A RIFT between two Illawarra surf clubs and their state leaders shows signs of healing after both parties appeared to concede ground on the hotly contested question of Saturday patrols.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Agreements with Surf Life Saving NSW require Illawarra volunteers to patrol on peak-period Saturdays – supplementing the services of paid lifeguards – but Port Kembla and Corrimal clubs are refusing.
Negotiations took a promising turn late Tuesday when club representatives agreed to the patrols for this season, provided they are replaced with on-call arrangements the following year.
But the impasse is not fully cleared.
A SLSNSW spokeswoman told the Mercury: “over the course of this season we’ll work with [the clubs] to assess how a call-out based system would work … with a view to it coming into force the following year.”
Corrimal club president Tony Cartwright, meantime, wants “a guarantee” on the issue.
SLSNSW has vowed to break ties with the clubs from 5pm Thursday - an already-extended deadline - if they do not sign the original agreement, which makes no mention of the concession.
