Byron Bay lifesavers head to World Championships

THREE members of Byron Bay Surf Life Saving Club (BBSLSC) have been selected for the Australian Surf Life Saving Team, which will travel to Morocco for the 2026 World Championships.

Physiotherapist Troy Eady, sports scientist Annabelle Keene and youth team manager assistant Su McCaughtrie will also travel to competitions in China, New Zealand and Germany.

Eady, who is the director of surf sports at BBSLSC, said he was excited and humbled at being part of the elite team as its physiotherapist. He first joined the squad in 1999 and left in 2016 to reduce his travel commitments.

“The role mostly involves providing physiotherapy support to the team in the form of injury diagnosis, management, and recovery, plus competition recovery in preparation for further competition,” he said. “It can involve medical and risk management.”

 

“It’s a wonderful honour to support an athlete who is striving for their goals in a sport I’ve been involved in all my life. It’s nice to be recognised for my expertise in my profession to do this at the national level, but it’s just as rewarding and fun to do it at a club level.”

The 58-year-old from Eltham joined nippers at Crowdy Head Surf Life Saving Club at the age of five and has been a member of BBSLSC since moving to the Northern Rivers in 2010.

Eady said he had been fortunate to travel the world with past teams and experience different cultures.

“We get looked after by local lifesavers, so every once in a while, we get to do stuff that’s off the tourist trail,” he said. “Many years ago, our chef de mission in South Africa worked in the health facility of a shantytown, so we went to this facility near Cape Town. It was a little unnerving initially, but the people were fantastic.”