Cooks Hill Surf Club

12/05/2026

The Cooks Hill Pool Rescue Squad absolutely crushed it at the 2026 NSW Pool Lifesaving State Championships on the weekend, bringing home an incredible haul of medals while also stacking up valuable club points across the board.

🏅 Medal Tally 🏅
🥇 6 Gold Medals
🥈 5 Silver Medals
🥉 8 Bronze Medals

🔥 MEDAL WINNERS 🔥

🥇 GOLD MEDALS
• Indie Murdoch (Women U12) – 50m with Fins
• Zeke West (Men U13) – 100m Brick Carry with Fins
• Zeke West (Men U13) – 50m Brick Carry
• U13/14 4x50 Obstacle Relay – Gabriel Farrow, Hamish Lawrence, Zeke West & Bailey Hodgson
• U13/14 4x25 Brick Relay – Gabriel Farrow, Hamish Lawrence, Zeke West & Zaharenya Filactos
• U13/14 Medley Relay – Gabriel Farrow, Hamish Lawrence, Zeke West & Bailey Hodgson

🥈 SILVER MEDALS
• Xander Murdoch (Women U15) – 200m Obstacle
• Hamish Lawrence (Men U14) – Line Throw
• Hamish Lawrence (Men U14) – 50m with Fins
• Indie Murdoch (Women U12) – Line Throw
• Zeke West (Men U13) – 100m Obstacle

🥉 BRONZE MEDALS
• Xander Murdoch (Women U15) – 100m Manikin Tow
• Xander Murdoch (Women U15) – 50m with Fins
• Hamish Lawrence (Men U14) – 100m Obstacle
• Hamish Lawrence (Men U14) – 100m Brick Carry with Fins
• Hamish Lawrence (Men U14) – 100m Manikin Tow
• Will Miller (Men U15) – Line Throw
• Will Miller (Men U15) – Rescue Medley
• Zaharenya Filactos (Women U14) – Line Throw

Pool rescue isn’t just about medals — every top 7 finish helps build the club point score, and the entire squad contributed in a massive way.

⭐ The U13/14 relay teams dominated the championships, winning every relay in their age group.

⭐ Xander Murdoch, Hamish Lawrence, Will Miller, Indie Murdoch and Zeke West all added multiple valuable top 5 finishes, including several impressive 4th places just outside the medals.

⭐ Erin Fitchett scored points in every individual event she entered, while Gabriel Farrow, Bailey Hodgson and Zoe Bevan all added crucial points to the club tally.

⭐ The U15/17 Mixed Relay teams also impressed with three 4th place finishes against combined age-group teams featuring competitors up to two years older.

Massive congratulations to the whole squad

29/04/2026

Did you participate in any SRC or Bronze Medallion in the 2025/2026 season? Check your email (and spam!) for your invitation =) We look forward to celebrating all our graduates this year!

26/04/2026

Honour boards unveiled / season end coldies 2.30pm today.

25/04/2026

As is customary every ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day our honorary club member Chloe leaves flowers and visits the resting place of our late club captain James Antcliff today. Big Jim was our club captain and a fierce club competitor when he enlisted in 1916. He was hit by an artillery shell fragment in the chest and passed almost immediately in July 1917 during the Battle of Messines. Jim rests in the Toronto Avenue cemetery which is a battlefield cemetery deep in the Ploegsteert Wood in Belgium. Chloe is the official custodian of James’s place of rest and has been for more than a decade. Chloe and her father Jean-Michel are very committed to their relationship with both the Antcliff family and our surf club. Their commitment was featured in The Newcastle Herald on ANZAC Day several years ago. Several club members have visited Chloe when they have been in Belgium and this relationship is one that is deeply valued by our club membership. If they are able Chloe and Jean-Michel will walk with visiting club members through the wood where several battlefield cemeteries are located allowing us to pay our respects to our late club captain. Several photographs from today and the floral tributes from the official Australian ANZAC Day service in Belgium can be seen in the background. LEST WE FORGET.

23/04/2026

23/04/2026

22/04/2026

Our ANZAC Day service this year will commence at 7.15am when we walk as a club and community from the surf club up to our club memorial behind the flag party for the commencement of our 7.30am service. This year we will especially remember the life and service of our fellow club member Art Dodd, who is listed on our memorial. Art was a 1911, foundation member of our club and served as assistant secretary on our club’s inaugural committee. He remained on the committee until his enlistment in the 1st AIF in 1916.

We will also remember the remarkable life and service of Newcastle nurse Matron Ida Greaves along with Wickham Public School teacher Hugh Connell and student William Richards. Lest We Forget.

On Sunday afternoon (April 26) at 2.30pm, we will unveil our new honour boards and celebrate another successful patrolling season as we lower the flags on the penultimate day of the season. Everyone is encouraged and welcome to attend both events. If your name is listed on the recent honour board additions please come along and celebrate your achievement. Please remember we are patrolling and staffing voluntary patrols on Monday April 27.

20/04/2026

Big weekend for our pool rescue squad 💥

Some of our pool rescue athletes travelled down to Sydney to compete at the Sydney Branch Championships as part of their build-up to the NSW State Championships — and came home with a huge medal haul.

Will Miller
🥈 U15 50m Manikin Carry
🥈 U15 100m Manikin Carry
🥇 U15 100m Manikin Tow
🥉 U15 Line Throw

Zeke West
🥇 U13 50m Brick Carry
🥇 U13 100m Brick Carry
🥉 U15 Line Throw (patient)

Bailey Hodgson
🥉 U13 50m Brick Carry
🥈 U13 100m Brick Carry

And a special mention to Zeke West & Bailey Hodgson for taking 🥇 in the U13 100m Patient Tow — great teamwork under pressure.

A fantastic result all round and a great hit-out ahead of the NSW State Championships in just a few weeks.

If you’ve ever thought about giving pool rescue a go — now’s the time. Registrations for the NSW State Championships are open (check the form in TeamApp). Whether you’re experienced or completely new, you’re more than welcome to come down to Sunday afternoon training at Charlestown Pool and jump in. It’s a great crew, and we’d love to see a few more caps in the water.

Huge thanks to Surf Life Saving Sydney Branch for the invitation to compete and for putting on the event.