The Fish Hoek Valley Historical Association drew a record audience for its historical talk on the rich history and humble beginnings of Fish Hoek Surf Lifesaving Club (FHSLC) on Thursday 9 July.

The talk featured Clive Duffell — a Fish Hoek resident since 1945 and one of the founding members of the FHSLC.

Scouts inspire

The club’s origins trace back to the mid-1950’s, when Duffell and his friends were members of the 1st Fish Hoek Sea Scouts, explained Fish Hoek Valley Museum curator, Sue Maude.

Inspired by a fellow scout who joined the newly formed Clifton Surf Lifesaving Club, the group decided to start their own.

With the support of scoutmaster Robbie Robertson and Australian coach Brian Lovell, seven founding scouts — including Clive Duffell, Doug and Clive Wakeford, Hylton Ross, Cedrick Green, Barry Noble, and Ken Smith — established the club in 1957.

By 1958, the FHSLC was officially constituted and affiliated with the South African Surf Lifesaving Association, adopting a logo and colours still used today.

Parents hand-sewed uniforms, equipment was stored in a tiny hut, and the team travelled to their first national competition in Durban in 1960 on a bus with wooden seats.

Champions rise

In 1963, members built a new clubhouse by hand, they fabricated the wood at the Windsor Hotel in Beach Road and then carried the pieces to the beach to put up. They first dug holes and sunk tins for the foundations.

This building was eventually demolished and the current clubhouse was built in 1992.

“In the early days of national championships, the Natal teams dominated the comps. Fish Hoek battled in the competitions. This was until 2007. After 42 years of Durban Surf being the national champions, FH beat them for the first time in Seniors, Juniors and Nippers categories,” said Maude.

The founding members became less active due to the responsibilities of career and families, she added.

Seventy years on, the club is thriving.

FHSLC is current national champion across all categories and boast 571 paid-up members, including 225 Nippers, 97 Micronippers, 74 Juniors, 51 Seniors and 69 Masters.

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