Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has become emotional as he recounted being saved from waters off Bondi Beach by his father.
Speaking at a Surf Life Saving Australia funding announcement at North Bondi SLC on Monday, Mr Turnbull shed a tear when reminiscing about his time on the beach and the importance of those who keep watch over it.
"It's hard to talk about this without being a bit emotional," he said.
"I remember as a kid out just off Ben Buckler here, falling off my surfer plane ... I was in plenty of trouble.
"I can still see my father swimming through the surf, swimming through and he got me."
Mr Turnbull described Australian surf life saving clubs as "characteristically Australian".
"This is the heart of the Australian spirit, it's about service, it's about mateship it is about looking after each other," he said.
Mr Turnbull, whose father died in a light plane crash in 1982, later paid tribute to the six people who were killed in a New Years Eve seaplane crash on the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney.
"It is a tragic accident and ... our hearts go out to the families of those whose lives were lost," he said.
