It’s not the biggest Surf Lifesaving club on the Tweed Coast, but Fingal Rovers is proving to be the little club that could.
However that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need a little help from its friends.
The club, which has been enjoying a renaissance, now has more than 200 members, from Nippers and associates through to active patrol members. But the increase, while beneficial for the club and the community, has come at a cost – they’ve out-grown their iconic blue building there on the beach. The fact that the building is also in serious need of repair and refurbishing has added to the urgency.
In fact, with the help of several government grants and fundraising, Rovers president Robin Wonson is hoping to start work on the new-look Rovers club early in the new year.
“We have just grown in leaps and bounds,” Robin said.
“Hence the need for our new clubhouse.”
And she said not only was the club growing but also the need for it. Fingal beach, which is one of the longest stretches of beach coming from the mouth of the Tweed River south towards Kingscliff, is considered one of the more dangerous beaches in the region. With the population growth in the area, it is now also one of the more populated too, with beach occupancy increasing by 64 per cent in recent times.
Robin said the club already had more than $600,000 in the kitty, thanks to three government grants but it was still a long way from what was needed for the project.
“We probably need between one and 1.2 million dollars,” she estimated.
The club has been, in recent times, preparing plans for council and hopes to get them out to tender later in the year. But first, according to Robin, there will be a lot of work to do.
“We want to start fundraising, putting events together and sponsorship packages and looking for more grants,” she said.
“It is more than a surf club – it’s the hub of the Fingal community.
“It is a very community orientated facility. The new building will be used for meetings and to store equipment for other clubs too.”
Any businesses wishing to contribute can phone Robin
on 0419 268 930.
