JUST five years ago, Rosebud and McCrae Life Saving Club was staring down the possibility of closing its doors for good. Membership had dwindled to fewer than 20 people, junior programs had collapsed, surfboat rowing had disappeared, and serious conversations were taking place about handing the keys back to council.
Today, the club tells a very different story.
Rosebud McCrae now fields four adult surfboat rowing teams competing at state level, boasts the state’s best open men’s crew, runs a thriving nippers program of more than 130 children, and operates as a bustling community hub on the Mornington Peninsula.
More recently the club was named a finalist for Club of the Year last year from Life Saving Victoria.
But the turnaround did not come easily.
By the early 2010s, junior participation was declining and the club’s nippers program was eventually shut down, severing the pipeline that traditionally sustains surf lifesaving clubs. By 2017, financial pressure mounted and surfboat rowing ceased altogether. Competitive members were forced to leave for other clubs just to stay involved in the sport.
Long-term member and current surf rowing captain Matt Baker lived through that period firsthand.
“The boats kind of fell apart there for a bit,” he said.
“It was for a range of reasons…people moving on and the club actually started to go. It was always quite a small club in the first place but it really struggled to stay open.”
While competitive rowing at Rosebud McCrae stalled, Baker and others continued patrolling while rowing for other clubs to stay active in the sport.
“Me and my brother and my mum basically continued to work at Rosebud, just patrolling, keeping the doors open kind of thing,” he said.
The turning point came in 2021, when a new leadership group formed internally.
Jackson Twentyman, who became the club’s president at just 25, said the scale of what followed exceeded expectations.
“What’s happened from there is probably something that I thought wouldn’t actually be possible, to be honest,” he said.
The new committee reset the club’s culture and direction in 2022, reintroducing junior programs and rethinking how the facility was used. Nippers returned with around 20 children operating as the “Grom Squad,” and the clubhouse began to function as a social space rather than simply an operational base.
Twentyman said the mindset shift was deliberate.
“I don’t see it only as a life-saving club, but also as a community hub,” he said.
He said the club moved away from rigid expectations and instead encouraged people to connect first.
“You can come, you don’t even have to patrol, but we do encourage it,” Twentyman said. “You can come, get to know people, build up local leadership from kids to all different levels.”
By 2023, nippers numbers had grown to around 50, Friday night social rowing had begun, and parents increasingly stayed on after sessions. Momentum continued through the following year with nippers numbers climbing and facilities active most days of the week.
Financial stability followed cultural change after the club’s finances dropped to under $2000.
But Twentyman said, “Hopefully we can have more than $100,000 in our bank account this year… we bought over $100,000 worth of assets as well”.
Local support played a major role in that recovery with many businesses lending their support.
By 2025, nippers had grown to about 130 children with a waiting list, surfboat rowing returned to carnivals, and around 25 new patrol members were trained. Twenty-eight junior members competed at state-level nipper carnivals.
This year, Rosebud McCrae will field four adult surfboat rowing teams at state level, with members representing Victoria in interstate competition.
Baker, also recently announced as the state’s surf rowing captain, said returning to row at his home club was the culmination of a long journey.
“I was always really mindful that I wanted to come back home,” he said.
Reflecting on the club’s revival, Baker said the change had been emotional.
“It’s just awesome to watch really. I’m actually ecstatic at where it is now.”
Twentyman said the future now looked secure, noting the turnaround came down to leadership alignment and shared purpose.
“It takes a group of three to four individuals to really make a full shift at a club,” he said.
“Everyone’s got the same vision, the same passion.”
For anyone wishing to become a club member, visit:
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 10 February 2026