Bancoora SLSC seeks extra $1m for clubrooms project

THE Bancoora Surf Life Saving Club has a vision of creating a better and more inclusive facility, but it needs at least $1 million to help it get there.

The Breamlea club celebrated its 60th anniversary last year and has been considering upgrading its existing clubhouse overlooking the waves at Bancoora Beach for more than a decade

Although it has secured $4.15 million via a state election commitment, the club estimates this will not be enough to fully realise its plans.

Bancoora SLSC vice-president Andrew Cross said the club ran a survey in 2012 to test the waters on interest in an upgrade.

“At the time, pretty much everyone was concerned about Armstrong Creek, and not just Armstrong Creek… we knew that the local population was increasing, and people were really concerned about how we were going to manage future growth.

“The past two years is the first time we’ve had to cap our Nippers program, and no-one likes to cap their Nippers program. Clubs like Ocean Grove and Torquay are used to doing that, but we very much want to be a club that people can join without too much impediment.”

He said the Barwon Coast Committee of Management taking over responsibility of the Bancoora SLSC site from the City of Greater Geelong had helped the issue along, as had the state and federal elections both being held in 2022.

Both major parties pledged funding for a new clubhouse at Bancoora in the closing weeks of the state campaign.

The Liberals committed $8 million and Labor committed $4.15 million, with incumbent South Barwon Labor MP Darren Cheeseman holding the seat (and Labor holding government) and able to make good on his pledge.

Bancoora SLSC also has a $140,000 state government grant to create a Changing Places facility as part of the development.

“We’re trying to have a very inclusive surf club, an all-abilities surf club,” Mr Cross said.

“Now that we’ve got that money, we’ve got responsibility for how we’re going to spend it.”

“We would really like to have more than just a surf club, that we would like to have a community facility that gets used throughout the year, but we feel we’re going to run about $1 million short.”

He said the $5 million-plus estimate was based on analysis of about a dozen surf clubs across Australia, as well as rising construction costs, but finding the shortfall would not be easy.

“One of the things that’s quite different with Bancoora is we don’t have a sizeable town – Ocean Grove does, Point Lonsdale does, Fairhaven does, but Breamlea, I think, has 100 permanent residents.”

Bancoora SLSC has started crafting a marketing strategy to bring in more sizeable donations, and has some time to pull the cash together.

“If you get 200 people who give you $5,000 each, then it starts rolling,” Mr Cross said.

“Nothing will be built, we believe, before 2025.”

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