YANCHEP Surf Life Saving Club will start its beach patrols this weekend but defer the start of nippers until its new building is complete.
President John Heesters said patrols would start on October 29 and continue until April 8, with volunteers watching swimmers at the beach from 8am to noon every Sunday.
Mr Heesters said they expected to move into the Brazier Road building by mid-November and waiting until then would allow them to cater for the number of people involved in nippers.
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READ NOW“Saving lives on the beach is the most important thing that we do, but the biggest thing that we do is nippers,” he said.
“We are starting patrols out of the old building, but we are holding off on nippers – this season we will delay it a little bit to start at the new club.
“The new facility is 100 times better than what we are operating out of now.”
Mr Heesters said the late start meant the nippers would finish in April rather than March this season, which would be a good trial to see if that coincided with better weather conditions.
He said there would be challenges in moving premises, including a “forced spring clean” of the old building and equipping the new one.
“Some items can be moved across, some not; they are old, run down,” he said.
“Mullaloo Surf Life Saving Club gave us a boardroom table and chairs – they got a new one and gave us their old one, which was in pristine condition.”
The lifesaver said the club would also review its policies to suit the change in facilities and access, although that would not affect service on the beach.
Lifeguards from Surf Life Saving WA who are paid for by the City of Wanneroo will patrol the beach on Sunday afternoons, Saturdays and on weekdays during summer.
Earlier this year, the City awarded Bistel Construction a $3.39 million contract to finish the building.
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