Crowdy Head is a headland on the Lower North Coast of New South Wales, 7km from nearby Harrington which itself is midway between Forster and Port Macquarie.
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A pilot station was established in 1860 at nearby Harrington to assist ships navigating the entrance of the Manning River with cargoes of timber, livestock and limestone. In 1878, a fixed fourth order catadioptric lighthouse was erected on Crowdy Head to assist navigation.
Much of the early Crowdy Head European-heritage population growth was associated with fishing from the mid-1850s and quarrying of rock at the headland between 1895 and 1901 for the Manning River training wall.
In the 146 years since the lighthouse was constructed, the permanent population of Crowdy Head has, according to the 2021 national census, only grown to 78 people with the median age being 63 years old. This small population is largely due to the 1995 decision by Taree Council to declare no more building blocks would be sold on the headland as available space had reached saturation.
With the rise of surf life saving in NSW in the early 1900s, the first Surf Life Saving (SLS) Clubs established in the Mid North Coast area were South West Rocks in 1919 and Kempsey-Crescent Head in 1921. Now in the Lower North Coast Branch, Taree-Old Bar and Black Head were originally included in the SLS Mid North Coast Branch and were formed in 1923 and 1925, respectively.
It was only a matter of time before the attraction of the beach at Crowdy Head would result in enthusiasm for inclusion.
There are records (Manning River Times Wednesday, December 13, 1933) which indicate that a committee had been formed to create the Crowdy Head Surf Life Saving Club (CHSLSC) when between 30 and 40 locals attended a meeting.
CHSLSC's first clubhouse was purchased for £200 ($400) by Tom Crossingham and relocated from Ross Glen to Crowdy Head in 1958. This clubhouse was extensively used by members and locals alike for both surf life saving based and community events, as the clubhouse was the only building in Crowdy Head at the time large enough to accommodate gatherings of any real size.
After many years, it became apparent there was a need for a bigger and better clubhouse, and in 1971 fundraising began to build a new clubhouse. Officially opened on November 16, 1975 by then National Director of SLS Association of Australia, Gus Stanton, the dream of a new clubhouse became a reality. Nipper-age activities commenced at the start of the 1963/64 season, with the club hosting its first NSW Country Branch Championship in 1976.
Most of the rescues performed by the Crowdy Head members over the years have been away from the safety of the patrolled beach.
Members have been called out to assist in rescues at Southside and around the headland. There have also been times, before Marine Rescue Crowdy Harrington was in place, where members have assisted in rescues at the lagoon and river mouth. Thankfully, most rescues ended with a positive result; however, on the rare time there was a fatality, it occurred away from the safety of the patrolled Crowdy Beach.
Despite today's tiny local population base, Crowdy Head Surf Life Saving Club (CHSLSC) currently boasts 203 members of whom 56 are on active beach patrol, and 77 are junior (Youth and Nipper) members while there are also 2,400 Facebook followers.
According to Neolie Eady-Muxlow, CHSLSC director of member services, "Admittedly, nearby Harrington has a population of nearly 3400 and members also come from the nearby towns Moorland, Johns River, Coopernook, Lansdowne, Cundletown, Taree, Wingham, Old Bar and one from Port Macquarie."
"This has resulted in 62 per cent of the patrolling members come from outside the Harrington/Crowdy Head 2427 postcode. Similarly, 54 per cent of the 22 youth (cadet) members aged 14-18 years and 62 per cent of the 55 nippers aged 5-13 years come from outside post code 2427."
Sienna Elmer, Crowdy Head director of administration, commented, "While we may not be the most competitive club in surf sports, we promote the importance of safety and education through the 5-13 years nippers' program.
"The fruits of this can be seen in recent success of our 14-year-old youth members in the Lower North Coast SLS Branch Newcastle Permanent Junior Life Saver of the Year Awards. In 2022, Gemma Eady-Muxlow was the female winner. In 2023, it was Jack Drury who was the male recipient, while 2024 has seen our club taking out the double with Calista Elmer and Blake Stewart being selected."
"Since her 2022 award, Gemma Eady-Muxlow has become our club's junior member rep, co-ordinates our annual development camp, and is a major driving force with our cadet and junior activities."
"Further evidence of promoting excellence in our juniors is the trip for cadet members to Umina SLSC for training and education."
"To assist in the expenses of this trip, the club is holding a trivia night on Saturday, March 9, with a 6pm start. The cost is $20 per head, including dinner, and supporters can book a table by messaging Neolie on 0439 487 723 after 4pm or emailing enquiries@crowdyheadslsc.org.au.
According to club president, Adam 'Ace' Eady, "We are a small club with a big heart.
"One of our biggest assets is the relative safety of our club's location at the protected southern-most corner of the 5.6km long Crowdy Bay.
"This, combined with a membership with a shared commitment to saving lives, and a well-run and friendly organisation means we have been successful in maintaining our numbers; however, as with all clubs in the Lower North Coast Branch, we always welcome new members in order to share skills and the workload."
