One in six of Wollongong City Council’s seasonal lifeguards in 2015/16 are women – and they bring some great skills to the mix.

Council’s beach services co-ordinator Jason Foye said 66 seasonal and casual staff had been employed for the peak season from September to April – and 11 of those were women.

‘’Women are becoming increasingly interested as they’re recognising that it’s a really good job,’’ Mr Foye said.

‘’There’s plenty of girls and women involved in sport, specifically surfing and life saving, so they’ve got the skills that are transferable and they can come across and work with council.

‘’They have a real passion for the ocean and a real passion for helping people.

‘’Plus they bring great balance to the workplace – they’ve got a different communication style and are particularly good at getting out and talking to people and raising awareness of safety issues.’’

It’s Corrimal resident’s Holly Lane’s sixth season as a lifeguard, and she relishes the challenge.

‘’I’ve been involved in surf life saving since I was a kid,’’ she said.

‘’I love working outdoors and mingling with community members as well as looking after them.

‘’I’ve been involved with quite a few rescues involving CPR and it’s really rewarding to help people.’’

Bulli resident Maeve Kennedy, 24, is back for her fourth season after travelling in the off season.

‘’Growing up I did a lot of surfing, swimming and competitive running which led me into this role,’’ she said.

‘’I love being part of a great team and I think people really welcome seeing female lifeguards on the beach too.’’

It may be Jamie Brinkworth’s last season; having completed a medical and health science degree at the University of Wollongong.

‘’It’s great more girls are getting on board,’’ she said.

The women are part of an award-winning team, with Wollongong City Council recently winning a major award for its beach safety initiatives in the Westpool Risk Management Excellence awards.

Mr Foye said the award was recognition of the active supervision by lifeguards plus council’s water safety education to schools, TAFE, UOW and cultural and linguistic diverse communities.

In the 2014-2015 swimming season, there were 1.2 million visits to the city’s patrolled beaches. Lifeguards carried out 65,500 preventative actions and 839 rescues.