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Day 1: Aden

Aden Clarke has been a member of the North Cronulla Surf Club since he was 5 years old. He shares how he has stayed connected to his community through the club.
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A young man dressed in a life saving outfit looks out to the ocean.
Aden Clarke has been a member of the North Cronulla Surf Club since he was 5 years old.

Story by Aden Clarke

The Sea Turtles is a group and we do beach training.

The group has been going for one year.

I did Nippers for nine years. I started when I was five. I was a Nipper of North Cronulla Surf Club.

I do flags, the surfboard, sprint running, and I save people’s lives.

It makes me happy and that’s it.

With my friends in the Sea Turtle group we train to compete in carnivals to do sprint runs.

At Swansea Belmont I go to the state carnival. I do that every year. 

I do signals when I patrol.  If you’re stuck in a rip I blow the whistle and tell them if they’re not in the flags to swim in between the flags. 

For signals, I put my hand up then bring it down. I do this to get help from a lifeguard in the tower. 

The lifeguards also tell you things on the radio to say what’s happening. They tell me if someone is in a rip and I have to go into the water and move people into the flags.

A young male surf life saver is standing on the beach in a yellow and red uniform. He is folding his arms and smiling at the camera.

Aden Clarke as a young Nipper with his sister whoa re both dressed in blue and yellow outfits.
Aden and his sister Gemma as North Cronulla Nippers when they were young kids.

I do CPR. For training we had to get a dummy and push it down [on the chest].  I had to do training a couple of times.

I’ve also learned about rips and water safety. You have to swim between the two flags because it keeps our beach safe. This is so people are not drowning. 

If they put their hand up, I get on the board and paddle out in the water to get them. 

I just keep my eyes on the beach because I don’t want people to be drowning. 

I got Male Surf Club Member of the Year in 2019. 

It made me feel happy to be a member of the club.

I try really hard. I don’t give up.

Being at the surf club makes me happy and proud. I love being a part of the North Cronulla tower.

A young man with dark hair and a blue cap smiles at the camera.