Geelong Independent - 05th December 2014

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Friday, 5 December, 2014 Page 5

Growth pressure on lifesavers 45,000 by 2031.

The report said north Torquay would become a “large population centre” with around 55 per cent of the entire shire’s residents centred in the town.

Demand for services would rise despite “inadequate club facilities and infrastructure”, the report said.

Four of the five clubs Torquay, Jan Juc, Anglesea and Lorne - were at least 40 years old

By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN AN EXPECTED 50 per cent population increase in Surf Coast will put pressure on surf lifesaving clubs, according to a shire report.

The report on the future of the shire’s five lifesaving clubs said funding, site constraints and increased demand for services were challenging issues.

The number of residents in the shire was predicted to be

and had proposals to redevelop their buildings and facilities.

A major redevelopment of Fairhaven was completed last year at a cost of $3 million.

“Whilst costs will vary at each location, it is clear from the Fairhaven experience that facility refurbishment at the scale required to bring the other four clubhouses up to standard will require significant funds,” the report said.

“Given that the clubs are community based and operate on minimal budgets, capital works like this cannot be financed solely through club resources.”

All five clubs also had problems storing equipment and had resorted to stowing surf rescue gear off-site, including Jan Juc using shipping containers.

Torquay club captain David Nankervis said the plight of surf lifesaving clubs was not properly understood, with some “ill-in-

formed comments” being made.

“Clubs have been left to fend for themselves, with often timepoor volunteers trying to keep up with a much higher standard of rules and regulations,” Mr Nankervis said.

“We have a population explosion in Armstrong Creek and, where we’d comfortably see 8000 on the beach here on a typical summer’s day, we expect that to double.

“We’ll become their first port of call and the tipping point will be the availability of parking even though there’s no effective patrol along the northern Torquay beaches.

“We perform a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week rescue service but we’d like to be better equipped to handle out-of-hours rescue because our resources are spread far and wide.”

Public submissions on the report close 5pm on 2 February.

$20m price-tag on Lorne Hotel

By NOEL MURPHY

TRY THIS: Geelong Cats skipper Joel Selwood and young fans gather at Highton Primary School to promote a Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon on Geelong’s Picture: Reg Ryan waterfront. The March event aims to set a record for entries in an under-16s triathlon, setting a target of more than 1200. 131739

THE GREAT Ocean Road’s iconic Lorne Hotel is on the market, tipped to draw more than $20 million.

The sale includes the hotel’s freehold and business with its 300-seat beer garden, sports bar, bottle shop and gaming machines.

Agent CBRE described the hotel as a “highly profitable business” with an “excellent upside”.

Nestled among eucalypts on Mountjoy Pde above Louttit Bay, the “true trophy asset” boasts a 4437-square-metre site including a first-floor bistro with panoramic views, a new top-floor functions area and more than a dozen accommodation rooms.

The hotel has been a Lorne fixture since opening in 1876.

The venue burned down in 1919 when a fire started during the night. Residents and furniture were saved but limited water pressure failed to save the building.

The hotel was rebuilt the following year when a two-storey establishment rose from the ashes with 40 bedrooms, smoking rooms, a dining hall, a kitchen, electric light, tennis and croquet lawns, a bowling green and a luxurious motor garage for up to 12 vehicles.

The hotel has changed numerous times in the intervening century, with insiders tipping it could fetch a figure above $20 million.

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