Lyster Ormsby commissioned the production of the R&R (Rescue and Resuscitation) Reel that was first used at Bondi on 23 December 1906.
Within one year of Bondi Surf Club’s formation in Feb 1907, members were travelling to other beaches to compete and demonstrate, with the other new clubs that were emerging.
Watching the R&R (Rescue and Resuscitation) demonstrations was quite the spectacle at these events.
Practiced in the Bronze Medallion training right up until the 1980s, R&R is still a highly prestigious and competitive event at surf carnivals.
The belt swimmer attached with a rope swims out to rescue the patient, before being pulled back to shore. The rest of the team collect the patient, carrying them with precision back to the sand before demonstrating perfect resuscitation.
Bondi Surf Club celebrates Lyster Ormsby’s lifesaving invention with a patrol named after him.