OLD – well, not really-so-old – surfers never die, they, like the waves lapping Coolangatta Beach, just keep rollin' on.

Nine long-serving members of Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club didn't exactly surf with that wizard of the waves, that sultan of the surf, the great Hawaiian, Duke Kahanamoku, the legendary still and open water swim star who introduced surfboard riding to Australia in 1914.

But many of them just missed out by a few years!

Surfing and serving the community have always been in their blood and many decades after going on their maiden surf patrols, all these sunshine supermen still answer the call to front up and police world famous Coolangatta Beach.

Their ages range from young 'un, 52-year-old Kel Judd, up to the club's president Jim Purdon, 68 years young and still loving every moment he spends in the surf and on the sand at Coolangatta.

Playfully tagged “Dad's Army” by the younger members of the Coolangatta SLSC fraternity, these vastly experienced men each do a four-to-six-hour shift once a month – on the same afternoon, of course, so they can later reminisce over a couple of thirst-quenching beers about their exploits in surf lifesaving.

Sure there'd be a “porky” or two about the size of a wave surfed and the number of championship medals won but these men never joke about deeds performed on patrol.

Between them, “Dad's Army” has been responsible for saving the lives of hundreds of swimmers down the decades and given beachgoers a powerful sense of safety by their presence.

Remember the names, because these blokes really are heroes!

Purdon and three other members of the army are life members of Coolangatta – Denis Henricks, 61, Geoff Hamlet, 60, and Jeff Best, 62, while all the others have given long service to the club – Russell Armstrong, 64, Kel Judd, 52, Graham Church, 56, Dennis McCarthy, 67, Peter McNamara, 56, and 60-year-old Merv Lindberg.

Merv is the newest “soldier” in the army but his association with the club goes way back.

“I represented Coolangatta as a junior at an Australian titles in 1968 before moving away from the area but I always remained involved with the (SLS) movement wherever I was,” Merv said.

“As soon as my wife Jenny and I returned to the Tweed, I rejoined Coolangatta and was immediately lured into “Dad's Army”, Merv said.

“It has been wonderful to renew some very old acquaintances and make new friends.

“And I'm particularly chuffed to get the opportunity to go on patrol with these fellas and put something back into the community.”