When veteran surf lifesaver Bruce Robertson first started patrolling Mona Vale Beach in 1942, World War II was in full swing and the postcard views along the northern beaches were marred by barbed wire fences and concrete bollards.

Now 87, Mr Robertson OAM is the oldest active surf life saver in Australia and has been protecting the swimmers at Bilgola Beach and Mona Vale for 76 years.

But the former Taronga Zoo chairman has decided it is time to hang up the iconic red and yellow cap and will front his last patrol early next month.

When he signed up to the Mona Vale club as a lanky 12-year-old, Mr Robinson joined a group that included only one member over the age of 18 – the club captain. Many of the men in the area had been shipped off around the world to fight in the war and were away for years – if they were lucky to return at all.

media_camera Bruce Robertson, 87, is the oldest active surf lifesaver in Australia. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

When he decided to get his bronze medallion at 14, he did it with mate Rod Taylor, who would go on to take Hollywood by storm. According to Mr Robertson, he had something about him even back then.

“Geez he was good with the girls,” Mr Robertson laughed. “He was shorter than me but he was built. The girls loved him.”

At 14, the pair had to fudge their ages on the paperwork as they were too young to officially get their medallion.

Fears of a Japanese invasion along the northern beaches forced the erection of the barbed wire entanglements and concrete bollards, which were eventually torn down after the war. As a teenager

Mr Robinson, who lived quite some way away in Roseville, helped to remove the protective measures from the beachfront, but it wasn’t an easy job.

media_camera Buzzing around the beach in the surf club mobile.

media_camera Bronze Medallion presented to Mr Robertson 1944 — when he was just 14.

“For years after, we were treating more people for barbed wire cuts than we were for anything to do with the surf,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.

After a few years at Mona Vale, Mr Robertson moved to Bilgola Beach, where he would spend nearly 70 years and while he gave much of his life to that beach, it also gave something to him.

On patrol one day in the years after changing clubs, he laid eyes on his wife of 62 years Gladys for the very first time.

Sitting on the sand with her twin sister, Mrs Robinson caught the attention of the young lifeguard, but it would be a few more weeks before he plucked up enough courage to finally speak to her.

“I noticed her sitting there but I didn’t say anything and then she came back another weekend and I made an excuse to get around and introduce myself,” he said.

“She was going with a notorious chap who was very good with his fists so nobody would talk to her because they were frightened he was going to hurt them – I didn’t worry about that.”

media_camera Mr Robertson, pictured with Bilgola SLSC president Romilly Madew and members of the club.

Another highlight was performing in front of Queen Elizabeth II at Bondi Beach during her visit in 1954. Years later as chair of Taronga Zoo he would get much closer to the monarch when he sat directly behind her on a bus as they drove around Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo.

“She wasn’t very happy that day for some reason (so) I didn’t speak to her,” he laughed.

Away from the beach, Mr Robertson was a respected businessman and big supporter of his beloved Sydney. He was the managing director of Royal Dalton and a senior executive at Hardie Grant Books – where he one year saw the most number of books ever published in a single year in Australia.

He took on the chairmanship of Taronga Zoo in an effort to give back to what he calls “the greatest city in the world”. He was also the co-chair of the Botanic Gardens and was instrumental in creating the coastal walkways that line our coast.

If patrolling the beach until 87 wasn’t enough, Bruce also played rubgby for Gordon until he was 80 years old.

Mr Robinson’s retirement will be celebrated at Bilgola Beach on April 8.

Originally published as Meet the oldest active surf lifesaver in Australia