Richard Moore: Lifesavers deserve new HQ

Come on Papamoa, let's get behind our local surf lifesavers in their bid to replace the very tired and dilapidated building they operate from.

The clubhouse is not only decaying, but is far too small for their needs with the 655 members of Papamoa Surf Club shoehorned into a structure of only 400sq m.

Much of that area is taken up with surf lifesaving equipment and the facilities for lifesavers are basic to say the least. The changing rooms are inadequate and also used for storage, a lot of equipment is kept outdoors in containers and there was at least one incident of a foot going through a floorboard weakened by salt air.

But it isn't just the surf club that has to put up with the poor conditions, the building also plays host to Cubs, Scouts, Brownies, Girl Guides and the Lions club. All of which also deserve a better place to meet.

The Papamoa Surf Club is a terrific institution for our community in many different ways.

Obviously its major function is to protect people swimming at Papamoa Beach and it does a mighty job in that respect.

Last year the guys and gals of the club had their busiest season ever with one particularly rough week requiring 37 rescues - more than the 28 in the whole of last year.

The club's service also includes a 24/7 Emergency Call Out Squad.

And they fly the flag for our town in the lifesaving championships. Despite being the youngest surf club in the country, Papamoa has really been hitting its straps in recent years with excellent showings in major competitions.

This is terrific for us as a community - and for the young athletes and their sporting careers.

Another big positive for Papamoa is that the surf club influences hundreds of youngsters and teenagers.

The clubrooms are an alcohol-free zone and the members are good, responsible young members of our society who are dedicated to helping others.

I think it is a fantastic organisation and if they want to build a new headquarters I'm right behind them. In fact we all should be.

The plan is for a two-storey building about five times the size of the tiny one they have at the moment.

It would run lengthwise to the beach, giving perfect views for rescue operations, and allow the club to conduct non-beach training for radio operations, CPR and other medical classes within its walls.

And, to help pay for the building, it could be rented out for functions.

Everyone who uses the beach and anyone who makes money out of tourists coming to Papamoa because of our beach, should back the new clubhouse plan for the lifesavers.

Best of luck guys and gals.

***

I reckon those people who think the Rena should be left underwater at Astrolabe Reef may actually be on to something after all.

On my daily strolls down the beach I have been really impressed in recent times with the way the sand sparkles in the distance.

It has become white, almost as if Nature has given it a bit of a bleach. Oh, and look, I said to myself, stopping to look at the sands, Nature seems to be feeding them growth hormones as the grains are looking much bigger and fatter.

Wow, we could really be on to something here.

This will get lots of tourists coming along to frolic on the white sands of Papamoa Beach.

Only if you look at the picture above you'll see the white sands are but plastic beads - tens of millions of them - that have washed ashore courtesy of the Rena and the most recent of its containers to have burst in stormy weather.

A massive cleanup operation is underway and while the beads are not necessarily toxic - they are a danger to any wildlife that may mistake them for food.

We still do not know what else lies under the waters off our home but, you can bet on a lot of it being environmentally unfriendly.

The Rena's cargo must go.

richard@richardmoore.com

Richard Moore is an award-winning Western Bay journalist and photographer.