dedication and outstanding service, Steve Dunn was invited to attend Parliament House as a surf lifesaving representative for Queensland's annual Surf Safe Appeal, on September 8. Now in its 11th year the Surf Safe Appeal is one of SLSQ’s largest fundraising initiatives, with all money raised going straight back into surf life saving clubs and protecting beachgoers across the state. This year the appeal received a timely and generous boost thanks to a $50,000 donation from Queensland Premier Campbell Newman.SLSQ chief executive officer John Brennan thanked the Queensland Government for its donation, saying it would go a long way towards saving lives and protecting beachgoers. “Queensland’s volunteer surf lifesavers embrace the unknown, and every weekend and public holiday across summer, they stand ready to serve our communities and our visitors throughout Queensland,” he said.Last year Queensland’s surf lifesavers volunteered more than 350,000 hours to patrol beaches and protect swimmers. During that time they performed 118,786 preventative actions. So, next time you and your family go for a dip please take a second to think of those men and woman who donate countless hours of their time to keep our local beaches safe.