SURF Life Saving on the South Coast is set to get a new home with Shoalhaven City Council approving a development application for a site as part of the emergency services hub at West Nowra.
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The surf club development will add to the facility which is already home to the Rural Fire Service and the State Emergency Service.
South Coast Surf Lifesaving president Steve Jones said after 12 years of communications with Shoalhaven City Council and Surf Life Saving NSW the application has finally been approved.
It is planned to build a 30 metre long by 19m wide shed which will be home to surf life saving administration for the South Coast.
“The building will also provide training and storage facilities for all the equipment, which is currently spread around nine surf life saving clubs in the branch,” Mr Jones said.
He admitted at times it had been a challenge to get the centre approved.
“We’ve had some interesting discussions with council and other stakeholders on the site and it’s great to finally be given this approval,” he said.
“The South Coast Branch is a massive area, covering 175 kilometres of coastline.
“We have a response area from Warilla-Barrack Point in the north, just on the south side of Lake Illawarra, all the way south to Mollymook. We border with the Eurobodalla Shire.
“We cover Shellharbour, Kiama and Shoalhaven City council areas and have more than 3200 members.”
Mr Jones said he hopes the facility would be a welcome addition to the West Nowra emergency hub precinct.
“Surf life saving as a whole is now the support service or agency within the State Emergency Services Management Act,” he said.
“We provide support under the current agreement to the SES regarding tsunami and storm and tempest response in flooding.
“We have those roles as a support agency when called upon. They are the primary response agency but we can add support when required.”
The building design contains an administration area, small kitchen facility, two reasonably sized training rooms with bi-fold doors that can open out to one large room and a two bay storage unit for equipment and vehicles.
South Coast director of education Jim Connolly said a variety of training would be carried out at the centre.
“At the beginning of each season we have to run through the various awards so we can put patrolling members on the beach,” he said.
“Things like first aid, advanced resuscitation techniques and beach management. So we run those courses specifically to meet the members of the clubs.
“A large variety of training will be conducted here.”
Mr Jones said the answer to the question why the centre was located at West Nowra, kilometres from the nearest beach was simple.
“We don’t need to be near the beach. We are not an operational surf club where members are patrolling beaches,” he said.
“We are more the strategic level of the branch. We provide governance and oversight, operational supervision in regard to the life saving patrols and support to junior activities and development and support to clubs throughout the branch,” he said.
We don’t need to be near the beach. We are not an operational surf club where members are patrolling beaches. We are more the strategic level of the branch.
- South Coast Surf Lifesaving president Steve Jones
“We also fund programs, junior development programs, training programs and other programs that receive grants to support the club network.”
He said the next task would be coming up with the estimated $1.4 million price tag to build the facility.
“We have spoken to both state members, Shelley Hancock and Gareth Ward, and federal member Ann Sudmalis. While there have been no promises yet, they have all been supportive. We had to have our development application approved and project costings together,” Mr Jones said.
“Over the past 11 years the branch has also been able to put a significant amount of funds aside for the project but we will be looking for some significant grants.”
He said the facility would not just be available to the surf life saving organisation.
“One of our plans all along has been to also make the facility available to other not-for-profit organisations and community groups,” he said.
Mr Jones said a construction time frame would depend on funding availability.
“Our DA approval lasts for five years and we want to make sure this happens,” he said.