A GROUP of life savers from Mordialloc and Portsea will travel to California next month to take part in an international competition.
Ciara Walsh from Mordialloc LSC will join nine other Victorian volunteer lifesavers to compete in the Wieland Shield surf sports competition in July. The competition has been held in partnership between Life Saving Victoria and Los Angeles County Lifeguards since 1967 – the US and Australia host the event biannually on alternate years. The competition includes swim, board and surf ski race, surf rescue relay, beach relay, and ironman and ironwoman events.
The full Australian team is Campbell Bohan, Jesse Coulson, Jack Slykhuis, Reidel Smith, Ciara Walsh, Mackie Hunter, Harvey Larke, Charlotte Mahon, and Xavier Purcell. Hunter, Larke, Mahon, and Purcell will represent the Portsea SLSC.
Team coach Matt Henderson said the Wieland Shield is “a unique and prestigious competition. It’s an incredible experience for our lifesavers to be part of.” “The team not only gets the chance to test their skills against California’s finest lifeguards in competition but join them in a range of lifesaving exchange activities to share knowledge and skills, enabling them to keep our respective beaches safe,” he said. The team will host a fundraiser at the LSV State Centre in Port Melbourne on 28 June to fund their trip.
First published in the Mornington News – 17 June 2025
