Captain Fantastic: Carol's Life Saving

Carol Quirk Was The First Woman To Rule The Waves As The Head Of Surf Life Saving New Zealand And The First To Captain A National Team.

- Julie Jacobson

Our family lived in Upper Hutt, miles from the beach. Dad took us to the national surf-lifesaving champs at Titahi Bay in 1968 and bumped into someone he knew who was from Paekakariki. He said, ‘Why don’t you come out and have a look?’ So I did. I got out there and thought, ‘Yeah, this suits me.’

I joined Paekakariki and then transferred to Lyall Bay when they amalgamated with Wellington Ladies’ in 1978. Wellington Ladies’ had been set up in the 1940s when the men went away for the war, because someone had to patrol the beach! Of course, the men took their beach back when they came back from the war, but Wellington

Ladies’ kept on going. I remember one of the matriarchs describing the amalgamation as being akin to a shotgun wedding.

It was pretty basic back in the day. You would have a reel and a line, and you’d sit on the beach in your bikini with a little beanie on and that was it. Sunscreen? No, I think we probably just had coconut oil – if anything – and maybe Coppertone later on. We weren’t at all sun smart in those days.

Women can still wear two-piece swimsuits (or a one-piece) for competition, but the patrol uniform these days is definitely not bikinis and Speedos! Patrol members wear long-sleeved shirts, shorts, hats and, on colder days, a jacket.