The Australian Surf Life Saving Handbook
Object No. 2011/69/1
Australian surf lifesaving clubs were the first in the world, and were voluntary. The earliest credited club was Bronte Beach Surf Club in 1903. Surf lifesaving unlike any other sport has had a humanitarian focus; 'No lives lost while on patrol' was their motto. The Australian Surf Life Saving Handbook, expected to be owned by every life saver from the first edition to date, is used for training purposes. This handbook, the eighth edition, 1932, is a wonderful record of life saving and resuscitation practises and techniques of the time, and was regarded as "the world's text-book on surf life-saving". Although Australia was the first country in the world to develop surf clubs, and was an Australian innovation, the idea spread quite rapidly to other countries with a surfing tradition. The handbooks and the information in them have been made available to any interested group world wide. Surf Life Saving Clubs are Australia's largest volunteer organisation and are regarded as a national icon.
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Summary
Object Statement
Book, 'The Australian Surf Life Saving Handbook', paper / fabric, compiled by The Surf Life Saving Association of Australia, printed by JNO. Evans & Son Printing Co, Sydney, Australia, 1932
Physical Description
Handbook, 'The Australian Surf Life Saving Handbook', paper / fabric, compiled by The Surf Life Saving Association of Australia, printed by JNO. Evans & Son Printing Co., Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1932 Small, portrait-format book with a soft blue cardboard cover coated with a waterproof surface. The handbook is titled 'The Australian Surf Life Saving Handbook' and features an image of a surf lifesaver wearing a belt attached to a reel. The front cover also bears the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia, 'Vigilance and Service'.
DIMENSIONS
Height
180 mm
Width
125 mm
Depth
20 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
The handbook was compiled by the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia. It was printed by JNO. Evans & Son Printing Co. in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in 1932. It is the 8th edition.
HISTORY
Notes
All aspiring surf life savers are expected to buy a copy of the handbook in order to study for various levels of attainment. This may account for the two names of previous owners written at the front of the book. Surfing, now regarded as a national pastime, really became popular after 1902, when regulations on mixed bathing and times of day allowed for bathing were lifted. Shortly after this, groups of bathers began to form clubs aimed at rescuing those in difficulty in the surf. Early clubs include Bronte (1903), Bondi (1906), and in 1907 the then existing clubs in NSW formed the New South Wales Surf Bathing Association. This became the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia in 1923. The handbook, developed for training purposes, had become by 1932 "regarded as the world's text-book on surf life-saving".
SOURCE
Acquisition Date
25 August 2011
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