Torquay SLSC seeks more funds to redevelop clubhouse

TORQUAY Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) is pressing on with its long-held ambition to redevelop its ageing clubhouse.

In May 2019, then-Corangamite federal member Sarah Henderson announced a re-elected Morrison Government would provide $500,000 towards the clubhouse’s redevelopment.

Now the club has the funds, Torquay SLSC president Tiffany Quinlan said it could start planning the redevelopment and forming funding strategies.

“We’ve got the $500,000 that Sarah Henderson (pledged) as an election promise. So, we’re in the phase at the moment of using some consultants to scope that out and now we’re busy lobbying for more money because the $500,000 isn’t going to go anywhere at this stage.”

The original clubhouse burnt down in 1970. Ms Quinlan said its replacement has served the club well but was no longer fit for purpose.

“The building is just continually disintegrating, the amount of maintenance is doubling almost every year. We also understand that things are pretty tight at the moment, but it’s an essential service and it’s needed.

“It’s just clunky, the building’s just sort of been added onto, so it doesn’t flow and it’s difficult to store things as well.”

In the intervening decades, Torquay SLSC has also outgrown the building. Ms Quinlan said the club was still expanding rapidly.

“We’re just under 1,400 members now, about three years ago we were about 800.

“The good part is people more and more in this time are community-orientated and the clubhouse has been able to be used for a number of community activities, but it’s getting to a point now where we’re bursting at the seams. We can’t actually hold functions for our club because we don’t fit.”

The number of beachgoers similarly continues to increase.

Ms Quinlan said the club was subsequently developing plans for a building that would facilitate future growth.

“We’re definitely wanting to retain the community element.

“We want to try and be self-sufficient, we want to make it sustainable, but the key things are the increased patrol area, a first-aid room, and those kinds of things that directly impact the ability for us to do our job.”