FEATURE / Surf Clubs
Saving our beachside icons Surf life saving clubs getting a modern makeover
WITH AUSTRALIA’S LENGTHY coastline and its long history of
surf lifesaving, it’s a wonder the buildings that house the people who save those lives in the surf are not better equipped.
From the wild west coast of WA to the surf coast of Victoria,
the jewelled beaches of Sydney and beyond, and Queensland’s
Sunshine and Gold coasts glamour strips, these often simple coastal structures are recognised internationally as truly Australian. But many of the iconic edifices that emerged in the surge
of beachside clubs in the 1920s and 1930s, and even the next generation of clubs in the 1960s, are now crumbling wrecks.
Full of leaks and concrete cancer with a distinct lack of decent
life saving clubs themselves in raising funds, these icons are now getting the love and attention they deserve.
SLSA is the largest volunteer movement in Australia with more
than 173,000 members and 314 affiliated surf clubs across the nation. In February, the Federal Government announced an additional
$9.7m in funding for SLSA, but that will go to equipment and skills training, not infrastructure.
But with added infrastructure funding, and the occasional star turn
in a Dulux TV commercial - with the paint company dedicating itself in
2013 to paint all the surf clubs in Australia - the future is looking swell.
facilities, particularly for female club members, many are in
NSW
or if, they are too far gone, require total demolition and rebuilding.
Dulux commercial” and locally as “Glamorama”, but Tamarama
desperate need of repair, looking to restore their heritage features Over the past few years, with several rounds of government
cash, council contributions and particularly the hard work of surf 44 / Club Management
Nationally, it may be better known as “that surf club in the Surf Life Saving Club is one of the foundation clubs of Australian surf lifesaving.
