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Jumping for joy – Progress associations to the rescue of pontoons

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Rachel Hagan, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

An icon of Port Vincent is staying afloat, after insurance costs threatened to dismantle the town’s summer fun.

Small towns across the state have been forced to remove their pontoons because insurance companies are unwilling to provide cover for public liability.

Port Vincent residents thought their pontoon would suffer the same fate, but the dedicated local progress association has succeeded in making sure their town can keep its beloved pontoon. 

Pontoons here to stay

The pontoon at Point Turton has also been saved by the local progress association.

Port Vincent Progress Association president Pam Hickman said the local pontoon had been placed in the bay each summer for nearly 60 years, and it was a piece of the town they were not willing to give up without a fight.

“Since we announced it’s staying, people are just saying ‘oh that’s fantastic news’ because it is an icon of the town,” Mrs Hickman said.

“Kids look forward to jumping off, and it’s also a safety platform that can be used by all age groups if they find themselves in a bit of trouble out in the water.”

PVPA vice president Greg Shaw said prior to this, progress was not aware they needed insurance for the pontoon.

“The situation came about in November where it was brought to our attention that it didn’t have insurance, so as a committee we decided not to put the pontoon in the water,” Mr Shaw said.

“But we were very fortunate with the assistance from VACSWIM that they were able to insure it for a week period to use in their (swimming) program.”

It was a race against time to get the pontoon sorted before VACSWIM finished on January 11, and if the group had not been successful the pontoon would have been removed that day.

Mr Shaw said the process of finding an insurer to provide cover for the pontoon was very difficult, and treasurer Sue Hall had to approach four brokers until she found a company who was willing to work with them.

The PVPA would continue to pay all costs associated with the pontoon, but Mr Shaw said he hoped Yorke Peninsula Council could assist in future.

“It would be nice to be able to negotiate with council to share the costs because we don’t have an income stream, as such like other progress associations,” he said.

“We rely very heavily on grants to do any improvements in and around the town, and we have a very active Tidy Towns (group) which raises money through the collection of bottles.”

YPC Mayor Darren Braund said the insurance of pontoons had become a significant challenge this summer, with insurance companies refusing to provide liability cover for community groups.

“All 12 pontoons in the Yorke Peninsula Council region are owned and managed by progress associations, not council, and are typically deployed on State Government land rather than council land,” Mayor Braund said.

“These unique circumstances make council’s situation more complex than many other regions, requiring additional work to assist our communities.

“Council staff have been in contact with all affected progress associations, as well as other South Australian coastal councils, the Local Government Association Mutual Liability Scheme, the Royal Surf Life Saving Society, and the State Government’s Department for Infrastructure and Transport.

“A report will be presented to council so elected members can make an informed decision about pontoons moving forward.”

Point Turton Progress Association also had an insurance issue with its pontoon, and up until January 13, it was only going to be in the water to facilitate swimming lessons.

However, PTPA chair Joanne Forbes said she was excited to tell the community the association had just been notified they had been successful in obtaining insurance.

“Our pontoon will stay in, similar to previous years, which will be until the end of March — start of April,” Ms Forbes said.

Like PVPA, Ms Forbes said she hoped to work with YPC to ensure these facilities remained in the future because insuring the pontoons took money out of the budget which could be spent elsewhere.

Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 14 January 2024

This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 14 January 2025.



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