SURFER TELLS OF HORROR

GREEN organisations and inner-city handwringers attempting to force Queensland authorities to remove shark nets and drum lines have been given a firm message from key players at all levels, and that now includes surfing legend Peter Drouyn.

The State Government, the city council, the tourism industry and the Gold Coast community have told them to forget it – the nets and drum lines have protected our city’s residents and visitors since 1962 and that is not going to change until an alternative form of protection that actually works is developed and proven to be far superior.

Drouyn joined the chorus yesterday, questioning the thinking of pressure groups that want to put sharks ahead of human life. As reported today, Drouyn’s recollections – as a child – remain vivid of the hysteria on the beach the day the last person to be killed by a shark in the Gold Coast surf was attacked.

He also recalls a monster that was caught at Burleigh a year later. That shark had mauled a swimmer.

In that instance the victim survived. Memories of such horrors never fade. Sea Shepherd to date has adopted a controlled approach in trying to have the nets removed from Gold Coast beaches, pointing out problems as it sees them and urging official action.

But the actions of protest groups at rallies south of the border, where lives have been lost in shark attacks, have shown a mindset that makes Gold Coast observers wonder whether any of them ever go in the water.

The risk here lies in the potential for maverick, independent loners whipping themselves into an emotional frenzy and taking matters in their own hands. Loosecannon individuals must not be allowed anywhere near the nets.

As the Bulletin has said repeatedly, human lives come first. Our city is built on its beach culture. We do not want and cannot afford to have a shark tragedy undermine our safety and tourism record.