David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I had the pleasure of attending the Port Macquarie surf club last Friday to join with Bill Amy and Rick Rolf, the president, to deliver a $110,000 cheque for the surf club as part of our Community Grants Program, which comprises $350.9 million worth of funds spread around many community organisations around the country. And I had the occasion to do some research into the history of the Port Macquarie surf club, which is going to build an extended veranda and do repairs on the roof so that they can continue looking after the members of Port Macquarie and the greater area as well as the many tourists who visit Port Macquarie. The club has a very august history, having formed as a surf bathers club in 1910. That is 105 years ago. It formally came into being in 1920, starting off first at the Town Beach and then moving around to its current position at Flynns Beach, and all the lifesavers over the generations have kept many attendees safe and sound. They have rescued many who would have otherwise perished and have been a great asset to the community.

This gave cause to reflect on the history of the surf lifesaving movement in the Lyne electorate. The Lyne electorate spans two areas or branches that Surf Life Saving Australia defines. In my electorate we have the Camden Haven club as well as the Crescent Head surf club; Port Macquarie, which I have mentioned; Tacking Point; Wauchope-Bonny Hills; Blackhead; Crowdy Head; and Taree-Old Bar. Some of the histories of these clubs are really quite amazing. After the Port Macquarie bathers club came into being, the Wauchope-Bonny Hills surf club came into being, operating out of Nobbys Beach, but it then split in 1937-38 from the Port Macquarie club and moved around to a beach closer to its current location at Rainbow Beach. It looked after Little Beach up until 1960, and then moved on to the beautiful location it has at Rainbow Beach. If you were to look down from Bonny Hills over this area you would have one of the greatest vistas on the North Coast. In fact, of the many headlands that were first identified by Matthew Flinders as he travelled around the coast, he noted Lighthouse Beach and named the Three Brothers mountains that look over the Lyne electorate from the coastline.

Around the same time, Blackhead surf club formed, in 1925. There was a lot of community activity, and Taree-Old Bar formed in 1927-28. Looking through the history, it is not only that they have saved surfers and people swimming at the beach, but, shortly after they were formed, they were called on as a surf club to go out in their surf boat and save a sinking ship. That is an amazing effort, particularly as it appears to have been done mostly in darkness. That just epitomises the valour and the community-minded selflessness of members of surf clubs up and down the coastlines of Australia, from east to west, north to south; there are surf clubs everywhere.

And what a great institution the surf club movement is for Australia, its citizens and its visitors. Can you imagine where we would be without surf clubs? I would hate to think what would happen if we had not had these wonderful men and women who have dedicated weekends, weeknights, weekdays to the club and to the citizens of our nation who swim on our marvellous beaches. I commend them all for the brilliant work they have done across the generations.

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