Emu Park Surf Lifesaving Club leader reveals expansion plans

The man leading Central Queensland’s largest surf lifesaving club has revealed his vision for the future which includes exciting expansion plans.

Emu Park Surf Lifesaving Club president Craig Beevers stands at a beach access ramp at the club's headquarters. Photo: Darryn Nufer.

The leader of Central Queensland’s largest surf lifesaving club has expansion in his sights but there’s a key ingredient needed to help it come to fruition.

Local council support to secure funding that’s available.

This publication reported last week that Livingstone Shire Council documents reveal ocean swells have destroyed the southern section of the historic sea wall adjacent to Emu Park Surf Lifesaving Club’s headquarters and further erosion will put it at risk of falling into the ocean.

The not-for-profit community club, with more than 500 members, will need the council’s help to secure government funding to rectify that problem, but club president Craig Beevers says that could be the first step towards helping the organisation get further expansion plans off the ground.

Livingstone Shire Council has been asked to help Emu Park Surf Lifesaving Club.

Mr Beevers said other Queensland councils had taken advantage of funding pools like the Queensland Disaster Resilience Fund to benefit their local sporting clubs and help them deliver new projects, and he hoped with teamwork, the Central Queensland region could achieve the same.

“Other councils down in the south-east corner have all jumped on board and in the first round of grants they have become successful and it’s exactly what we want to do,” Mr Beevers said.

“We just want a beach revetment wall to stop this erosion, have permanent beach access, and being able to access that money is critical - we (the club) just cannot afford it ourselves.

“Like really, you’re probably looking at millions of dollars to fix all this up and as a not-for-profit club there’s no way in the world we can do that through fundraising - it just won’t happen.”

Craig Beevers’ vision

“So that beach access there (boat shed beach ramp access) is our (lifeguards) only access to the beach and it’s falling in (due to erosion).

“This (ramp) is just (currently) a walkway, a baton and chain ramp, and as you can see, it ends - so there’s no safe access here for elderly, handicapped people or children.

“So what we want to do is fill that in, retain the palm trees so they don’t fall into the ocean - you can see they’re nearly about to - and move that access further south.

Palm trees including this one (left), near the beach access ramp at Emu Park Main Beach, are at risk of toppling over due to erosion. Photo: Darryn Nufer.

“So what happens now is, every time we get a high tide, this (ramp) washes away.

“So you can see now, it’s a massive jump (because of erosion) to get up from the beach.

“Our lease ends only, about a metre-and-a-half past the surf club.

“So all of our emergency vehicles come out of those three (boat shed) roller doors.

“So as soon as we basically exit our club premises, we’re on council land.

“So they (council) have chained it and they’ve given us joint locks, so we can access it (that land) but we want to move this beach access ramp down (further south) and have a concrete ramp down there.”

Bigger picture expansion plans

If the sea wall revetment issues and beach access issues can be fixed, as well as some drainage issues to the south of the club, this is the exciting vision Mr Beevers said he would like to see come to fruition:

“So (to the south of the club) we want to try and incorporate a patrol tower so the lifeguards can come away from the first-aid area.

“That would give them a 180-degree view of the beach.

“This is our grand plan that we’re going for major funding for.”