Six years ago, the Bermagui Surf Life Saving Club's volunteer numbers were dwindling and the holes in its patrol roster were getting bigger.

A simple idea saw the NSW far south coast club's membership surge and the holes in the roster disappear: they let volunteers choose when they wanted to patrol.

The club has since almost quadrupled its active patrol members from 18 to 63, setting an example other clubs around the state are now following.

"When our membership numbers were down, we had trouble meeting our patrol obligations here on the beach," club president Euan McKenzie said.

He said the flexible roster, and a couple of other factors, meant their local beaches remained safe.

"We were so surprised with how successful it was; it has essentially left us with no gaps," said Mr McKenzie, a club member for more than 20 years.

Flexible solution

Under the new rostering system, members can elect dates they are available to patrol, rather than being told.

It was a massive step away from a traditional rostering system widely used across the organisation for decades.

Mr McKenzie said the Bermagui club was the first in New South Wales to pioneer the simple change in rostering, which has since been adopted by numerous other clubs across the state.

Heidi Osgood, who graduated high school last year with an ATAR of 95.65, said the flexibility of the roster meant she could balance her studies with patrols.

"The beauty about our roster is that we get to choose our preferred dates and hours for our roster so that helped in keeping my schooling on track," she said.

Ms Osgood, who has been part of the club since she was five, said the roster also helped retain younger club members.

"There used to be not much opportunity for nippers to continue on as patrolling members," Ms Osgood said.

"But over the past few years we've had more strategies and programs in trying to keep these kids with us."

Bucking the trend

Flexibility is a key factor in the survival of volunteer-based organisations in an ever-changing world, according to Ben Hillier, Centre for Volunteering's director of research, policy and advocacy.

Between 2020 and 2023, formal volunteering rates declined by more than 5 per cent across residents in New South Wales.

"Organisations that are willing to think a bit further outside of the box as to what might be needed to find volunteers, they're really thriving," Dr Hillier said.

With factors such as the rising cost of living, he said traditional models of volunteering, where people must complete fixed shift times, were less effective.

"Our research shows us that the number one reason why people want to be involved is to help," Dr Hillier said.

Dr Hiller says volunteer organisations often report that they're struggling to find younger members, despite recent research showing that people under 25 volunteer at higher rates than any other age group.

"This kind of process that the Bermagui Lifesaving Club has done where they're converting their nippers into senior members, and making sure there's connection all the way through, sounds like a great method to keep younger people involved."

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Other factors

While the rostering system has certainly proved to be the major factor in increasing volunteer numbers, Bermagui Club secretary and patrol member of 10 years Cheryl McCarthy believes culture is also at play.

The Bermagui SLSC gave refuge to 5,000 people during the 36 hours of darkness around New Years Eve 2019, at the peak of the Black Summer bushfires.

"It wasn't just club members who came down to help — it was a huge town and region response there at the club too."

Ms McCarthy said the role the surf club played during Black Summer had also had an influence on membership sign-ups.

"It's a very welcoming place for people to be."

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