For surf life-saving staff, Christmas is a beach.
St Kilda Surf Life Saving Club head lifeguard Brittany Jeffcott-Moore spent her fifth Christmas on patrol at the beach yesterday.
While working might not be everyone’s favourite way to spend the public holiday, Ms Jeffcott-Moore did not mind "at all".
"It’s still fun ... I still get to see family in the morning and at night."
From 11am until 7pm, they were there.
On a day typically reserved for recreation, the weather did not play its part and put a dampener on things.
One family visited the beach in the morning to try out new Christmas gifts in the water, but after the southerly rain set in, the area was soon cleared.
"The last few years it’s been nice. It’s just unfortunate. It’s not normally like this."
The day was certainly less interesting because of the rain.
To keep themselves busy, Ms Jeffcott-Moore and other members of the club kept an eye on the club and tidied where they could. Whether it was sweeping away sand or cleaning up inside, there was always a job to do, Ms Jeffcott-Moore said.
And as the weather worsened, the decision was made to bring the inflatable rescue boat in from the wind and rain to protect it.
In the unlikely event of an emergency, it was kept ready to go.
