There would be few people who have had as big an impact on a sport as Ron Surtees.
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It's hard to imagine where water polo would be in Tamworth if not for him.
For more than half of his life the 'supercoach' has been nurturing aspiring young water polo players, and inspiring them to not only strive to achieve their best in the pool but in life.
One of the most respected figures in the sport, Surtees was on the weekend bestowed life membership of Water Polo NSW.
The accolade is recognition of his indelible contribution to not only Tamworth but the wider water polo community.
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Already a life member of NSW CHS water polo and the Tamworth Water Polo Association, Surtees was honoured by the recognition.
"I'm a life member of a few local associations, but to be life member of a state body with a hell of a lot of significant people that have had life bestowed upon them before, it certainly is an honour," he said.
The first inductee since 2014, significantly he is the first regional-based life member.
"That sort of chokes you up a bit," he admitted.
Noted for helping shape the careers of Olympians Nathan Thomas and Craig Miller, Surtees' coaching exploits are unparalleled and include 18 NSW CHS state titles with Tamworth High, six state titles with North West and multiple NSW Country Opens Championship titles with Tamworth.
But his legacy isn't just predicated by the success the teams he coached enjoyed. It was the way he empowered those he coached to work hard and achieve their best, and the life skills he instilled.
And his vision. As fellow Tamworth life member and current WPNSW board member Gail Salter remarked, there is so much that the sport can be grateful for that Surtees planted the seed of. He was one of the driving forces behind getting water polo on the state CHS carnival calendar and establishing state water polo championships for juniors, and was heavily involved in the creation of the Southgate Inn carnival.
The carnival, which ran for 21 years drew not only the top teams from Sydney but also Queensland and was, Surtees believes, a forerunner to the National League.
"One year we had a couple of Melbourne sides, who flew in in Tiger Moths mind you," he recalled.
"There were fantastic displays of water polo in those games that the Tamworth people had never seen, and our Tamworth representative side were pitched in against them and they were playing against Olympians, a chance that they would never have got."
Unfortunately with the instigation of the National League the carnival faded out.
A prominent league player in his younger days, Surtees' water polo journey started in 1971 with a group of THS kids that were playing in the local competition.
When asked what made him take them on, he replied "because they asked me".
"Without that happening (coaching that THS side) I probably would never have (coached water polo), and from there I went not only into coaching but also administration," he said.
He was a long-standing president of the local association and has held a range of other roles over the years.
His resume also includes coaching the NSW CHS and Australian Schoolboys sides, and Western Suburbs' in the National League for a season after being asked by Thomas.
It was an interesting experience and not without its challenges.
"I wouldn't use the word coach so much, I'd use coordinator/manager," Surtees joked.
"I'm in Tamworth, half the sides' in Canberra and the other half's in Sydney."
One particular weekend does stand out for him.
"I got the Friday off work, I flew to Sydney, from Sydney we flew to Brisbane, played that night, next morning flew to Melbourne, played Melbourne, that afternoon flew to Adelaide, played Adelaide, flew back to Sydney and I was back teaching Monday morning," he said.
But as satisfying as all the success was and seeing the likes of Thomas and Miller go on to represent Australia at the Olympics, for Surtees the growth of the sport he helped facilitate is equally as satisfying.
At the height of it's popularity in Tamworth there were so many teams playing they had to use both pools.
