SLST Official of the Year Vanessa Copeland (Clifton Beach) is one of the nominees fore the gong at the 2024 SLSA Awards of Excellence.

Vanessa officiated at almost every Tasmanian carnival over the 2023/24 season as well as Aussies 2024, going on to be part of the Lifesaving World Championships on the Gold Coast.

Vanessa was awarded an SLSA Officials Scholarship for the Aussies held on the Sunshine Coast where she learnt valuable skills in officiating at a large surf sports event. This was a highlight for Vanessa as she had spent the past season learning and being exposed to the Chief Judge role for water events. There were many times during the season where issues arose, and Vanessa was always able to be counted on to help find positive solutions.

Vanessa is a role model with in the Tasmanian official’s community and is looked up to for advice and guidance, something which is even more evident at club level.

In the past Clifton Beach SLSC has struggled to supply enough officials at carnivals due to the ever-expanding surf sports team, however Vanessa saw this as an opportunity to recruit and help train new officials from families of nippers to ensure the club had enough for the competitions this season and the seasons to come.