Scholarship for leadership

Ocean Beach Surf Life Saving Club member Katie Dixon has been awarded the 2010-11 Sir Adrian Curlewis Scholarship for NSW.

The scholarship, named in honour of Surf Life Saving's longest serving president, was awarded by Surf Life Saving Australia, recognising exceptional leadership.

Ms Dixon has been a member of Ocean Beach since nippers and was recognized for her continued leadership at both club and branch level.

She currently maintains a number of active lifesaving posts including patrol captain, first aid officer, manager of rescue services, trainer and assessor and Central Coast Surfcom operator.

Ms Dixon is not new to prestigious awards either, when last season she was awarded Central Coast Surf Life Saver of the Year, and was nominated for the NSW honour.

The scholarship provides the recipient with a 12-month structured leadership and mentoring program and guides the recipient through a project of their choice.

Ms Dixon has just returned from the first of a series of project development workshops, and plans to look at ways that volunteer surf lifesavers can manage their volunteer workloads.

"Many surf lifesavers invest volunteer time equivalent to, and on top of, a full-time job.

"I am interested in finding strategies to lighten the load on these dedicated people," she said.

Media Release, 2 Dec 2010 Aaron Camp, Ocean Beach SLSC