Surf lifesaving great Rick Barton remembered by Kurrawa mate Stewart Palmer
A surf lifesaving legend who spent 55 years with a Gold Coast club has been remembered as a “friend to all” and a “very successful quiet achiever”.
Lifestyle
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HE started as a young boy hitchhiking his way from Brisbane to Kurrawa Surf Club and ended as a beloved member of the club’s community.
Richard Barton passed away on October 3 aged 71 from a heart attack, leaving behind great sadness, especially at the surf club where he spent 55 years.
Kurrawa Supporters Club president Stewart Palmer recalled when he and the man known as Rick used to hitchhike as boys to their surf club.
“Before we could drive, we used to hitch a ride from Mt Gravatt to the surf club and spend the weekend there in bunk rooms,” he said.
“We would come to the Coast every weekend. There was a bit of mischief in those younger days.”
Mr Barton started with Kurrawa Surf Club in 1966 as a 16-year-old and by the 1970s he started to take on positions around the club.
Roles ranging from assistant secretary to boat captain, it was a busy decade for Mr Barton.
By the mid-1980s he took on the position of club president.
His four-year stint included the overseeing of the 1984 Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships, for which Mr Barton oversaw 1000 volunteers across the three-day event.
In 1992 he became a life member of Kurrawa Surf Club and was tasked to oversee the club’s 10-year stint hosting the Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships from 1996.
Also in 1996, Mr Barton started as treasurer at the new commercial venture, the Kurrawa Supporters Club.
He held the position until his passing and Mr Palmer said his friend helped build one of the most successful surf lifesaving clubs in Australia.
“He was a friend to everyone, young and old,” he said.
“He was very well respected and didn’t have any enemies.
“Always happy to listen, he was a mentor to many people in his life, especially around the surf club.”
“He was always willing and ready to listen to ideas and he paid everyone respect.
“He was a quiet person, very humble.”
Mr Barton’s contribution to the surf lifesaving community didn’t end at Kurrawa with him taking on the role of Surf Life Saving Queensland’s director for two years.
He was awarded an Order of Australia for his work with lifesaving and also received a Surf Life Saving Australia 50-year service badge.
Mr Palmer described his close friend as “a very successful quiet achiever” who will be missed by many.
The Kurrawa Surf Club will be celebrating their dearly beloved Rick next Wednesday.
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