Kurrawa head coach Barry Newman has departed the club as they feel the pain of COVID-19

Staff and members at a Gold Coast surf club have expressed gratitude and admiration for a senior water coach who parted ways with the organisation this week, after five years of service.

KURRAWA Surf Club members and staff have expressed gratitude and admiration for senior water coach Barry Newman who departed the club this week after five years of service.

Newman, a former professional ironman and one of the original Uncle Toby’s surf gladiators, joined the club in 2015 as Senior Development Coach before taking on the role of head coach.

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The former Northcliffe mentor and 2012 Surf Life Saving Australia Surf Sports Coach of the Year has just concluded one of his most successful coaching summers to date, steering Kurrawa male athletes Matt Bevilacqua, Matt Poole and Tanyn Lyndon to second, third and fourth overall in the Nutri-Grain series.

Barry Newman has departed Kurrawa as head coach. Pictured left with Kurrawa ironman Matt Bevilacqua. Pic: Instagram

Newman was also behind Bevilacqua’s maiden Coolangatta Gold victory last October, Poole following closely in second.

Former series winner Brielle Cooper is another to have excelled under Newman’s guidance.

It is believed the unprecedented restrictions on the hospitality industry due to the COVID-19 outbreak, forcing the Kurrawa Social Club to shut its doors in March and significantly impacting the surf club’s revenue streams, compelled Kurrawa to make the difficult decision on Newman’s coaching future.

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Bevilacqua said the club “won’t be the same” without Newman.

“Barry will be sorely missed by everyone around the club,” he said

“He wasn’t just a great coach but someone who just added atmosphere to the whole place and did so much around the club.

“Second, third and fourth in the men’s series as well as first and second in the Gold was a fitting way for him to finish up.”

Former Kurrawa coach Barry Newman racing for Kurrawa at a surf lifesaving masters event. Pic: Harvpix

Kurrawa Surf Sports manager Nick Crilly said Newman would be sorely missed.

“He’s a great bloke and everyone at the club loves him,” he said.

“He’s done a lot for the surf club and pointed us in the right direction.

“The way he’s taken on Matt, Brielle, Tanyn and Matt and brought them on not only people but as athletes has been great to watch.

“He’s a very likeable bloke and everyone loves him.”

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Crilly said the club had a plan in place for the coming summer’s coaching line up but they would wait for instructions from Surf Life Saving Queensland on what a post COVID-19 surf summer looked like.

Newman is believed to have commenced fly-in, fly-out work on Monday.