The surf lifesaving reel is an Australian innovation which was invented in 1906 by Lyster Ormsby who made a model of his invention from a cotton reel and two hairpins. Countless Australians were saved by a life saver using a reel, line and belt. This timber life saving reel dates from the about 1960 and was used by the South Curl Curl Surf Life Saving Club in the Sydney beachside suburb of Curl Curl.