Marathon battle by suspended member at Gold Coast club exposes bullying and sports elitism

AN AWARD-winning water safety volunteer was suspended from a leading Gold Coast surf lifesaving club after he spoke up about discrimination against poorer junior swimmers.

The view from North Burleigh Surf Club — a membership row has caused a storm.

AN award-winning water safety volunteer was suspended from a leading surf lifesaving club after he spoke up against the harsh treatment of weaker junior swimmers.

Documents from a year-long dispute at the North Burleigh Surf Lifesaving Club have raised major concerns about elitism and a breakdown in the appeal system for members.

Peter Booth, a 47-year-old Gold Coast electrical contractor, complained to Australian Surf Lifesaving alleging the South Coast branch refused to allow him to have an independent observer at a tribunal hearing.

Documents from a year-long dispute at the North Burleigh Surf Lifesaving Club have raised major concerns about elitism and a breakdown in the appeal system for members. (Generic photo)

“I am sure one of the reasons I was suspended is last November at a club general meeting I stood up for the weakest kids in the club who had been banned from attending points day,” Mr Booth wrote.

When the club staged the points day, any child who failed to complete a full competition swim was advised that “if they did turn up they would be sent home”.

Mr Booth told the Gold Coast Bulletin the points day was staged five weeks in the season, and he had taken four weeks just to get the eight and nine-year-olds comfortable swimming in the surf.

“We run a carnival for the club. They get their age champion and board champion for the year. They (the weaker swimmers) weren’t allowed to attend.

“I’m by no means advocating they should go out and swim. But they should have been able to do the sprints and flags.

“I had a lot of kids who didn’t come back. In under-7 and under-8 you will have 20 kids. By under-14 you’d be lucky to have half a dozen left.”

A senior Queensland lifesaving source said the cultural issues and failure of the judiciary system were not problems limited to one club.

“Surf lifesaving is renowned for this. North Burleigh is considered to be one of the strongest boys’ club on the Coast. It’s a winning at any cost culture,” the source said.

The North Burleigh club indicated the dispute with Mr Booth had been dealt and “we’re not talking to reporters”.

An investigator’s report sent to South Coast Branch claimed “the NB (sic) club had acted incorrectly to suspend Peter for a period of three months, without giving him the opportunity of natural justice to defend the accusations against him”.

The club later agreed to issue a written apology.

The investigator’s recommendations included the club accepting it had “caused upset to the Booth family”, cease suspension action and that Mr Booth “move on” from the incident.

The investigator also asked that Mr Booth “accepts that his outspoken dealings with other members of the club” had added to the problems.

After the investigation, the club told Mr Booth in a letter that it had made “numerous efforts with you to find a resolution” only for those advances to be rejected.

“In any event, NBSLSC accepts that we have not followed appropriate procedure in accordance with our constitution, and hereby apologise for any upset that we may have contributed to yourself and your family as a result of procedural issues.”

Mr Booth said his membership suspension from December last year had finished but he would not return until he was given an explanation for the original action by officials.

“My grievance is with the board of management and junior activities committee, that they cannot just suspend whoever they like whenever and with no right of reply or chance to defend yourself.”