Peregian Beach Surf Club
FACT CHECK
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CLAIM 1. "The Peregian Beach Surf Club is owned by the surf life saving movement."
THE FACTS
• The Peregian Beach surf club building was built in 1987 on a Local Government Reserve for lifesaving.
• The land is Reserve land owned by the State of Queensland under the control of Noosa Council as Trustee.
• The original 1963 surf club building was closer to the sea and was destroyed by a cyclone.
• The subsequent building was built in 1988 at a cost of $79,417 and was financed by community donations with $32,000 funding from Noosa Council, $22,994 in subsidies from the State Government and a $30,000 loan.
• As Trustee, it is Council that issues any permit to occupy the building.
• In September 2018, Noosa Council agreed to substitute Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) as a permit holder of the building instead of Noosa Heads Surf Club.
• The Trustee Permit is an agreement granted by Council on Trust land.
• The permit to occupy the building expired in December 2018 and currently no formal tenure exists over the site.
• The Council EOI process states “It is critical that lifesaving services are maintained at the location and staff would not be supportive of a proposal that would displace the lifesaving and nipper services delivered from the ground level”
• Under the Council’s proposed model the building tenure would comprise:
Lifesaving functions delivered from the ground floor via a 3-year Trustee Permit to SLSQ; and New community activation of the top floor via a 3 year Trustee Permit to a community group.
Dual tenure would require structural and major building maintenance to be undertaken by Council, which is in line with SLSQ’s expectations.
It is Noosa Council, as Trustee, who owns the building, and has the responsibility of deciding who should occupy the building.
CLAIM 2: “Without the entire building, lifesaving and nippers will not be able to continue.”
THE FACTS
Everyone, yes everyone in this community wants the nippers to continue and thrive. It is extremely unfortunate that they have been used as a pawn in the current debate.
Council proposes – and PBCA fully supports - the ground floor of the surf club being preserved for surf life saving and Nippers.
It is the seldom used top floor of the building which is in need of activation and local community access.
Prior to 2013, the top floor had a bar, commercial kitchen and a gaming room. It was not financially successful.
In 2016, Noosa Surf Club stripped out the commercial kitchen and bar and carpeted upstairs in an open plan layout with an undisclosed purpose in mind. Soon after, they revealed their scheme for a large, 16-million dollar building on the dunes.
A supporters club is now not an available option.
The Noosa Club also started to use the Training rooms downstairs as a storage facility for non surf life saving equipment. These rooms could be used once again by Nippers if this non essential equipment was removed.
The top floor has remained largely unused since 2013 and the community has been excluded from accessing it.
Having closed down the Peregian Nippers program, the Noosa Heads club revived it late last year after considerable community pressure.
The Noosa Heads club threatened to withdraw from providing lifesaving altogether at Peregian in 2018 and ceased to communicate directly with the local community.
PBCA did not want to see the Nippers program removed again and began considering other options for local children if the Noosa Club withdrew. A Junior Ocean Awareness program (providing much broader training and education) was suggested as a possible replacement if Nippers stopped.
This year, when Council guaranteed SLSQ continued use of the ground for life saving and nippers, it was considered that a back-up option of a Junior Ocean Awareness program was no longer required and its development ceased.
We hope Nippers thrives, but If the Noosa Club decides to drop the program again then we will encourage the community to find an alternative.