Bondi Lifeguard “Hoppo” throws his support behind Coffs Harbour Lifeguards

Millions of people from around the world have followed Bruce “Hoppo” Hopkins and the Bondi Lifeguards as they protect beach goers at Australia’s iconic Bondi Beach. In a letter to the Mayor and Councillors Hoppo has thrown his weight behind the lifeguards at Coffs Harbour urging Council to keep the Lifeguards in-house.

As the Coordinator of Waverley Council’s Lifeguard Service and President of the Australian Pool and Ocean Lifeguard Association (APOLA) Bruce knows how important it is to maintain professional in-house Lifeguards.

Hoppo feels so strongly about this issue that he has offered to attend the meeting being held on Thursday 28th August to give his support to the Lifeguards and offer his expertise about the importance of maintaining their in-house Lifeguards.

Hoppo’s full letter can be read below.

If you want to know a bit more about Hoppo and his long career at the famous Bondi Beach, check out the Youtube video below.

READ HOPPO’S FULL LETTER HERE:

Dear Mayor Williams, Deputy Mayor Cecato and Councillors Fowler, Saro, Cassell, Sechi, Oxford, Amos and Judge.

My name is Bruce Hopkins, the Coordinator of Waverley Council’s Lifeguard Service which is responsible for Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama beaches and all coastline areas within our local government area. I have been employed in a permanent capacity at Council for 34 years and I am also the current President of the Australian Pool and Ocean Lifeguard Association (APOLA) which represents all Council/Local Government Lifeguards around Australia.

I am contacting you all in your capacities as Mayor and Councillors to provide my support for your Coffs Harbour City Council Lifeguard Service and the amazing job they continue to do for the local community and visitors who enjoy the beaches and coastline of the Coffs Coast each year and secondly to raise my concerns with the potential Council decision to outsource the current ‘inhouse’ service delivery model.

From a professional lifeguarding perspective it’s important to understand the landscape of professional ocean safety in the Local Government arena and the potential implications of outsourcing a Council Service. From an efficiency perspective at Council, when you undertake a Review of your Lifeguard Service, all recommendations are established as either an operational or financial efficiency. We have undertaken two (2) independent service reviews at Waverley from industry experts (not financial auditors) that have clearly acknowledged that a contractor could not provide the same level of expertise, professionalism or risk management coverage as Waverley Council’s professional lifeguards. Therefore, I am making the assumption that Coffs Harbour City Council has already undertaken an ‘independent’ review of their Lifeguard Service and now the financial side of the Lifeguard Service has been brought under the spotlight. I can recommend industry experts for you who would be able to undertake a Service Review for your Council if this level of due diligence has not yet already been undertaken.

I say this confidently, as outsourcing a Lifeguard Service to a contractor such as Australian Lifeguard Services (ALS) is often sold on the bottom line (financial forecast of the contractor) by undercutting the conditions and pay rate of loyal professional Council Lifeguard staff and embellishing the spurious claim of the contractor, that Council will somehow gain operational advantages such as greater alignment with surf clubs, use of surf club equipment, consistent uniform colours, communication and use of assets such as the Westpac helicopter. The fact is, Council’s manage their own relationships with surf clubs in their LGA via an agreement or memorandum of understanding, radio communications are coordinated efficiently between Council Lifeguard staff and emergency services as part of their daily business and a helicopter can be dispatched as required when Council Lifeguards request its (the helicopters’) support. Surf Life Saving and ALS do not have control over this public asset and to claim greater alignment in the provision of professional lifeguard services is both false and unethical to do so. Use of surf club equipment as a contractor providing Lifeguarding Services (not volunteer patrols) would be contrary to Local Government Tender guidelines and the volunteer colours of red and yellow being worn by professional Council lifeguards does not provide any operational efficiency at all and in fact can be confusing for the public when Council Lifeguards are required to enforce Section 632 of the Local Government Act in relation to members of the public behaviour and activities being undertaken contrary to signage that has been erected by Council.

Therefore, it’s no coincidence that Shellharbour, Kiama, Wollongong, Sutherland, Randwick, Waverley, Woollahra, Central Coast, Lake Macquarie and Newcastle Councils all still provide an in house (Council) Lifeguard Service with the Northern Beaches Council recently moving from ALS back to Council’s own in house Lifeguard Service.

Due to the importance of this matter, I would be available to provide my perspective in support of Council’s current in house Lifeguard Service to the forum in attendance at your Council meeting on Thursday 28th August 2025. If so, please send through an online Teams link.

Do not hesitate to contact me at your earliest convenience.

Bruce Hopkins
Coordinator Waverley Council Lifeguard Service
President Australian Pool & Ocean Lifeguard Association (APOLA)