Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently had the honour of attending a function to celebrate the repair of the Woolgoolga Surf Lifesaving Club premises, which unfortunately had been damaged in a severe storm. The roof was ripped off and substantial damage was caused to the building and to many of its fixtures and fittings. Through the insurance premium and the hard work of volunteers, the building has been successfully repaired and the club is now back in full swing and able to render a very important service to the people of Woolgoolga and to the many tourists who visit there.

Surf lifesaving associations and their members right along the coast of New South Wales do a great job in keeping our beaches safe, ensuring that both locals and tourists have a safe and enjoyable time on our beaches.

Only recently in Coffs Harbour there was the tragic drowning of a well-known local identity, Mr Ray Babbage, in very heavy seas at Diggers Beach, south of Woolgoolga. It goes to show that, despite his being a very experienced surfer, our beaches can be very treacherous as well as providing great enjoyment. It brings into clear focus the great work that our surf lifesaving clubs do in keeping our beaches safe and in ensuring that people can enjoy them—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! It being 2 pm, in accordance with standing order 43, the time for members’ statements has concluded.