Serena Kirby, Denmark Bulletin
The Denmark Surf Club season has officially started and the first day on the beach was held in cold and windy conditions. The club also welcomed a new club president with Sam Williams taking over from Martin Norwood.
Sam first joined the Denmark club in 2015 after being a member of several other surf clubs when he lived in Perth and Broome.
“No disrespect to the other clubs but this is the best surf club I’ve been a member of because it’s just like one big family,” Sam said.
“At this club, people don’t need to leave their egos at the door because people don’t even come here with an ego.”
Retaining current members and finding that ‘sweet spot’ between membership growth and the ability to deliver services will be a key priority for the club due to the shortfall in funding for new facilities.
Sam said that not getting the Government funding the club was promised had put the project back to square one.
However, Lotterywest has been asked to extend access to the $1.5 million previously pledged. With an additional $600,000 locked in from the Department of Sport and Recreation, and $50,000 from the club’s coffers, the Shire of Denmark would tip in $1.4 million for public realm works.
This will enable the club to have access to a new public ablutions block built by the Shire. Sam expects demolition of the old block to start next winter.
A dedicated surf club shed would then be built next to the new toilet block to house jetskis, boats and boards giving easier emergency access to the beach via the boat launch area.
The relocation of watercraft from the ground floor of the existing clubrooms to the new shed will create space for larger training rooms, a first aid room and kiosk.
The clubroom’s upstairs area will also be renovated to provide better function facilities. Sam confirmed that the existing beachfront buildings would be demolished but iconic sections, including the patrol room’s porthole-window doors, would be salvaged and incorporated elsewhere on site.
“One of the reasons we need to remove those front buildings is that the retaining wall is looking like it’s going to fail,” he said.
“The entire retaining wall needs rebuilding and the Shire will foot the bill for that as it’s a Shire structure and a Shire-led project.”
Beach space in front of the club is currently limited but this should be rectified naturally when the Wilson Inlet sandbar closes. If it didn’t close the club had access to plenty of space further along the beach to run activities.
This article appeared in the Denmark Bulletin, 10 November 2022.
