Bondi Rescue lifeguards: Hoppo brings in trauma training

It appears a dream job. But in reality our Bondi Rescue stars have to deal with drownings, suicide and trauma. Such is the strain that Hoppo has introduced bespoke trauma training for his pals and colleagues.

Waverley council lifeguard services manager Matt du Plessis, Allan Sparkes and Dr David Said. Supplied by Waverley Council

Body retrievals from The Gap, drug overdoses, heart attacks, near drownings – it’s not all surf and sunshine being a Bondi lifeguard.

And the lifeguards have had no reprieve during COVID. Despite attendance being down to 3.8 million visitors last year compared to 5.4 million in 2019, the number of rescues skyrocketed.

Lifeguards rescued 1629 people last year compared to 1063 in 2019.

The spike in numbers is attributed to Sydney locals who are unfamiliar with the beach and who would normally holiday further afield instead coming for a dip and getting into strife.

One in ten rescues Australia wide happens at Bondi Beach.

It’s long been the protocol when a major incident occurs that Waverley Council sends counsellors to the sand to debrief with the lifeguards.

Bruce "Hoppo" Hopkins. Image courtesy of Waverley Council

But after hearing two of his old colleagues, who had worked the beach in the 90s, committed suicide in recent years, and seeing several others turn to alcohol, lifeguard team leader Bruce “Hoppo” Hopkins decided something had to be done.

“Obviously there’s a lot of other things that could have happened but I just always wonder – could all the stuff they’d dealt with at the beach, could it have triggered something?” Hoppo said.

“Back in the 90s you’d pull in a dead body from The Gap because we cover it for suicides when the police request help.

“We’d be hanging onto these bodies and you come back and it’s just a pat on the back. If you show any sign of it affecting you, you just get given a pat on the back and get told to toughen up.”

While things have improved in recent years with crisis counselling, Hoppo had been thinking for a while it wasn’t enough to just bring people in when things go pear shaped.

Soon after, Hoppo met Allan Sparkes, a former NSW Police officer and former Deputy Commissioner for NSW Mental Health Commission.

The two got talking about taking a proactive approach before lifeguards reach crisis.

Mr Sparkes teamed up with Dr David Said, a medical expert with 22 years’ clinical experience, and the result was a year long resilience program being rolled out to all 30 lifeguards which will conclude next month.

The boys, and one girl, in blue will have the ongoing opportunity for a weekly debrief with the experts in addition to being able to call them anonymously at any time.

A file image of Bondi lifeguards setting to retrieve the body of a missing person. Pic: Bob Barker.

Dr Said’s model is based on developing resilience and identifying the signs of burn out in lifeguards.

“We know that in their job as first responders, sooner or later there is going to be someone they can’t save,” according to Dr Said.

“If they can train to swim and train to use boards then we can also train them to deal with difficult situations.”

Mr Sparkes was forced to retire from the police force after he developed post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his service.

The lifeguards highly value his experience

“With the benefit of hindsight, I realise I was able to handle multiple traumas for many, many years until I reached a state of chronic burn out,” Mr Sparkes said.

“PTSD came and took control and it almost destroyed me.”

Hoppo is the kind of guy to whom most things seem like water off a lifeguard’s back.

But there are some things which will always stay with this veteran of more than 30 years.

“It doesn’t have to be a death to affect someone. I remember about ten years ago one of the Brazilian dancers down here, he looked really fit, and he tried to do a somersault and broke his neck,” Hoppo said.

“Seeing someone so healthy going to that, it was really confronting.”

To avoid getting in trouble at the beach, Hoppo recommends this Float to Survive resource: surfeducatorsinternational.com.au

Bondi Rescue’s new season premieres in February on Channel 10.