Tony Cartwright: I received a letter from Surf Life Saving Illawarra today confirming that they do not agree with our position on Saturday patrols & I have spoken to Tony Haven (President SLSNSW) & we will be receiving an email or letter from them in the next week or so. In this email / letter I am expecting it to contain a threat of withdrawal of competition rights & financial support for our surf club.
We are now approaching the point of no return & have to seriously consider our position on this matter because our decision will significantly impact the future of Corrimal Surf Life Saving Club. I still believe that our patrolling members should make the decision of whether or not to sign the 2015 – 2018 Lifesaving Services Agreement but it is a tough one because this decision affects the whole club & the fabric of our existence – the Nippers, Life Members, seeing your mates on a regular basis, our assets like the gym, the photos on the wall – not to mention over 100 years of history.
Our major concern continues to be that there is no need for us be on the beach on Saturdays during the 6 week Xmas holiday period when there are 3 professional Lifeguards on duty with a range of different support options at their disposal in the event of a large-scale emergency. No evidence has been provided to us that supports why Saturdays need 3 Lifeguards plus 3 Lifesavers when on every other day of the week, it’s one or the other. Compounding this is the fact that we’ve all got busy lives & doing Saturday patrols, in addition to Sundays & Public Holidays gets in the way of family, work, sporting & other personal activities on what is already a busy time of the year.
To make matters worse, the 16 other Illawarra-based surf clubs received significant reductions in their respective Saturday patrol requirements, with 5 small clubs exempted from all Saturday patrols & the remaining 11 clubs reduced by about 50% (5-6 patrols). For us, also one of smaller clubs, our agreement proposes an increased amount of hours – from 3 to 4 hours per patrol over the 6 week Xmas period.
Yet again, we are about to find ourselves being bullied by Surf Life Saving NSW. Personally, I believe that we should refuse to sign the new Lifesaving Agreement and as much as I would hate for this to happen, if SLSNSW sees fit to withhold financial support from my Club & ban me, as a member of Corrimal Surf Club, from the sport I love, I’m prepared to walk away from a movement that has been a part of my life since I was 6 years old.
You need to make your thoughts on this matter known as my opinion is only one of many. Whatever the majority of our members want to do, I am happy to support, so please contribute to this discussion in an honest & appropriate manner. You may have a solution to this issue that hasn’t been identified yet?? You may think that it’s not such a big deal & that we should accept the conditions of the Lifesaving Services Agreement?? (remember if you do, you should be prepared to do Saturday patrols!) As stated, the our Club’s existence is at stake here & it requires serious consideration by all members. If you don’t want to share your views publicly, please send me an email or message me on Facebook.
Currently I am investigating whether we have the ability to appeal should SLSNSW hand down sanctions. Given the expected date of arrival of the email / letter from SLSNSW & the my unavailability during the period Tuesday 11 August through until Saturday 22 August, it is quite possible that our first opportunity to meet to discuss & vote on this issue won’t be until our AGM on Sunday 30 August. I will keep you informed of things as they develop & of possible meeting dates & times.
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