“Without them, people die”: Clubs shocked at beach lifeguard funding cut

BELLARINE surf clubs say the City of Greater Geelong is risking lives by cutting a funding commitment for paid lifeguard patrols.

Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads and Bancoora club leaders say that the region’s busiest beaches could often be without red and yellow flags during summer as patrol hours will be significantly reduced and further pressure heaped onto volunteer lifesavers.

The city’s 2023/24 draft budget would remove a $48,750 contribution “to provide professional life guards at Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads and Bancoora beaches”.

The funding has allowed patrols on weekdays and Saturday mornings of the lifeguard season, when volunteers are regularly unavailable due to work, school, family or other commitments.

The city has provided funding in a partnership with Barwon Coast Committee of Management, with Life Saving Victoria providing more high-tech support such as helicopters and jet skis.

Barwon Coast and LSV also submitted to the council’s budget consultation alongside surf clubs.

Local clubs said they were shocked to learn the funding would end ahead of next season, as their beaches welcome record numbers of swimmers and rescue activities in recent years.

“It would be almost like turning off the traffic lights at the busiest intersection in Geelong to save some money,” Bancoora SLSC vice-president Andrew Cross said.

“It’s just not acceptable in road trauma, and it shouldn’t be acceptable down at the beach.”

Ocean Grove SLSC president Lyndie Freestone said beach attendances at Ocean Grove were approaching 100,000 each summer.

In 2022/23, the club recorded 7288 preventative actions, 3348 minor first aids, five major first aids and five rescues – which included successful lifesaving resuscitation – from its paid and volunteer lifeguards.

Ms Freestone said reduced paid lifeguard services would have devastating consequences.

“Deaths on beaches – that’s what it’s going to mean.

“Our lifesavers have actually saved lives. So without them, people die. It’s as simple as that.”

Barwon Heads 13th Beach SLSC president Matt Burke said removing paid lifeguards from the beaches would create “unsafe experiences”, especially for families and children.

“You could have 25,000 people in summer across the three beaches, on a good day, swimming on an unpatrolled beach.

“People are going be coming down, families and kids are coming down and it’s just going to be an unsafe environment over the main peak period.

“From Monday to Friday, between Boxing Day and Australia Day, you won’t have flags on a beach. That’s a simple reality of it.”

Mr Cross said the decision would add to the demand on volunteer lifeguards and result in them stepping away from the service: “I can see volunteers potentially leaving. We’ll be now turning around and saying actually, we need you all day Saturday and all day Sunday.”

Mr Burke added: “And the flow-on effect is you’ll have less qualified people on patrol because there’s no incentive to get these awards to go and become professional.”

The lifeguard funding decision is one of dozens the council made in what it has called a “financially responsible budget”, which aims to address a forecast $8 million deficit amid economic challenges including inflationary pressure.

Councillors are due to make a final decision on their 2023/24 budget at its next meeting on Tuesday, June 27.