One of our esteemed life members, Matthew Ponsford, has been recognised for his dedication and long service in the 2023 Australia Day Honours, by being awarded the Emergency Services Medal (ESM).
The Emergency Services Medal recognises distinguished service by members of emergency services across Australia, and people who are involved in emergency management, training or education.
In recognising these awards, Club President Charlie Pitney said:
Matthew is a worthy recipient of tis honour. He is a valued and dedicated volunteer who has committed his life to conspicuous service to our Club and to the life saving movement, more broadly.
Matthew is a tireless and ever-reliable volunteer who gives and gives, including serving as our president from 2015 - 2019. In my opinion, he is the lifeblood of our Club. His knowledge and expertise are extremely valued and his unwavering commitment to keeping the community safe both on and off our beaches make him an extremely worth recipient of this honour.
Congratulations Matthew - we are very proud to have you as a member of our club!
Matthew Ponsford ESM BIO
Matthew Ponsford ESM’s unwavering commitment to the Surf Life Saving movement and to the Point Lonsdale Club have been outstanding.
Matt commenced patrolling at Point Lonsdale in Season 1987/1988 and continued regular Club patrols until Season 1999/2000. During this time he was a Patrol Captain for over 5 years and a Patrol Vice Captain for a year before then. Matthew competed in IRB’s at local and State Championships in Seasons 1990/1991 and 1991/1992, and competed in First Aid Competition at State Championships at Ocean Grove 1990/1991 (Equal 3rd Place) and Seaspray 1993/1994. He has silver medals for Radio Controller, IRB Driver and Life Support.
In 1990, Matthew was the first Club member to attend the SLSA Youth Development Camp held in northern NSW. He was then selected to attend the Advanced Youth Seminar in Sydney the following year. His report from this seminar recommended the expansion of life saving services in the Borough of Queenscliffe, being the catalyst for lifeguard services at Santa Casa Beach.
Since 2000, Matthew has remained a very active member, concentrating on life saving services, supporting our young members in providing the infrastructure and environment to be trained and ready to perform their duties. In 2007/2008 he was responsible for the establishment of the Lifesaving Emergency Response Team (LERT) which supports the Bellarine communities in life saving services. Thanks to Matt, the Club obtained the first RWC (jet ski) on the west coast, being only the second Club in the state to operate an approved RWC.
Matt was District Officer for Flinders in 1993/94. When Regions were established in 2004/05, Matt took on the role of South West Regional Officer, coordinating Life Saving Services. In 2009/10 this Region was split to form the Surfcoast and Bellarine Regions, and Matt continued to serve the latter as Regional Officer in the Bellarine Region.
In 2009 he was awarded the Premier’s Community Volunteering Award for his contributions throughout the community.
Matthew has also served in leadership roles in our Club for over 20 years. He served as President from 2015-2019, Secretary from 2003-2010 and Club Captain from 1992 - 1993. Since 2019, Matthew has held a variety of roles, including COVID-Safe Officer, Assurance Officer and LERT Captain.
Matthew’s greatest legacy as President is the instrumental role he played in our New Clubhouse project. Mathew worked tirelessly to negotiate government funding, fundraise and engage in stakeholder management for this project. He continues to serve today on our Back Beach Base Building Committee.