ŌPŌTIKI surf lifesaver Brooke Leeder is featured in a new Surf Lifesaving IRB Training Manual released last month.

“The manual was organised by Poppy Crouch from Surf Lifesaving, and the photos were taken on June 22 and 23 in Gisborne,” Brooke said. “They needed a skilled IRB operator to help with the manual.”

Brooke said the previous version of the manual was from 2020, and the introduction of new information and sponsors warranted the creation of an updated edition.

She was part of a team of six surf lifesavers from Auckland and Gisborne involved.

Now 17 years old, Brooke has been involved in surf lifesaving since the age of four-and-a-half, participating in both the Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki clubs, often with her mother, Mere Edwards, driving her to sessions.

She quickly made an impression, becoming the top Sandcrab at age 5 during the 2012-2013 season and later earning the title of top rookie.

“She comes from a surf lifesaving family, and we are so proud of her,” said her mother, Mere. Brooke’s commitment to the sport runs in the family; her nanna, Beth Leeder, was one of the first females involved with the Waihi Beach club, and her father was a lifeguard there as a teenager. Mere currently does patrol support.

Brooke has enjoyed the first aid training she does as a lifeguard and intends pursuing a related career.

She is set to start her first year of health science studies at either the University of Otago or the University of Auckland next year.

In December, mother and daughter will attend a three-day advanced surf lifesaving first aid course at Pukehina.

Brooke also appreciates the community aspect of surf lifesaving.

“Having been a surf lifesaver for a long time – and remembering a time when I wasn’t so strong – helps me support the young ones who are in development, including with their confidence.”

She emphasises the benefits of getting children involved in surf lifesaving, noting that it fosters friendships and provides opportunities to meet peers from different schools.

“It’s also good for home-schooled kids,” she said.

Notably, the young surf lifesaver executed her first rescue on Christmas Day last year, helping a middle-aged man who had gotten into difficulty.