Gold standard: Surf life saving club haul in medals at 'pinnacle' event

Steve Kerr (40-plus board), Mia Cook (under 19 taplin relay) and Lisa Munro (45-plus single board) - the latter competing for Lorne - all claimed gold in their respective events at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships, commonly known as 'The Aussies'.

Members from Australia's 314 surf clubs converged on the Sunshine Coast from 13-21 April for the annual event, with more than 480 beach and ocean events.

Cook, a rising talent who is eyeing a move to Queensland at the conclusion of her VCE studies later this year, also claimed a silver in open board relay and bronze in under 19 individual ski to cap off an outstanding carnival.

Kerr, 41, a veteran competitor who is no stranger to winning gold medals, said Cook and Munro outdid themselves with their efforts.

"Lisa is one of our master competitors and she's got a strong history in surf life saving," he said.

"She joined with some old Lorne friends and competed with them (at the championships). She's got a great knowledge of the sport and is always happy to pass it on to the members of our club so it's a great reward for her.

"As for Mia, we hope she goes a long way in the sport and is a great athlete. To perform under the pressure when things didn't quite go her way shows what person and athlete she is.

"She had some bad luck at times but managed to respond. She didn't get all the results she wanted, she sets such high standards for herself but we're very proud of her."

The highly-regarded surf life saving coach said he was proud from a personal level, winning his first masters gold at the national competition.

"It is super rewarding for me and it was really satisfying to have my sons William and Lachlan share the moment with me," he said.

"They are part of the reason why I do it. I'm pretty proud of what I was able to achieve and I had a great time competing."

Warrnambool sent 33 competitors to 'The Aussies' with almost a dozen members reaching finals on top of their medals.

Kerr said it was a tremendous success from a club perspective and another massive step forward for the tight-knit community.

"The Aussies are the pinnacle of our sport and there's a lot of pressure that goes with competing," he said.

"For our members to make finals in age groups and medal is a significant achievement for a club from regional Victoria.

"There's a huge amount of professionalism in some of these clubs. There's some really big clubs in Queensland, New South Wales and also Western Australia so we're super proud of what our club achieved against them."