A current Year 12 student and a proud Alumna were recognised for their outstanding contribution to Surf Life Saving at the Mermaid Beach AEME Surf Life Saving Club Awards Night held recently.
Mattias Steljic: Youth Lifesaver of the Year, back-to-back
Year 12 student Mattias Steljic was named Youth Lifesaver of the Year (15 – 18yrs) for the second year running, a remarkable achievement that sees him now progress to represent the club at the next level. Mattias also took out Most Patrol Hours Per Season in the Junior category, recording 52.5 hours across the 2025/2026 season.
Mattias serves as Co-Captain of QA Lifesavers, the school's surf lifesaving CAS group, and has played a leading role in guiding the largest intake of new members in the group's history. Beyond the beach, he was recently appointed one of only two high school students among the 2025 Mayor's Student Ambassadors, a role in which he continues to champion Surf Life Saving as one of the standout opportunities available to young people on the Gold Coast.
Back-to-back club recognition is a rare feat, and a fitting reflection of the consistency Mattias brings to every part of his involvement, from patrol duties through to leadership and mentoring.
Hannah Provenzano: Young Volunteer of the Year
QAHS alumna Hannah Provenzano, Class of 2023, was named Youth Lifesaver of the Year (18 – 25yrs) at club level and has since been nominated in the same category at the Surf Life Saving Queensland Awards.
Hannah's connection to Surf Life Saving began through the CAS program in Year 10, and it is a connection that has never wavered. Now studying Biomedicine at Griffith University, Hannah continues to return to Mermaid Beach every Friday to support QA Lifesavers training sessions, mentoring current students in the same way she was once mentored herself. She remains an active patrolling member on Dillon Patrol, holds qualifications in First Aid, Advanced Resuscitation Techniques and IRB Crew, and continues her involvement in the annual Bush to Beach water safety program for indigenous communities. She recently attended a SLSQ Youth Leadership Camp on the Sunshine Coast and is the newly appointed Youth Development Coordinator at the club.
Readers may recall Hannah's story featured in Part One of our Beyond the Red and Yellow series earlier this year, where she reflected on how Surf Life Saving taught her to remain calm while facing fears and to grow both technically and personally. Her continued commitment since graduating is a genuine demonstration that the QAHS Surf Life Saving volunteer journey does not end at Year 12.
Dion Obst
HOD Global Connect