Down to the Beach: Mentone Life Saving Club
Australian History Local History Social History Sports History Young Adult Non-Fiction Biography & Memoir Lifesaving & Surf Culture Art & Photography
Down to the Beach: Mentone Life Saving Club is a lavishly-illustrated hardcover that turns the spotlight on one of Melbourne’s most iconic stretches of sand. In 244 pages David Grant blends archival photographs, newspaper clippings and first-hand interviews to chart the Mentone Life Saving Club from its Edwardian beginnings to the present day. The result is a vivid social history of suburban Melbourne told through surf rescues, carnival days and wartime patrols—perfect reading for anyone who loves true Australian stories, local history or the culture of beach life.
Collectors and researchers value the book because it is still the only full-length, club-authorised chronicle of the Mentone LSC. Every chapter is anchored by rare images—many never reprinted elsewhere—while side-bar biographies honour the volunteer lifesavers who became community legends. The sturdy hardback production, complete with protective dust jacket, means it survives repeated reference on the coffee-table or in the classroom, making it an ideal gift for young adults studying Australian history or for adults nostalgic for bayside Melbourne.
This copy arrives clean and tight: no inscriptions, ex-library stamps or dog-eared pages, only light shelf-scuffing to the jacket. Because the first edition (2010) is already scarce in good condition, a well-preserved copy like this is snapped up by collectors of Victorian local history, surf-lifesaving memorabilia and quality illustrated non-fiction.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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