NSW Bushfires: Bondi Bathers Surf Lifesaving Club sets up relief centre

When a Facebook post went up on Friday it was hoped locals would donate a few boxes of supplies. But nobody could have predicted the overwhelming response from Bondi residents.

Volunteer Christie Swadling of Cronulla brings in more donations. Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club has been inundated with donations after setting up as a bushfire relief centre. Picture: John Appleyard

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Bondi may be a long way from the fire ravaged communities of rural NSW. But that hasn’t stopped locals digging deep to donate vital supplies to residents and firefighters.

There has been a mammoth volunteer effort at Bondi Bathers Surf Lifesaving Club with more than 100 locals getting stuck into some hard yakka over the weekend.

They helped packed trucks with essential supplies to those in need.

Club President Brent Jackson and Brent Patinson of Bondi Bathers Surf Lifesaving Club sort through donations as volunteers take receipt of relief items. Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club has been inundated with donations after setting up as a bushfire relief centre. Picture: John Appleyard

Donations from club have already been delivered to the NSW Rural Fire Service headquarters in Nowra, thanks to locals volunteering to drive hauls of goods in their own trucks overnight.

It all started with a post on the club’s Facebook page on Friday.

The club posted a list of essential donation items requested by South Coast evacuation centres, and by Sunday there was a queue of people lining out the doors of the club’s main hall

Volunteer Claire Favre brings another boxload of donations through the surf club garage to be loaded. Picture: John Appleyard

Club president, Brent Jackson, said he was overwhelmed by the community response.

“It’s been an incredible display of how much Australians care about other people in their community,” he said.

“The quantity of supplies that have been received and the thought that’s gone into what they’ve provided is quite staggering.

Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club has been inundated with donations after setting up as a bushfire relief centre. Picture: John Appleyard

“People are specifically getting things [on the list] and bringing them in, to make sure the items are of use to the people that need them.”

Among the most requested items by NSW Rural Fire Service are 600ml bottles of Gatorade and Powerade which conveniently fit in the pockets of firies, as well as nasal spray and eye drops.

Aisha Roman and her partner Ryan Ward – both from Batemans Bay – load the van with donations to take back home. Aisha's parents lost their home in the fires. Picture: John Appleyard

Bottled water has also been atop of lists for impacted communities, as residents in Eden, Boydtown, Moruya and Tilba have been notified that all drinking water must be boiled due to reservoirs in the south being filled without the usual treatment process.

Other items the surf club has been collecting and packing include aloe vera gel and burn creams, feminine hygiene products as well as portable gas stoves and gas bottles given the number of people left without power.

Mr Jackson said the entire community had been “working together to help other people”, as locals young and old have rolled up their sleeves.

“Anyone who can sort or stack a box has been put to work,” he said.

Volunteers Claudia Petukh, 16, Shahaf Pat, 16, and Sage Katz, 16, sort the tinned food donations. Picture: John Appleyard

Mr Jackson also said the club hopes to send loads to Bega and Ulladulla as roads re-open and evacuation centres provide specific details of the items they need most.

A number of the club’s members have been co-ordinating with communities in the meantime.

“There’s a steady stream of members coming back from affected areas as roads have freed up. And those members are giving us information on what they saw and what people are really needing,” he said.

Volunteer Yaya Stempler loads water bottles onto a trolley. Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club has been inundated with donations after setting up as a bushfire relief centre. Picture: John Appleyard

A few well-known faces have dropped by the makeshift collection centre to do their bit, including Bondi Rescue Lifeguard Anthony ‘Harries’ Carroll, Wentworth MP Dave Sharma, and Waverley Councillor Sally Betts.

Cr Betts volunteered on Saturday and Sunday, retrieving donated boxes from Bunnings Rose Bay so the overflowing number of items could be packaged.

Senator for NSW Andrew Bragg has also helped co-ordinate the club’s fundraising efforts, and was proud that the community was providing “practical things to help people on the ground”.

Bondi Rescue Lifeguard Anthony ‘Harries’ Carroll.

“In my role as a Senator for NSW I’ve spent a lot of time on the South Coast. The people of Cobargo had a very traumatic period as they have had in Batemans Bay and Bermagui...[So] the metropolitan communities coming together has been amazing,” Bragg said.

“It makes me proud to represent this great state,” he continued.

A number of businesses have also supported the cause. Among them are Baby Bunting, which donated a palette of much needed baby supplies, as well as Avis Truck Rental, which has provided trucks for moving goods.

Collections at Bondi Bathers Surf Life Saving Club will continue during the week. Updates about the emergency relief effort can be found on the Bondi Surf Club Facebook page here.

Follow daily updates on the NSW Bushfires here.