In preparation for the World Life Saving Championships to be held in Port Elizabeth, South Africa later this year, the selected Australian representative athletes and management team came together last weekend for a staging camp on the Sunshine Coast. Our very own resident medic, Nat Hood, has been named again as the team doctor for the Australian Lifesaving Team’s World Champs Tour.
This is on the back of another of our members, Dr Adam Deacon, travelling to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, as the psychiatrist for the multi-disciplinary Australian Team. This was the first time that mental health was placed front and centre for the commonwealth athletes and staff, and an amazing experience for Adam, who was then able to share his wealth of learnings with Nat, before her tour. Adam’s embedding in the team was picked up by the ABC who ran a feature article on the success of having in-house psychiatry support for our Aussies: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-31/australian-team-psychiatrist-glasgow-commonwealth-games/106974328
The Australian Lifesaving Team is made up of 24 athletes, 12 open and 12 juniors. The predominant focus is the pool lifesaving events, plus the ocean and beach events. The athletes need to be flexible and cross over disciplines to make up 4-person relays in the pool, ocean, and on the sand for the beach relays. The pool lifesaving events are quite unique, involving obstacle races, manikin tows and carries with fins, lots of laps under water, and relays that include combinations of all the race variations.
Both Natalie and Adam’s roles include athlete welfare, support with anti-doping drug testing, health and injury prevention and management for athletes, the supporting team and when needed, even the officials and members of other countries’ teams.
This member engagement with elite sport on both the national and international playing field creates opportunities to promote our Portsea club, and to return with shared, fresh ideas and insights that can only benefit our wider club community. Look out for further updates as the Lifesaving Worlds kick off early December.