The Seal Beach Lifeguards are sending one of their own to New Zealand.
Lifeguard Jackson Lawrence will represent our town as well as the Marine Safety Department as part of the California Surf Lifesaving Association exchange program.
Lawrence, who attended McGaugh and graduated from Los Alamitos High School, was selected from a pool of statewide candidates to participate in the program with New Zealand lifeguard departments.
Lawrence and his partner, Vianne Kelly from LA City Lifeguards, will spend six weeks sharing lifesaving ideas, techniques and equipment with their Kiwi counterparts.
“I’m very honored to have been selected for this exchange,” said Lawrence. “I’ve wanted to be a part of this program ever since I heard about it. It’s exciting.”
Starting in 1969, the program has allowed two lifeguards from each country to travel across the globe to promote and maintain a long-lasting camaraderie between associations.
This past summer, lifeguards from New Zealand visited Southern California beaches, including Seal Beach.
This is only the fourth time in its more than 50-year history that a Seal Beach Lifeguard has been selected.
“Lawrence will bring his lifeguarding skills and abilities learned in Seal Beach to collaborate with the Kiwis and apply them abroad.
As a department, we look forward to hearing about his experiences and the knowledge he will bring back from this adventure,” said Lt. Nick Bolin.
“We are thrilled to have our own Seal Beach Lifeguard representing California Surf Lifesaving and the city of Seal Beach overseas,” Bolin said.
Lawrence and Kelly will head to Auckland in December, staying with host families and experiencing the peak of the New Zealand summer.
A fundraiser will be held at O’Malley’s on Main Street on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. A portion of the night’s sales will be donated to the Seal Beach Lifeguard Association and the exchange program.
