The Starfish Nipper program is run by volunteers at Life Saving Clubs around Australia.
0411 239 575 info AT starfishnippers.com.au
Established by Anglesea SLSC 2011
About Us
About The Starfish Nipper Program
Starfish Nippers, the life-saving skills program designed for students with a disability between the age of 6 years and older.
The program aims to give these young people beach safety and water awareness skills.
The program caters for students with numerous disabilities including Autism, Asperger’s and Down Syndrome.
The Starfish Nipper Program has a number of rules in place to ensure the safety and enjoyment for all involved in the program.
Run entirely by volunteers at a number of Life Saving Clubs around Australia, the program ensures that students with disabilities and their parents and or guardians can be involved with surf skills and lifesaving like their siblings, friends, and others on the beach.
Our Volunteers Nippers Acknowledgements:
The program is run entirely by a huge number of amazing people of all ages who volunteer their time to make it possible for young people with a disability and their families to participate in the Starfish Nippers program.
Our Contributors & Sponsors:
Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club
State Trustees Foundation
Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club Foundation
Life Saving Victoria
Anglesea Uniting Church
G-Board Sponsors – Anglesea Uniting Church, Hisken Cup Committee, Stanford Family, Lizzy, Whan Family, Anglesea SLSC Foundation, Anglesea Lioness Club
Janet Jones
Naomi Symington
Peter Williams
David Kay
Jake Foster
Hilton White Estate
All our amazing volunteers and trainers
Our Starfish Nipper Overview Video
A short video exploring the Starfish Nipper program.
Starfish History
Starfish Nippers has been supportive of people with a disability for many years.
Moreover, The Starfish Nipper aim is to provide a water safety and awareness program for children from the age 6 and above. The program is designed to be inclusive of all abilities and needs in our community.
The instances of the Starfish Nipper program running around Australia generally consist of 5-15 people depending on a number of factors (safety is the key factor).
The introduction of an inclusive Nipper style program to Anglesea SLSC was the brainchild of Naomi Symington, President of the Anglesea SLSC in 2011. Starfish Nippers was then developed and created by Janet Jones and implemented after a pilot program supported by the Anglesea SLSC in 2011.
The Starfish Nippers program at Anglesea SLSC was introduced as a modified program that allows all young people to be part of a Nippers program where they can learn critical beach and water safety and awareness skills while having fun and learning important life skills.
The program has operated successfully under Janet Jones’ direction for eight years alongside our club’s popular Age Group Nippers program and continues under the leadership of Matilda Cameron. Starting with six Starfish and seven trainers in our first season in 2011/2012, the program has now grown to more than 20 children and young adults who are supported on the beach by a team of dedicated and passionate volunteer trainers/mentors.
Further, in response to an overwhelming number of requests from parents from across Victoria and beyond, this innovative and important program has now been taken up by more than 25 surf and bayside lifesaving clubs across Australia and a lifesaving club in France.