Host club Albany Surf Life Saving Club brings home most improved title at massive WA Country Championships

Albany Surf Life Saving Club hosted almost 1000 surf lifesavers at the weekend for the 2026 Fuel to Go & Play Country Championships and Carnival, with competitors representing more than 20 WA clubs. A strong contingent of members represented Albany in a range of events in the country championships, and the club finished second overall on 413 points. The City of Bunbury won the coveted club title on 781 points. Esperance-Goldfields completed the podium with 233 points, and Denmark made a big impact for a small club, coming in fifth with 190 points. Alongside its second placing in the country championships, Albany also won the pennants flag for most improved club effort. Carnival co-ordinator Sarah Bowles said the weekend was a show of the club’s strong spirit and skill. She said the club’s volunteers showed up in force, unwavering in their efforts across the mammoth weekend to keep things running smoothly for the club and make sure all competitors enjoyed the event. “Having 80 to 100 volunteers mobilised at any given time across the weekend just goes to show how much club spirit we have,” Ms Bowles said. “There aren’t many clubs in WA who would be able to get that many people out there for four days of events, so we’re really lucky to have the people that we do.” Albany members won in 10 events across the championships, showing a breadth of skill in events from the ironman challenge to the beach flags and sprint. The challenges are designed to show off individual competitors’ capabilities as lifeguards or nippers, utilising both water and beach skills. Two Albany members claimed top honours in three events, with Daniel Bresanello winning the board race, beach flags, and 1km beach run for the under-10 boys category, and Kate Levett winning the ironwoman, surf race, and board race for the under-13 girls. Skye Ford won the under-12 ironwoman title, and Poppy Slater won the beach sprint and the beach flags events for the under-12 girls. Neighbouring club Denmark also had success, with Laura McEwan, Davey Barker, Xavier McEwan, River Duggan, Taj Gretton, Paul Sleeman and Sunny Gretton all winning gold in their respective events. The Denmark nippers team of Duggan, Cameron McMeikan, Archi Parker, and Royce Pope won the boys beach relay. Albany also had an outstanding day at the country carnival on Sunday, showing their mettle in the team events in particular. Albany teams claimed the win in the under-10, under-11, under-12, and under-13 mixed four person cameron relay. In the under-13 category, Albany teams placed first, second and third. They repeated the feat in the nippers female beach relay, with Albany teams placing first through to fifth in a dominant team display. Meanwhile in the nippers male beach relay Albany teams again placed first, second and third. Albany also won the open and youth beach relay categories. Kesia Kelleher-Bird won the under-19 female beach flags race, and Kate Levett won the under-13 female board race. Denmark’s Christopher Timms also claimed the win in the over-30 male surf race.