Whiritoa Lifeguard Revival
Unsung hero Vicki Skill honored
Whiritoa Lifeguard Service (WLGS) member Vicki Skill has been recognised in the 2023 Waikato Sport & Active Recreation Awards.
She won the award in the Community Unsung Hero category for bringing the club back to life.
WLGS chairwoman Joanna Wood nominated Skill for the award saying the club had been in dire straits after the Covid-19 pandemic and was on the verge of a “complete collapse”.
”[Vicki] was the only standing member left of the previous committee. It was [her] who cajoled new members to stand for the committee, which has under her stewardship resurrected itself and completely changed its culture.”
Her involvement at WLGS, saw club memberships increase by 19 per cent and junior surf activities increase by 22 per cent last season.
The club now also has an extra six lifeguards - one of them is Skill herself.
“Vicki plays a pivotal role in managing [our] finances... [but she] has also undertaken surf lifeguard training and completed the exam to qualify as an active lifeguard,” Wood said.
“Without Vicki, we wouldn’t have a committee or potentially a club... [Thanks to her], the community now has a vibrant, committed team leading beach safety in Whiritoa.”
The new committee was also more involved in the club activities and Surf Lifesaving New Zealand, by commencing an ambitious rebuild project.
“Vicki [has also taken on the] treasurer role for our club rebuild committee, so she is now managing the club’s fundraising for our 50-year building project.
“Vicki has a solid gold heart and has voluntarily dedicated her time and expertise to WLGS without seeking personal gain [and her] contribution will have a lasting impact on the organisation,” Wood said.
Skill said she was humbled to not only be nominated but also receive the award.
“The other nominees were extremely worthy. I accepted the award on behalf of the over 4500 volunteer lifeguards who are the backbone of SLSNZ which could not function without their service.”
Skill was nominated for the award alongside Wesley Hendricks, of Hamilton, and Gaylene Dorssers, of Te Awamutu.
Hendricks grew Hamilton’s Titans Futsal Club from one team of seven players, to a staggering 17 teams with 157 registered players, and has been nominated for building the club “from the ground up” and offering coaching and care for players throughout the year, in addition to the 50-60 hours of shift work he does each week.
Dorssers founded College Old Girls Netball because she wanted to create a place for Te Awamutu College netballers to play together once they left school. Dorssers is still coaching at the club and even 20 years after being founded, the club continues to grow.
The annual Waikato Sport & Active Recreation Awards are run by Sport Waikato. This year, the awards crowned winners in eight categories.
Sport Waikato CEO Matthew Cooper said it was fantastic to put a spotlight on the organisations and people who went above and beyond for the community.
“They’ll tell you they don’t do what they do to receive an award, but the acknowledgment and recognition goes such a long way towards feeling valued.”