The Interview: Ann Wason Moore speaks to Chris Maynard from Gold Coast Lifeguards.
It’s when the weather is at its most beautiful that this lifeguard is on high alert — because that’s when thousands flock to the city’s beaches. But he’s always ready.
Lifestyle
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HE’S the crown prince of our beaches, waiting for the day when the reigning monarch of the waves at last abdicates his lifeguard tower.
Chris Maynard might seem the heir apparent to the City of Gold Coast’s chief lifeguard, the “king’’ Warren Young, but he’s not quite certain he is ready to sit in his seaside throne, even after 35 years of service on the sand.
Chris is filling in Warren’s boardies while the 68-year-old takes six months of well deserved long-service leave, but he says the responsibilities of the job have changed dramatically over the last decade.
“There’s a lot more office work in the top job now than there used to be,” he says.
“That’s true for almost every role like this. Co-ordinating the business of running the lifeguard service is a huge responsibility, but sometimes it takes you away from doing what you really love — being a lifeguard.”
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While Chris says the nature of the job remains the same for those on the sand, the pressure is something new.
In fact, beautiful beach days have Chris on high alert now, despite the fact that peak season has always meant that tragedy can be just a moment away.
It’s the culture of blame that has changed.
Back in his first season on patrol, Christmas of 1983, the new recruit dealt with at least half a dozen drownings in the summer period, with the stretch of sand between Surfers Paradise and Main Beach being dubbed “death alley’’.
“I remember thinking after doing CPR on the first patient, I guess this is the job,” he says.
“It was distressing, of course. There was no counselling, we just got on with it. But we were allowed to get on with it too.
“The incident would be reported in the newspaper but there weren’t people filming you on the beach or accusing you of failing to do your job.
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“Beach drownings in our patrolled areas are at an all-time low. We work so hard to share education about beach safety and we’re always alert, but you do always have that sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“If something goes wrong, there tends to be a lot more negative response, which is understandable. But when you’re dealing with an uncontrolled ocean environment with millions of people visiting our beaches, our figures of lives lost are low.”
Despite the stress, Chris is hardly complaining. He just wants people to understand that every day he and every member of his team are doing their best to save and protect lives.
And there’s no such thing as a quiet day.
“When we get bad weather and the beaches are closed, everyone thinks we can put our feet up — but it’s the exact opposite,” he says. “If one person is on the beach or in the water we are busy. You never know what can happen, constant surveillance is the key.
“That’s where our job differs from other emergency services like police and ambulance. They are reacting to events the majority of the time. We watch them unfold in real time and, if we are doing our job, preventing incidents from occurring.
“Every action we take is an adrenalin rush. It’s the reason why this job is addictive — that, and the fact the beach is our office.”
Chris says the average age of permanent city lifeguards is now 41 years, because no one wants to leave.
He says some of the casual staff are slightly younger but many have been waiting well over 10 years for a permanent gig.
“I’m 56, Warren’s 68, (lifeguard superintendent) Peter Miller has been here for 45 years — we are like family and if you enjoy it, why would you leave?” he says.
“It is an amazing job. You get to be active, outdoors and help people. It’s fulfilling in every way.”
Being a lifeguard is a way of life for the Maynard family.
Chris married the daughter of the Gold Coast’s original chief lifeguard, Marshall Kropp. Chris and Marsha have two children — Jackson, 26, and Riley, 24 — both of whom are, yep, casual lifeguards.
Jackson is not only a lifeguard but an elite stand-up paddleboard competitor (Ocean Waterman) and ironman athlete, who has also fought for his life more than once.
When Jackson was 18 he was diagnosed with a serious case of melanoma on his calf.
“I’ve had a couple of melanomas too. There’s no such thing as being too careful in this climate and with this lifestyle,” Chris says.
“Then about a year later, Jackson was diagnosed with Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome, which is when you’re born with an extra electrical node on your heart and he had to undergo two heart surgeries.”
While it was a huge scare for the family, Chris says it also gave him an insight into the work they do on the beaches.
He says while some of those rescued are embarrassed and walk away without a word, many return even years later with words of thanks.
“Sometimes they come to say hello and they have a new baby with them, and you realise that child would not be born without the work that we do,” he says.
“We never expect anything from anyone but it is a wonderful feeling to see the results of our training.”
Up most mornings at 5am, Chris trains for more than an hour each day to meet the physical requirements necessary as a professional lifeguard.
Chris says Chief Lifeguard Warren Young — dubbed the “silver fox’’ — is a boss like no other, in and out of the water.
“We all know his time as our leader will be up in the years to come, but it’s hard to imagine our beaches without him,” says Chris.
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“Under his watch we’ve gone from 10 or 11 lifeguards to 40 permanents and 140 casuals, making us the largest professional lifeguard service in Australia, patrolling our city’s 40 beaches, stretching 42km, 365 days of the year.
“He’s an amazing leader who leads by example, supports his team and has gained the respect he deserves. They will be big boardies to fill.”
Chris says despite the spate of recent shark attacks in Queensland, that’s one threat he does not fear.
He says while there may not yet be hard evidence to prove the efficacy of shark nets and drumlines, he is a firm believer that they have protected our beachgoers.
“I do think they make a difference. The numbers don’t lie,’’ he says.
“But even despite that, shark attacks just aren’t something I worry about.
“Last year alone, we performed 1300 rescues, prevented more than 43,000 potential ocean incidents and provided first aid to 6000 people — sharks played no part.
“It’s a moderate risk, in my mind. I know when I enter the water that it’s their environment, but the chances are vastly in my favour that I’ll make it out alive.”
And well may he, for the sake of all beachgoers.
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