The surf club received a donation from Laurieton Haven Craft Centre for $200 which has funded the installation of a rescue tube on the patrol tower at the beach. 

The rescue tube is inside an accessible cylinder, to be used by anyone during an emergency situation. 

The club has listened to members of the public who asked whether some form of rescue aid could be made available out of hours and during the cooler months when the beach is not patrolled.

Wauchope Bonny Hills Surf Life Saving Club’s director of lifesaving Michelle Kirkwood said even in the summer a lot of people were choosing to attend the beach outside of patrol hours. 

“We would pack up the patrol at 4pm and that was when we would see a big influx of people coming down on the beach,” she said. 

Michelle said while it is a good thing that people are choosing to be sun smart in keeping out of the sun during the hottest part of the day, they are also putting themselves at risk. 

“A lot of them just come down the stairs and jump straight in the water,” she said. 

“They have no idea about the beach conditions, and that’s where they can get into trouble.” 

Michelle said the equipment will provide ‘peace of mind’ if in the unfortunate case a rescue does have to happen out of hours by a member of the public. 

The Laurieton Haven Craft Centre selected the Wauchope Bonny Hills Surf Life Saving Club as the group members wanted to support in 2018. 

Laurieton Haven Craft Centre president Doreen Bate said life saving equipment is considered vital to the safety of water users enjoying the beautiful beach at Bonny Hills.