Between the Flags: 100 Years of Surf Life Saving in New Zealand

Author(s): Bob Harvey (editor) et al

New Zealand

Between the Flags has been edited by Bob Harvey, very recently the Mayor of Waitakere and current President Surf Life Saving. The book is a celebration of our history told through stunning photographs and stories from our members. It includes ‘Tales from the Surf’ from prominent NZ’ers who have been lifeguards such as The Rt. Hon Lockwood Smith, Sir Stephen Tindall and Jim Hickey.


This book is more than a day at the beach.
A remarkable story of dedication, courage and
pride is told in Between the Flags. It is a story of
50,000 lives saved. A story of a rich beach culture
that developed on the gold and black sands of New Zealand beaches. It is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
In the last hundred years, surf lifesaving has
grown from humble beginnings on the shores of
sub urban beaches in Christchurch and Wellington
to one of New Zealand’s most honoured and
respected volunteer organisations.
What a century it’s been. When New Zealanders
discovered the beach and the joy of swimming,
life guards were there to watch over them. Through two world wars and the Great Depression, surf lifesaving grew and evolved. It bonded a beachculture of camaraderie and fierce competition with skill and a will to serve and save lives.
We are a swimming nation. New Zealand has
thousands of beaches and millions visit them every year. Ninety per cent of New Zealanders live within 40 minutes of a beach.
But our glorious surf can be a deadly playground.
In the roaring West Coast surf or in the treacherous East Coast rips, it is easy to be swept into danger.
Surf lifeguards are the difference between life and
death.
The century has seen surf lifesaving reach beyond
the beach and into this country’s psyche. The stoic
lifeguards standing between the fluttering red and
yellow flags are now part of our national identity.
This is their story. It is told in the words and
photos of the characters and competitors that were
part of this great and grand history. They are as
relevant today as they were when they first stood
looking out to sea, searching for an upraised hand
and a cry for help.


Between the Flags is the centennial publication of
Surf Life Saving New Zealand. It is told from the
archives of pictures, cuttings, clippings and voices
of those that were there. These are the words and
memories of the men and women who came from
ordinary lives to do extraordinary things.
Edited by Bob Harvey and assisted by Pam Ryan,
Marilyn Moffatt, Dick Glover and Miri Young, this
book brings together a century of tales, voices and memories. Here is the richness of friendship,
teamwork, tears and triumphs.
Gifted photographs, memorabilia, personal
albums and diaries from SLSNZ’s archives and the
nation’s libraries and museums feature in these
pages. They capture a broad and rich picture of
an organisation that has become part of a nation’s identity. This is a book of lives saved, innovations and remarkable characters.


Product Information

General Fields

  • : 9780473176860
  • : selfpublish
  • : November 2010
  • : 295x270mm
  • : New Zealand
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Bob Harvey (editor) et al
  • : Hardback
  • : 1st Edition
  • : very good
  • : 416
  • : Colour and B/W illustrations