Protest planned to save Rainbow Bay surf club this Saturday

SURFERS from both sides of the Tweed border are planning to take their boards to Rainbow Bay this Saturday, forming a human fence around the surf club at the centre of a heated redevelopment fight.

The protest at Pat Fagan Park follows a unanimous Gold Coast City Council vote to progress a masterplan that would see the ageing clubhouse rebuilt as part of a broader foreshore overhaul.

Protest organiser Kath Down from Save Our Southern Gold Coast said demonstrators hope the show of numbers will help protect the club’s heritage.

“It’s to show that we will protect the club and our ability to hold our heritage,” she said.

Tweed-based professional surfer Morgan Cibilic said the building has been a constant presence throughout his life in the water.

“It’s a pretty historic building,” Cibilic said.

“I grew up watching the Quiksilver Pro here and that building’s always been there.”

 

 

Local surfboard shaper Curtis Rogers-Riddell said the club remains woven into the daily routines of regular patrons after he worked there for six years.

“You get a lot of regulars that go there every day, it’s part of their daily ritual,” he said.

“They’ll be in there as soon as the doors open and then they’ll be there till 5pm in the afternoon.”

Surfer Alby Pitman said redevelopment decisions should ultimately reflect the wishes of the local community.

“It’s a public bar and so the decision should be in the public’s hands,” Pitman said.

“Ocean culture is the foundation upon which these types of institutions are built, and that’s what makes them cool.”

 

 

He said changes at other well known surf precincts had altered their character.

“If you want to use Burleigh Heads as a comparison, the arrival of the Pav has now caused an influx of fitness wear enthusiasts and coffee drinkers to a place that used to be frequented by nature oriented types,” he said.

“Sometimes it’s really alarming to me that there are no protective measures undertaken to ensure that surfing culture stays strong.”

Down said protesters plan to surround the heavily contested clubhouse with their boards in a symbolic show of protection.

“The building itself is in a state of disrepair, but they need to retain the facade at a minimum,” she said.

The protest will be held at 10am (Queensland time) on March 21 at the Snapper Rocks foreshore, next to Rainbow Bay Surf Life Saving Club.