North Narrabeen Beach: Coronavirus graffiti scrawled on wall slammed
A piece of COVID-19-linked graffiti scrawled along a wall at a popular Sydney beach has been slammed — but some in the surf community have defended the tagging.
Manly
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A piece of graffiti – Locals Only #COVID-19 – scrawled by surfers on a wall at a popular Sydney surf break has sparked a bitter community debate about who can and can’t go for a surf.
The large painted message appeared on a seawall along the entrance to Narrabeen Lagoon, close to the world renowned North Narrabeen Beach break.
Since the late 1960s “Northy” has had a reputation for “localism” with some surfers who live in the 2101 postcode forcing so-called “blow-ins” out of the water.
In 2006 a 35-year-old man pleaded guilty to 29 charges including assault and stalking, for spitting and slapping surfers from other areas in a campaign of harassment to get them to leave the beach.
North Narrabeen was named by surfing magazine, Tracks, in 2003 as the worst place for an outsider to visit.
After a photograph of the “Locals Only #COVID-19” graffiti was posted on a community Facebook page, locals took to social media to say they were “embarrassed” that the “ugly” public statement had appeared.
But North Narrabeen surfers defended the message saying it was about protecting novice surfers from getting hurt in difficult surf conditions.
One wrote: “All us locals are trying to do is protect our break from being over run so it doesn’t end up like the Gold Coast where most of you are probably from.
He went on to say: “We all know the #COVID-19 part is unacceptable, but us taking what every wave we want is acceptable.
“If you do not like it, don’t come surf here. Yewwwwwww. Seeya in the line up.”
A resident replied: “Unfortunately there’s a couple of twats down at Northy who think they own the beach. My 14-year-old son was down there this week and was told to go home because he’s not a local. He’s lived here all his life!”
Another wrote: “None of us own the public space across 2101 and have no right to tell others they are not welcome. This immature action in my local area is an embarrassment to what is mostly a positive/great place to live.”
A veteran surfer wrote: “This goes back to the late 60s and 70s. Even then it was ‘surf here at your peril’.”
“My husband got punched in the head last year cause he wasn’t considered a ‘local’, (but) lived in Elanora Heights and lived on the Beaches all his life,” a woman wrote.
A resident said: “I have seen this (message) on someone’s fence too – pretty ugly on all counts.
Northern Beaches mayor Michael Regan said the council moved quickly to paint over the graffiti.
“Crisis situations bring out the both the best and unfortunately the worst in people,” Mayor Regan said.
“We are all in this together and I prefer not give this type of behaviour any oxygen.
“Instead I feel proud of the many, many examples of goodwill I see every day in our community — residents reaching out to their neighbours, people volunteering for community agencies, the co-ordinated community thanks to health workers and even the kids chalk rainbows on footpaths saying everything will be OK”.