TITLES TIMING IS CRITICAL

THREE tragedies remain seared into the psyche of Surf Life Saving Australia and, sadly, the Gold Coast.

Memories are vivid and the wounds are still raw following loss of lives at the national championships at Kurrawa in 1996, when 15-year-old Robert Gatenby died in a surf boat accident in huge seas, in 2010 when teenage ironman Saxon Bird died, and in 2012 when Matthew Barclay, 14, also perished.

SLSA has since tightened its safety protocols and indeed, the titles were taken away from Kurrawa, with events in recent years having been run at North Kirra, Perth and the Sunshine Coast.

Officials are now briefed in minute detail about weather and ocean conditions, and last year cancelled the titles at North Kirra when it was believed conditions in the wake of ex-tropical cyclone Debbie would deteriorate and water quality in the standby venue – the Broadwater – would be too poor for competition.

The national titles are to return to the Broadbeach area, considered the spiritual competition home by lifesavers everywhere, next year and in 2020.

But SLSA does not want to leave too much to chance, considering the safety aspects of staging the competition not too far down the beach from where the event was previously held at Kurrawa.

There is also the matter of the cost of running and attending the event, both to the clubs that have to bring competitors and equipment long distances and also to the city, which heavily subsidises the titles.

So when SLSA appealed to the council to allow the championships to run from April 6-14 next year and April 18-26 in 2020, it was mindful of the potential for rough weather in late May and early April, and of the risks therefore to competitors and the overall event.

But the council has rejected this, insisting the event must be held from March 30April 7 next year in a quiet period that does not clash with school holidays or other major events. To reinforce its point, the council is waving a financial stick, threatening it will not provide its substantial funding contribution, which has not been revealed publicly, unless it gets its way.

Area councillor Paul Taylor, who has past links to lifesaving, does not believe running the titles earlier will make much difference.

This can be debated, given the Weather Bureau says the cyclone season runs between November and April. From SLSA’s perspective, the later the titles are held, the less chance of cyclonic seas hitting Gold Coast waters.

Gold Coasters should not be too complacent. Big storms can hit here.

Of the 207 tropical cyclones known to have struck the east coast since 1858, the Bureau of Meteorology lists 15 “major impacts’’. Of these, five hit from Brisbane south, including the destructive blow known simply as the Gold Coast cyclone of 1954, Dinah in 1967, and Wanda in 1974.

There are obvious sensitivities surrounding the titles, and safety concerns of organisers should not be taken lightly.

The council’s desire to plug a so-called “quiet period’’ gap in the events agenda has some tourism economy merit, but will not sit well with many.