Last week, the president of environmental group Peregian Beach Community Association was on his Soapbox to explain why the Peregian Beach Surf Life Saving Club would “never” be moved closer to the beach to enable direct beach access in emergencies, passive surveillance after patrol hours and views of the ocean to support long-term financial viability for a club which has gone broke three times in the current location.
While it is an opinion piece from someone who is not a lifesaver nor a person who has ever been a member of the club, there are a few facts which need to be corrected in his story.
Firstly, volunteer lifesavers patrol on Sundays at Peregian Beach, not Saturdays. Secondly, the clubhouse is not “fit for purpose”, as assessed recently in a building report – it is neither large enough nor in the correct location to adequately support and protect the growing Peregian population.
It was just two years ago rated the third worst clubhouse in Queensland by SLSQ and offers sub-standard facilities for its volunteers, including just one toilet for over 50 female volunteers and 80 female nippers, toilets in the male bathroom which over Christmas flooded, spreading sewage across the floor, and showers for members separated by a plastic curtain, hardly adequate under todays’ child protection and privacy requirements.
It reeks of rat urine due to holes which are easily accessed by vermin, riddled with asbestos and has no accessible access for community members with a disability.
The interior was not “gutted and refurbished in 2017” – there was some structural repair done to support the deck which was unsafe and the commercial kitchen and bar was removed, a significant loss to the income-producing opportunity for the Club.
While other surf clubs in Noosa Shire sit overlooking the beach, allowing excellent access for resources and equipment for rescues, Peregian sits at the back of a busy park, which is busy with thousands of market-goers on Sundays when the beach is also at its busiest.
Peregian Originals, returning soon, will add to congestion. Any lifesaver who has tried to navigate a loaded trailer or ‘all-terrain vehicle’ through the crowd will tell you that in an emergency, precious moments may be wasted.
The beach is currently accreting, meaning it is in a period of the dunes building up gradually. At some point they will erode again, and then accrete again.
That is nature.
Under the relevant legislation, ‘coastal-dependent infrastructure’ may be built in zones which may or may not be at risk of sea-level rises by 2040 or 2100. Jetties, marinas and surf clubs are all deemed to be appropriately sited in these zones because they need to be close to the ocean.
Modern design, engineering, technology and construction can combat any potential sea levels rises and it’s exciting to imagine the solutions talented architects could come up with – could we build the world’s most sustainable, transportable surf club – right here in Noosa?
The previous clubhouse mentioned in the Soapbox was a basic shelter located on the actual sand dunes in the 1960s (see picture) – its demise is continually trotted out by the PBCA as an example of what could happen when the sky falls in, but has absolutely no relevance to the potential future location, structure or materials of a new, fit for purpose Peregian Surf Club. While building membership is currently the focus for the surf club, it won’t be Mr Cotterell or his organisation which determines what happens with the building, it will be active lifesavers who will decide in which direction that goes.
Mr Cotterell then goes on to speak on behalf of the Queensland Government – “the state will not approve changing the reserve required for a building on the dunes”, Surf Life Saving Queensland – “Surf Life Saving Queensland would not agree to place the clubhouse at risk by such an application” and finally the Peregian Surf Club president.
Lastly, the comments about residents from other shires is the typical ‘shut the gate’ attitude we see from the PBCA. The “fringe groups” referred to outside Noosa Shire are the large number of disenfranchised young families based in Peregian Springs and Peregian Breeze, who support the surf club through their volunteering and nipper involvement. Peregian Beach belongs to all of us, regardless of which shire we live in, and the entire Peregian and broader community is entitled to visit it and to have a say in the future surf club.
Most Noosa Councillors recognise this and understand as trustees they have a moral responsibility to cater for the whole Peregian community beyond the anomalous Shire boundaries.
Dealing only with the facts, what we know is that a 2018 community survey of 800 Peregian Beach users, found that 62 per cent agreed with the statement that “We need to make sure that the building has an ocean view to enable better visibility of the water for beach-goer safety and to provide an attractive upstairs space.”
