Dave Sharma (Wentworth, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Back in 2018, the Morrison government committed $500,000 to the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club's Advanced Response Lifesaving Facility, which was a $1.9 million project altogether. Last Saturday, I went to North Bondi Surf Club to see the completion of that project. This amazing project has seen upgrades to the beachside storage facility, including the demolition of sheds and the construction of a new structure of at least 250 square metres under the Bondi Beach promenade. The new structure houses the jet skis, rescue boards and rescue craft and it allows better response times for rescues at Bondi Beach. It also holds state-of-the-art paramedical equipment and other search and rescue facilities, and it will provide a secure location for rescue and medical equipment for the club. Alongside me were the Mayor of Waverley, Ms Paula Masselos, and the state member of parliament, Ms Gabrielle Upton.

I sincerely thank the New South Wales government, the Berejiklian government, and the Waverley Council for partnering with us to help fund this amazing facility, as well as, of course, the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club, which fundraised money for it. The original storage facilities had been in need of upgrading to bring the facility up to current workplace health and safety requirements, and these upgrades will help improve rescue response times and provide greater safety and security to the community. My congratulations to the club president, Andrew Christopher, the previous club president, Mark Cotter, and all the team at North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club for enabling this project to happen.

On the same Saturday, I attended Double Bay Sailing Club's club championships, where I officially launched their new safety boat, which was funded via our government's Stronger Communities Programme. The club received $10,000 in funding to purchase the new safety boat, which will accompany club members on races on the harbour. The safety boat is named after Paul Adam AM, a longstanding club member and former sailor. Paul has been a member of the club's management committee, and a member of the club for over four decades, and each week he voluntarily donates his time to operate the club canteen; he was at the canteen on Saturday when I visited. He's also a very accomplished professor in the field of ecology at the University of New South Wales and a good local hero. At the launch, Paul laid a wreath with the words: 'To ensure many happy returns'. I want to pass on my congratulations and wish many very happy returns to Commodore Andrew Cox and all of the management committee, parents and sailors at Double Bay Sailing Club. It was a pleasure to join with you and to pour some champagne over the new boat.

Both these clubs, the Double Bay Sailing Club and the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club are pillars of my community in Wentworth, giving a lot in terms of volunteering, helping to keep our community safe, improving water skills and safety skills, and helping look after one another during difficult times. Both clubs have been great assets through the COVID-19 crisis. It's a delight to speak about them here today.

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