PORT Kembla and Corrimal clubs have been welcomed back into the surf lifesaving movement after a impasse over the issue of Saturday patrols was overcome in Wollongong Wednesday night.
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Surf Life Saving NSW deregistered the clubs last week after they refused to sign new service agreements mandating unpopular Saturday patrols.
In Wollongong on Wednesday night the clubs met branch presidents from Central Coast, Hunter, Northern Beaches and South Coast and thrashed out details of the clubs’ alternative proposal.
Under the new three-year agreement, club volunteers will patrol on peak-period Saturdays this year, while a call-out system is developed with input from different tiers of Surf Life Saving and Wollongong City Council.
The system will be implemented in the second and third years of the agreement.
The clubs’ preferred patrol roster, covering Sundays and public holidays, is unaltered.
SLSNSW had earlier dismissed the Saturday call-out proposal as ‘‘a dot point on a presentation’’.
SLSNSW President Tony Haven told the Mercury adequate detail of the arrangements had since been established.
‘‘There was a bit more structure put around the testing and evaluation and how it was to be done,’’ he said.
The agreement brings to an end a distressing division that has been described by both sides as ‘‘heartbreaking’’.
Mr Haven said bringing the two small clubs back into the movement was extremely important.
‘‘Every one of our 129 clubs is precious to this movement. I can’t say enough how important this was. ’’
Corrimal Surf Life Saving Club president Tony Cartwright told the Mercury the call-out system would be subject to review and scrutiny.
The agreement is being celebrated by club members, many with decades of involvement and generational ties to the movement.
‘‘It’s been really encouraging to see the amount of passion that exists, not just within our club - it’s passion for surf life saving,’’ Mr Cartwright said.
‘‘There’s so much history at stake and so much future at stake - we were continually saying, is this the right thing to do? Should we be pushing it so far?’.
‘‘It all comes down to believing in your cause and testing it against the information that you have.
‘‘I think both our clubs will be strengthened by this episode.’’
Volunteer lifesavers are expected to resume patrols at Corrimal and Port Kembla on Sunday.
