A career accountant who emigrated from his UK birthplace miles from the ocean is Surf Life Saving Western Australia’s 2025 Surf Lifesaver of the Year, proving the best stereotypes are the ones we reimagine.
Patrick Rivers may not resemble the ‘bronzed Aussie’ surf lifesaving icon we see on TV but he does have a Surf Life Saving Bronze Medallion (which most of us do not!), and has been a valued and active volunteer at Coogee Beach Surf Life Saving Club (CBSLSC) since 2006.
He received the prestigious Surf Life Saving Western Australia accolade at its 2025 awards ceremony in June and will travel to Sydney in November to vie for the Australian title.
The award recognises his leadership and passion for continuous improvement, including using new technologies to improve lifesaving club efficiencies that will continue to impact all levels of Surf Life Saving.
And his almost daily dedication to the 1,200-member club over the past 19 years is what makes Patrick Quintessentially Cockburn!
With wife Kathy and four young children, the family became CBSLSC members just weeks after they arrived in Australia from Hertfordshire, north of London, best known as the filming location for the Harry Potter movies.
“We came for a family holiday in the winter of 2005 to stay with friends, as a bit of a reccy,” Patrick said.
“We were walking around in shirts and shorts while everyone else was rugged up and freezing cold, we thought they were a bit mad. We’ve since acclimatised; now we’re a bit mad too.
“We loved the vibe here immediately and how close we could be to nature and the ocean. It was so quiet compared to Hertfordshire, which was really built-up and busy.”
In the end, the family made a conscious decision to stay south of the river rather than head to the north metropolitan Perth suburbs favoured by many British expats.
“Cockburn has been the perfect place to bring up our family, and the surf club has been a huge part of that, providing friendships we all still have today and lots of new skills we would never have learned staying in the UK.”
With the children now grown, Patrick is the family’s only remaining club member, and he has no plans to back away. He is relishing the opportunity to continue introducing new technology-driven systems and processes to enhance the club’s respected role in the community, including the incorporation of AI to turbo-charge efficiencies.
He spent his first four years at the club as Finance Director, including the ‘Tin Shed’ days before the club moved from its original 2002 base at Coogee Beach Reserve on Powell Road to the current multipurpose facility at Poore Grove, constructed by the City in 2013.
It was then that Patrick qualified as an active lifesaver, graduating to patrol captain and eventually five years as Director of Lifesaving.
These days he is Life Saving Administrator and Systems Officer, roles that support the club’s current leaders. He is also a WA representative on the National Lifesaving Systems Advisory Group, focused on continuous improvement through information sharing with WA and national clubs.
In recognition of the beach’s popularity with families and visitors on what is one of the busiest days of the year, Patrick established Christmas Day patrols in 2021.
Among his main motivators are finding ways to enhance the experience of the community when it engages with a Coogee Beach surf lifesaver, and the members themselves, the lifeblood of the club.
“I am always impressed by the respect our members are shown by the community, and I’ve experienced it myself,” Patrick said.
“People immediately recognise our yellow and red uniform and know that we are there to help and provide expertise when needed. It is very humbling.
“If I can help maintain and enhance the respected reputation of this club out in the community, it makes the experience of being a club member all that much more rewarding, now and in the future,” Patrick said.
“It’s an incredible privilege to watch young members progress from Nippers in Under 6s to young adults taking on roles of responsibility to keep the club they have been involved in for years to new heights.
“In the process, members of all ages, but particularly the youngsters, gain practical skills, a love of volunteering and a huge boost to their own self-esteem which then benefits their professional lives away from the club.
“For example, once a Coogee Beach nipper, Lachlan Olive was named Surf Life Saving’s 2024 Youth Surf Lifesaver of the Year after taking on many roles including Vice Captain of Aqua Patrol and Youth Coordinator.
“We’ve always welcomed people with a range of skills, abilities and talents, you don’t need to resemble someone from Bondi Rescue but there are always opportunities to do your basic first aid, get your Bronze Medallion and learn to paddle a board.”
With the 2025-26 summer season beginning in October, preparations are afoot to prepare equipment and members for busy weekends full of Nippers, lifesaving patrols, activities and competition, culminating in the final patrols over the Easter weekend in April.
It’s not hard to guess Patrick’s favourite place in Cockburn – Coogee Beach!
“Coogee Beach is not just a place to me, it’s all the associations that go with it, the people I’ve met here, the enduring friendships,” Patrick said.
“Coming down to the beach is also how I look after my mental health, how I ‘Act. Belong. Commit’ to my own health, by making a commitment to myself and my community. Even just a swim or a walk at Coogee Beach makes me feel so good.”
Article and photos by Michele Nugent.
Media & Communications Officer
City of Cockburn
Telephone: 9411 3551
Email:
[email protected]