1935 - 2006

It’s said that Brian ‘Hutcho’ Hutchings was the best individual competitor for Bondi Surf Bathers Surf Life Saving Club (BSBSLSC), and his results speak for themselves. The surf was his element, and he beat all comers, including a long list of Olympians, many of whom he convincingly smashed in Australian Titles contests.

Hutcho joined BSBSLSC in 1949, at age 14, and gained his bronze medallion in 1951. He was selected to join the Surf Life Saving Australia team that took on New Zealand at the Royal Tour Surf Carnival 1954, which was held at Bondi Beach on 6 February and attracted 12,000 spectators. He was a life member of BSBSLSC and a member of its committee for many years. He held the position of patrol captain during an era in which only the best of the best achieved the honour. He competed successfully in masters competitions till his death, from a heart attack, in 2006 at age 69 while surfing in a longboard contest being held on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

Brian and his two brothers were known as Hutcho, Hutcho and Hutcho. All three excelled at local sports and surf lifesaving and were locally famous. In 2004, Brian was inducted into the Surf Life Saving Australia Hall of Fame, an honour he was “a bit embarrassed by”. The Hutchings Patrol was set up by BSBSLSC members to honour his legacy.

Among Hutcho’s most notable achievements were that he hammered everyone he was competing against in seven major comps: as a lifesaver with the Australian team in 1954 and ’56; as a swimmer with the New South Wales team in the Senior Surf Belt event at the Australian Championship contests in 1954, 1956 and 1959; and as a lifesaver in the Senior Surf Belt event in 1961 and ’63.

Courtesy Bondi Surf Bathers Surf Life Saving Club.