Surf turf splits village for lifesaving bids

Rival groups battle over where to site local club

AT ODDS: Two groups are looking to ensure lifesaving patrols stay in town. Picture: Kristy Muir

A SPACE of a couple of hundred metres is threatening to divide Peregian Beach.

Two camps are vying to ensure that a viable lifesaving club operates in this seaside village which decades ago fought hard to unite north and south Peregian as part of the Noosa Council.

Three Peregian Beach community groups have turned their back on a rival lobby group they say is trying to relocate the local surf clubhouse a short distance from the skate park but close enough to see the ocean.

Peregian Beach Community Association, Peregian Beach Community House and the privately formed Peregian Beach Surf Club have withdrawn from any future consultation with the Peregian Friends and Families Association which supports the shift so the lifesaving service can remain viable into the future.

PBCA president Barry Cotterell said his group would now organise a public meeting to inform the community of what is possible with the existing surf clubhouse, which is currently operated by the Noosa Heads Surf Life Saving Club.

"Noosa Heads Surf Club will also be invited to say what they are proposing with the club,” he said.

Mr Cotterell said the community groups were not prepared to be a part of "a process which has the goal of a new surf clubhouse on the skate bowl site”.

"This is a major reason why the community associations have all withdrawn,” he said.

The PBSC is a group which is working towards becoming a fully accredited lifesaving club with the aim to start up Nippers in September with a sign-on planned for last Saturday followed by an information meeting.

The surf club group questions whether the Noosa SLSC is stretched beyond its capabilities already, but also the PBSC faces questions as to how it can function if it is not affiliated with Surf Life Saving Queensland.

The club's intention is to be up-and-running as a functional club should Noosa Heads SLSC suddenly withdraw.

Their fear is that lifeguards will be appointed, thus losing the community focus that is integral to lifesaving clubs. On Saturday, the PBSC's Rob Neely said: "We have been very, very clear since day dot that we will need accreditation. We can't do anything without accreditation.”

Mr Neely said there had been two discussions with SLSQ which said Noosa Heads SLSC as the leaseholder was the only club currently in a position to run a lifesaving club there.

He said 50 club members including bronze medallion holders were ready to put their hand up and restore an active Peregian surf club.

Mr Neely said the aim was to eventually have 100 active patrol members to make patrols sustainable.

Last Thursday the PFAFA posted: "We are now finalising the survey questions to canvass community opinion about the surf club. We are aware that other Peregian associations who are not keen to have a survey proceed, due to concern the community sentiment will not be aligned with their preferred outcome, are trying to discredit the consultation process.

"We take seriously the commitment to you, our members, to deliver a professional, independent community consultation process, and will respect whatever preferences the process captures.

"If we cannot demonstrate that we can make the club sustainable, Noosa may decide to hand the clubhouse over to the State Government as a land asset.

"Volunteer lifesaving will no longer be supported and will cease, as Nippers has already done. The beach would be patrolled by paid council lifeguards,” the PFAFA said.