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"I just didn’t think I was going to make it really. That was as scared as I’ve ever been in my whole life."
It was late December 2024, when 15-year-old Charlotte Baker and her friend found themselves helplessly caught in a rip in the rough South Gippsland waters and swept out to sea at the unpatrolled beach in Victoria’s Venus Bay.
13-year-old Tom Walsh spotted the two people in trouble out in the water, and knew he had to help. Tom had just completed his Surf Rescue Certificate (SRC) the month prior, and realising what a perilous situation the two swimmers were in, he used his training to leap into action.
Racing to the new Public Rescue Equipment (PRE) station that had been installed on Beach 5 just two weeks earlier, he pressed the call button on the unit, connecting to Triple Zero (000).
David Baker, Charlotte’s father, was on the beach, and the frantic father spoke to the Triple Zero call-taker while Tom grabbed the rescue tube from the PRE station and raced back down the beach. The distressed teenagers had swallowed a lot of water, and Tom swum out to them and gave them the rescue tube from the PRE station, the vital piece of equipment keeping them afloat as he helped them out of the rip and brought them back to the beach.
“I have never before experienced such an overwhelming sense of relief as when Tom emerged from the surf with my Charlotte,” David recalled of the moment he knew the teenagers’ lives had been saved after living through the most terrifying situation a father could go through.
Meanwhile, the call for action had also come through to Venus Bay SLSC, and members raced to help, with two off-duty paramedics, who are also members, attending to the teenagers.
“As Tom sat down exhausted after the rescue, he was surrounded within minutes by a mass of fellow club member rescuers who had responded from the club rooms 4km away,” David recalls. “A few members tended to the girls and made sure they were physically ok before taking them back to the club rooms for hot showers and observation,” David explained of the incredible response and care provided by Venus Bay SLSC members.
After the rescue, a grateful Charlotte said she was thankful to be alive. “I just didn’t think I was going to make it really. That was as scared as I’ve ever been in my whole life. I just gave up and I was just floating, just screaming, like me and my friend were screaming for our life,” she said as she described the terrifying moments out in the ocean, helpless against the power of the rip.
“That was so brave of him. Putting himself in harm’s way to save me and my friend, that is so incredible, and I thank him for it so much,” Charlotte said gratefully.
“Without the provision of the PRE equipment at Venus Bay Beach 5, it is entirely possible that we would have been facing a catastrophic alternative outcome to the one we celebrated that day,” David said.
As David attested to, without Tom’s recent SRC training and the installation of the PRE stations at Venus Bay, this story might have had a very different ending.
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“I am forever grateful to a wonderful young man called Tom for ensuring I can continue to hug my daughter every day.”
“I have always admired the professionalism and commitment of our volunteer surf lifesavers. I have a healthy respect for the ocean and am grateful other fellow Australians give up their time to train and respond to ensure beachgoers get to go home at the end of the day. I am now unequivocal in my belief that the only safe place is in between the flags. I thank Life Saving Victoria for giving Tom the skills and confidence to affect a successful rescue and for having the perseverance to roll out PREs where they are needed,” David said.
Former President of Venus Bay SLSC and a volunteer Director for Life Saving Victoria, Paul Hoffman spoke about how important fundraising is to ensure volunteer surf lifesavers like Tom have the lifesaving skills and equipment to protect beachgoers.
“Most of the equipment used by lifesaving clubs in their operational activities has been purchased in some part through fundraising. Without consistent and recurrent funding, surf lifesaving clubs would simply not be able to provide the resources on the beach to keep beachgoers safe,” he said.
This was a situation that could have ended with two young lives being cut tragically short, had it not been for the selfless bravery of another young teenager, Venus Bay Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) volunteer surf lifesaver, Tom Walsh. David finished by saying, “I am forever grateful to a wonderful young man called Tom for ensuring I can continue to hug my daughter every day.”
Read our rescue stories
“We acted on instinct. We knew we had to get out there fast to save the people who were drowning.” Molly Colgan, Volunteer Surf Lifesaver, Quinns Mindarie SLSC
Incredible rescues like the one at Venus Bay take place all around our Australian coastline. Click the button below to read about another life-changing rescue that occurred last summer at North Mullaloo Beach in Western Australia. A couple had been swept out beyond huge waves and into the deep ocean by a terrifying rip current. Helpless to its power, the swimmers felt this could be the end – until a group of young volunteer surf lifesavers selflessly and heroically came to their aid, giving them a second chance at life.
| All online donations up to $250 made to the SLSMISSIONZERO fundraising page on The Surf Life Saving Foundation website, confirmed by a donation receipt from 08:00 AM Australian Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, 1 June 2025, will be matched by Isuzu UTE Australia, up to a total capped amount of $85,000. Matched donations will appear on the SLSMISSIONZERO fundraising page daily. The Surf Life Saving Foundation will notify supporters via its Surf Life Saving Foundation Facebook page when the dollar match is reached. Thank you to all donors and to Isuzu UTE Australia. |
Where does my money go? Can even a small donation help? Your questions answered.
The SLSF was established to support our unique not-for-profit community cause that exists through community donations, fundraising, corporate sponsorships and government grants.
With over 180,000 members and 315 affiliated Surf Life Saving Clubs, SLS represents the largest volunteer movement of its kind in Australia, and the world.
Every year millions of people visit our beaches, and thousands of these visitors find themselves in urgent need of a life saving rescue. This is what we are here for, to keep your family and friends safe in the water.
Your support today will ensure that millions of adults and children who visit the beach go home safely.
Did you know?
- It costs at least $850 to train a new volunteer to Bronze Medallion standard. Surf lifesavers are trained in First Aid, CPR and rescue techniques. Importantly, all of our lifesavers must continue to refresh and update their skills.
- Rescue gear and equipment are some of the largest costs associated with providing lifesaving services throughout Australia. A full life saving patrol can cost up to $80,000.
- Prevention is better than cure, and the best way to save lives at the beach is by teaching people how to stay out of danger. We run campaigns on how to spot rips and what to do if you are caught in one (swim parallel to the shore!).
No matter what area your donation goes towards, you can be sure that it will make a vital contribution to saving lives.
When we raise money for the Surf Life Saving Innovation Fund, this allows us to explore new initiatives, test new programs, and learn what works to accelerate lifesaving practices. Donors who give to our Fund understand that true innovation takes time and resources, that networks and connections are key levers for change, and that dollars invested in strengthening the sector and building capacity among all stakeholders will pay dividends down the road in the form of more effective lifesaving practices, more efficient funding streams, and amplified social impact.
The Surf Life Saving Innovation Fund enables you to target your donations to directly fund a specific project. The SLSF will provide progress updates to show how your donations are making a real difference to Innovation Fund projects.
Could you give regularly?
As well as training new volunteer surf lifesaver, your monthly donation helps repair and replace the equipment that constant exposure to the sun and sea can damage. As a Guardian of the Surf your monthly donation ensures that we are rescue-ready at a moment’s notice. You would be the silent hero behind every life saved.