Jae Knobben breaks lifesaving record at Mildura Life Saving Club

She’s a long way from the surf but that hasn’t stopped lifesaver Jae Knobben from setting a new patrol benchmark this summer.

Mildura teen Jae Knobben has broken the record of hours patrolled in a single lifesaving season for the Mildura Life Saving Club.

Jae, 15, has patrolled 109 hours this season which is leaps and bound ahead of the required 20 hours that the club mandates.

The patrols happen every weekend and public holidays in the afternoon for 4 and a half hours from the end of November to the March long weekend.

After that, volunteers take a break until Easter, and then they patrol again on Anzac Day.

The club is made up of a group of volunteers who patrol Apex Beach, a sandy beach on the Murray River, during the summer months.

Throughout the rest of the year volunteers offer first-aid and water safety training to grow the capacity of the club, members and community. It is the first, and remains the only inland lifesaving club in Victoria.

“I have managed to do 109 hours and the season hasn‘t quite finished yet. I spent the majority of weekends during the summer holidays patrolling, not missing a patrol during January,” Jae said.

“At the start of the season, I made it my goal to hit 100 hours. I am so very ecstatic to have hit my target, and have enjoyed every one of my patrols.”

Jae Knobben has just hit a milestone for volunteer hours at Mildura Life Saving Club.

Jae first became involved in lifesaving through the nippers program, a program for children aged from 5 to 17 to learn the basics of water safety through to practices like CPR and performing rescues. It is viewed in the lifesaving world as the training ground for both paid and volunteer life savers.

“I began when the nippers program first started at the Mildura Lifesaving Club. From there I gained my Surf Rescue certificate and, more recently, my Bronze Medallion,” Jae said.

Jae thinks it is important to honour where she came from and help to give back to the program which gave her so much.

“As well as patrolling I also help out with the nippers program. As I started through the program, it is especially important to me to maintain the nippers program and inspire future lifesavers,” Jae said.

Jae Knobben has just hit a milestone for volunteer hours at Mildura Life Saving Club.

During a patrol, Jae is expected to roam the beach, perform basic first aid, watch the swimmers to make sure everyone is swimming safely and perform rescues where necessary.

“While at lifesaving, I love to interact with both members of our local community, but also those who are visiting our district. It is important that we promote both water and river safety, respecting the river and its dangers,” Jae said.

“Through lifesaving at MLSC, I have been provided with various opportunities and met many incredible role models and mentors, who have helped me to develop both my leadership and lifesaving skills.”

Outside of life saving Jae is in year 10 at Trinity Lutheran College and she dances with the Mildura Ballet and Dance Guild several times a week. On top of this, she has a job at a local Coles store.