Life guarding is no walk on the beach

STEVE Bruun sees the best and worst sides of people in his job.

The lifeguard decided on a career change at 52 and has been looking after swimmers at the Esplanade Lagoon for the past 12 months.

Mr Bruun left his job as a secondary school maths and physical education teacher for a “lifestyle change”.

“I have been involved in surf life in Mackay and Cairns for 12 years and, through my contacts at the surf club, I tumbled into the job here,” he said.

“I had all the relevant qualifications. It was just a matter of doing a fitness test.”

He said the best part of going to work was interacting with the public and building relationships with the community.

But there is a very serious side to his job too.

“It’s quite rewarding keeping the pool safe and stopping people from doing things that are potentially dangerous,” Mr Bruun said.

“The biggest issue here, by a long way, is children swimming unsupervised by their parents.

“When there are 170 people in the pool, it’s really difficult to have to find a child’s parents if they get into trouble,” he said.

“Our job is not to babysit. It’s to maintain a safe and enjoyable environment.”

Mr Bruun said the job would be perfect for exercise lovers.

“We have to maintain a level of fitness and it’s a valuable and rewarding job in the community,” he said.

“I’ve never heard anyone say a bad thing about the Lagoon.

“That’s quiet rewarding - knowing you’re part of a team responsible for something in the city.”

The Lagoon is supervised by lifeguards during opening hours.