Gerringong Surf Life Saving Club is excited about the prospect of safeguarding its financial future so it can continue serving the community after getting the green light at last week’s Kiama Council meeting to have its new clubhouse reclassified.

At last week’s meeting, Council voted to engage with three local surf clubs - Gerringong, Kiama and Kiama Downs - to understand if they have an appetite to reclassify, rezone and subdivide the lands that the three clubs sit on.

The end goal for Gerringong SLSC is to be able to sublet space in the clubhouse for a commercially run cafe and provide a free meeting place for other local community groups.

Council, as the owner and landlord of each surf clubhouse community facility, has offered Gerringong Surf Club a temporary 12-month licence agreement for the use of the building as a clubhouse for Surf Life Saving activities.

Gerringong SLSC vice-president Richard Payne said they just want to explore their options and work constructively with Council to see what’s possible.

“We’re super thankful for the Councillors who supported the motion,” he told The Bugle.

“It’s really exciting that the Council is prepared to investigate reclassification and see what works for not only our Surf Club but the other ones as well. It’s a positive step.”

Payne said it costs Surf Clubs around $100,000 annually just to get their patrols up and running, not to mention all the other costs associated with equipment, surf sports and nippers programs.

He estimated it would cost Council more than $300,000 to replace the service that Gerringong SLSC provides.

“This whole thing has been around our financial sustainability and ensuring that for the long term so we can ensure the safety of beachgoers.

“We’re a vital organisation for developing youth, bringing people in and that’s huge in terms of mental health aspects and getting people involved in the community.”

Councillor Matt Brown, who supported the motion which passed by a vote of 5-4, said the Surf Club simply wanted to go about running their business like North Wollongong, South Wollongong or Shellharbour City.

Cr Brown said it was “scaremongering” to suggest that the club would use its new ownership status to privatise any part of the facility.

“No one is suggesting or has thought of selling those assets. Who the hell would you sell a surf club to? The only people who would be interested in running a surf club is its current occupant - Gerringong Surf Club Club always gonna get run by Gerringong Surf Club.

“I just find that really disingenuous because no one's thinking of doing it or wanting to do it - you can come up with a whole bunch of reasons to stop anyone doing anything by just making something.

“The Surf Club has come to Kiama Council saying we need a lease and we need to be able to sub-let our kiosk. They don't want to have surf club members running a kiosk.

“They want surf club members on the beach to patrol to save lives, not making coffee - that job is for a small business person the previous owner of the kiosk.

“It’s a community club for the community - they want to rent space out for community groups but at the moment they're not allowed to under the licence agreement so we’ve just got a big white elephant sitting there.

“We need to empower the surf club to go about doing their great community work.

“They’re keeping the beach safe and costing Council nothing so if they weren't doing it for free, Council would have to put paid lifeguards there.”

Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips was pleased to see progress being made.

“When I delivered $5.5 million from the Albanese Labor Government for the new Gerringong Surf Life Saving Club building, it was to help secure the future for the club and its members,” she told The Bugle.

“So volunteers into the future, just like those before them, could continue to protect our beaches and save lives, which benefits everyone in our community.

“The resolution at Kiama Council was a significant win.”