Surf Lifesaving holds grave fears for beach safety

23.07.2010

SURF Life Saving Far South Coast is warning lives will be lost this summer if a proposal to ditch professional lifeguard services at one of New South Wales' most popular tourist destination goes ahead.Negotiations are ongoing with the Eurobodalla Shire Council over the provision of lifeguards during the Christmas school holidays – the busiest time of the year for beach goers.

Council is strongly considering cutting all paid lifeguard services due to funding issues, meaning beaches would only be patrolled by volunteers on Saturday afternoons, Sundays and public holidays over Christmas.

Surf Life Saving Far South Coast president Bruce Frost said it would be very extreme action for the council to take.

"We hold very grave concerns over the course of action that is being suggested," he said.

"The Eurobodalla is a vastly popular tourist location -thousands of visitors come here every single year, from Canberra, Sydney, Victoria, and even from overseas locations to enjoy our pristine and safe aquatic environments."

In the 2009/10 patrol season a total of 72 people were rescued during volunteer patrol hours, there were three searches, and 22 lost children in the Far South Coast.

Lifesavers responded to 24 afterhours emergency incidents and a total of five people died in local coastal areas when beaches were not patrolled. (One man drowned at Pebbly Beach, one man drowned at Moruya, one man drowned at Eden, while two men drowned at Tuross Heads after their boat overturned).

Mr Frost said he is very worried there will be greater deaths this season.

"If this plan goes ahead, sure council will save around $150,000, but I can guarantee you, members of the public won't be safe while on holidays and it is inevitable lives will be lost," he said.

"Council has publically stated tourism is the main industry for the shire, being worth an estimated $361 million – the investment required for safer beaches wouldn't even be a blimp on the radar coming in at under 0.05 percent of the tourism revenue."

Mr Frost said the volunteer members would be unable to take on the additional work load if council were to slash the professional service.

"Our volunteer members are stretched to the limit providing excellent lifesaving services every weekend and public holiday," he said. "They are 100 per cent committed to saving lives, community education and membership recruitment and development. "We've also developed an emergency call out system, which enables volunteer clubs to respond to marine emergencies day or night – it's a serious challenge."

The vast majority of volunteers work during the week and often weekends, so it is unrealistic to ask them to do more, he said.

Surf Life Saving will present its case to the Eurobodalla Shire Councillors next week.

Clean beaches need lifeguards: councillors

MONEY spent on establishing how clean Eurobodalla Shire beaches are might be better spent in maintaining a lifeguard service on them, according to Councillor Alan Morton.

He was referring to council's decision last week to save $150,000 this year by not renewing contracts for paid life-saving services on some local beaches.

The Finance and Services Committee had before it a report by environmental services manager Deb Lenson on the result of a survey of eleven shire beaches.

Local beaches including Tuross main, Brou and Narooma main as well as the Wagonga inlet netted beac, had clean bills of health during the seven months of the survey. Batemans Bay's Surf Beach failed the guidelines in December 2008 and February and April last year.

Ms Lenson said the survey was made by the Beachwatch Partnership Pilot Program that was part of the NSW Government coastal protection package.

Clean and healthy beaches were important to the Shire's residents and critical to the tourism industry, she said. She recommended that council continue participating in the program.

Cr Keith Dance asked how much the program had cost council.

Environmental services director Lindsay Usher said the reply would be included in the next newsletter to councillors (the weekly newsletter is confidential, and not available to press nor public).

"It's nice to have clean beaches," Cr Morton commented. "But would the money be better spent on lifeguards?"

Mr Usher told the meeting the Surf Beach problems could be due to discharges from council's sewerage plant and were being investigated.