PORTSEA Surf Life Saving Club have won Victorian Club of the Year at the 2026 Life Saving Victoria Awards of Excellence.
The club took home the Sir Frank Beaurepaire Shield for the third time at the award show on 15 August.
President Matt Mahon said it is great recognition for Portsea SLSC, who are now in the running for Australian Club of the Year.
“I really do think and hope that it’s seen by our members as a win for everybody,” said Mahon.
“We had a big crew of members at the actual awards night itself because we had finalists in a number of other categories, but everybody’s been really excited.”
Jack Mitchell was up for Junior Lifesaver of the Year, Jack White for Assessor of the Year, Bev Thomas for Masters Athlete of the Year, Portsea Nippers for Nipper Program of the Year, and the Surf Academy Program for Innovation of the Year.
Mahon said all the finalists deserve to be celebrated, even if they didn’t take home an award.
“To be a finalist among the best clubs and individuals in Victoria is a genuine achievement and it speaks to the depth of talent and dedication we have across every corner of this club,” said Mahon.
Mahon said Club of the Year is hard to come by, but Portsea’s commitment to member engagement set them apart.
“We’ve had a really big focus this year on member engagement and trying to create opportunities for members across all of the various cohorts, ages, and so forth,” said Mahon.
“It’s been fantastic to see a lot more of our younger people getting involved in running our education programs.”
Mahon said they had 511 members who did some form of beach patrol over the summer, and the award was a “great team effort”.
The club will represent Victoria and be in the running for Australian Club of the Year at the Surf Life Saving Australia Awards of Excellence, which will take place in Sydney in November.
“There’s over 350 life-saving clubs around Australia, so, certainly not taking that for granted,” said Mahon.
“But we’ll certainly set our sights on it, and we’ll do everything we can to fly the flag for Victoria and for Portsea and cross our fingers and toes and hope that we bring it home.”
Mahon said the local community’s support has been fantastic and is greatly appreciated.
“We know we’ve got a great club and we’re doing great things,” said Mahon.
“It’s just nice to have some recognition, and it’s also nice for the people that have supported us to see that they’re backing a well-run club and that they’ve contributed to it as well.”
First published in the Mornington News – 15th August 2026
