Sideline Sid Sports correspondant & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

The disappearance of major surf lifesaving carnivals from the Mount in recent summers is a major disappointment to Sideline Sid.

Searching the Surf Life Saving New Zealand website tells us surf lifesaving is one of the best imports we've ever had from Australia. Surf Lifesaving was brought across the ditch, with the first New Zealand clubs being established at Lyall Bay (Wellington) and New Brighton (Canterbury) in 1910.

While the current Mount Maunganui lifeguard service came from the surf club formed in 1929, it was in fact pre-dated by an earlier surf club established in 1914, which used to train at the open salt-water baths just below First Ave. The baths were constructed by the Tauranga Improvement Co and officially opened on December 17, 1885.

Surf lifesaving has always been synonymous with Mount Maunganui. Probably the biggest crowd in New Zealand to ever witness a surf lifesaving carnival was at the Mount Main Beach, when Queen Elizabeth II attended a surf carnival, during the 1963 royal visit.

The Mount has held the nationals on numerous occasions and in 1993 staged the World Masters Lifeguard Championships. The nationally-televised Surf League made its home on the main beach at the Mount – with the Northern Regional Championships at Mount Maunganui, the only place for a clubbie to be, at Auckland Anniversary weekend.

Now major surf sport no longer takes centre stage at the Mount. The Surf League has been canned due to lack of funding and the NRCs has morphed into another name and gone to Whangamata. To add salt to the wounds, the nationals are to be held in the Bay of Plenty this year – at Ohope beach at Whakatane.

However, surf lifesaving is alive and well in the Western Bay, with a myriad of volunteers keeping our beaches safe, on weekends and public holidays between Labour weekend and Easter.

The story of the battles between the two surf clubs at the Mount in the 1920s is a tale worth telling.

At a meeting of the Mount Maunganui Surf Club on March 4, 1930, the chairman Mr D Bain reported to the meeting that despite repeated approaches to the Mount Maunganui Domain Board, the club was still not recognised by them. The club therefore resolved to hold no further meetings until the clubs status was established with the domain board.

The problem was there were two ‘lifesaving clubs' in existence; the old Mount Maunganui Lifesaving Club and the new Mount Maunganui Surf Club.

The Mount Maunganui Domain Board owned the majority of equipment to the value of 75 British pounds; and it was the board's responsibility to decide which club had the right to use the equipment.

The board was very divided on the issue and heated debates were the order of the day. The ‘old' club was accused of locking up the domain board's reel so the ‘new' club could not use the equipment. The ‘new' club was accused of cutting the lock on the reel shed. The ‘old' club, it was claimed, had only one member and he could not swim (and so the argument went on).

At a meeting of the domain board, held October 25, 1930, the question of lifesaving clubs was raised. It was resolved; if the ‘new' club could produce documentary evidence to the board that they were properly constituted, the board's equipment would be handed over to them.

The Mount Maunganui Surf Club duly presented their minute book to the board; and they were afforded the recognition of the board.