After years of planning and months of waiting, the demolition of the Surf Life Saving Club at Brunswick Heads is finally underway.
During December, a temporary club was constructed on the foreshore, and the demolition of the old building began.
With enough funds to build the main part of the club, it is hoped it will be finished by November this year, ready for the 2025/26 life saving season. With fingers and flippers crossed, the club committee hopes that with the help of generous philanthropists, enough funds can be raised to complete the entire precinct project at the same time, so the club won’t have to close again for further construction.
The club currently has a lot of their gear stored at the bowling club, and other items are stored at club members homes. The new facility will see all of the club’s assets under one roof.
Club President, Craig Reid, says that although essential work to rebuild the clubhouse facilities has been funded, the entire project is falling short by up to three million dollars.
Only enough budget for downstairs
‘We need another two and a half million dollars or so’, he says. ‘The problem is we’ve only got enough money to build the downstairs. It would be great, when the builders are here, if we could continue doing the top story, even just to lock up. We could fit it out later.’
In recent years, most volunteer organisations have been struggling with low membership as many people are spending more time trying to make ends meet and less on community work.
For the surf club, this means that if they want to do fundraising, they need to draw volunteers away from the beach, and that would risk the safety of the community. If the clubhouse itself could attract income, that would save a large proportion of those man and woman hours.
Rebuilding the function area
Club Vice-President, Oscar Quinn, says the club hopes to rebuild the function area upstairs, which would generate dollars for the club.
‘Hopefully we will be profitable enough that, in 50 years time, well past when we’re going to be around, the community won’t have to put in. [It’s hoped] We’ll be able to fund whatever extensions, or equipment we need,’ he said.
Craig Reid says patrolling the beach requires all the energy the volunteers have.
‘Every day, we are pulling people out of the surf. Every day. Some aren’t serious, but some are very much so. We’re saving lives. We need to keep our energy on the beach and not running around chasing money.’
If you are interested in donating funds to help finish the clubhouse, visit the website: www.brunswickslsc.org.
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