THE CLUB COLOURS OF MAROOCHYDORE LIFE SAVING & SWIMMING CLUB
By Life Governor Ralph Devlin AM QC, Club Historian
Established 1916, our Club was formed at a meeting held under a canvas tent at the Cotton Tree Camping Ground on 1 January 1916. The Anzac troops had just been successfully evacuated from Suvla Bay at the end of the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915.
On 15 January 1916 a second meeting of the Club was held at Deans Boatshed on Petrie Creek. Two important things were decided – firstly, that the Bli Bli Squad, led by Captain ‘Zola’ Hannus, would enter the Club’s first Lifesaving competition in April 1916; secondly, that the Club Colours were to be:
- Royal Blue
- Canadian Red (white piping)
- Pale Blue star
Thus our Club first competed under this magnificent flag when on 3 April 1916 the Club placed third in the ‘Barry Cup’ Lifesaving competition in Brisbane.
A second flag appeared in about 1927 – a Royal Blue and White flag, still with the Pale Blue star, featuring the motif ‘M L S & S C’. This was the second flag of the Royal Life Saving era 1916-1931, after which the Club switched to Surf Life Saving in order to join up with all the Gold Coast surf clubs.
By 1935 a third flag was in use – a Pale Blue flag with a Black Swan intertwined with a White ‘M’. This flag was the symbol of a conscious break from the livery of Royal Life Saving. Maroochydore SLSC joined Surf Life Saving in early 1931-32. The ‘Black Swan’ then emerged as the Club logo for the first time. It is now known throughout the Surf Life Saving world as the marque of one of the most respected Surf Clubs in the Association.
‘Maroochydore’ in the traditional language of the Kabi-Kabi Tribe, the Traditional Owners of this place, means ‘Home of the Black Swan’. Our Black Swan Flag now flies proudly here. Welcome to Our Place.
In April 2015 the ‘Star’ flag and traditional costumes were revived and unveiled in time for our Centenary celebration Season (Sept 2015 to June 2016).
In April 2017 the Australian Championship for the Under 17 March Past was won by Maroochydore SLSC – our first-ever National medal in the traditional event of March Past. The Team wore the traditional 1916 costumes and flew our modern ‘Black Swan’ flag during the competition.
These flags are enduring symbols of our unity and of the humanitarian service delivered by our Volunteers at Maroochydore Beach and the Maroochy River for over a century.