Bring Back Kirra
What is the ‘Bring back Kirra’ campaign?
Bring Back Kirra is a campaign by the Gold Coast surfing community to lobby for the restoration of the surf break at Kirra Point. The deepening of the bay will also lead to a greater exposure of Kirra Reef.
The campaign recognises the significant community concerns over this issue for many years and builds on the valuable work of committed individuals and groups within the local community.
For more info see http://www.kirrapoint.org/kirra/
The Save Kirra Campaign
by Andrew McKinnon
A big thank you for all those who took part in the Australia Day Paddle Out at Kirra. It was fantastic to see the Pros and the many surfing families numbering over 1500 paddlers heading off Kirra Beach and creating history with map of Australia on Australia Day, a surfing feat never achieved before! There is no doubt that the unprecedented surfing show of strength and its community concern of the loss of Kirra Point has highlighted a distinct message to the powers that be and the follow-up is already up and running with discussions set in place with QLD and NSW State Governments. Both the NSW and QLD State Labor Governments are facing the polls sometime this year and the heat is on. The surfing community representing a decent slice of the electoral pie will be able to push their vote in no uncertain ways. There is a sticker that says, “I surf and I vote!” So make sure you register to vote and help to convince the State Governments that we want Kirra back.
The sand pumping created the Superbank but took out Kirra Point. Pumping sand can be a wonderful thing re South Straddie and Snapper but too much sand has deadly consequences. What we want is to have both these iconic breaks (Snapper and Kirra) for the future and that comes back to fine tuning the Tweed Sand-by Pass operation which apart from destroying Kirra has also badly eroded Fingal. A proper review and assessment of the sand problem is long overdue and the 25 year contract needs to renegotiate so in the end we can have it all if the engineering is right and the sand spread proportionately rather than backlogging it at Coolangatta and Kirra. It’s time that the State Governments put some money back into the surfing amenity like other mainstream sports e.g. Footy, Cricket, Tennis, Basketball, Swimming and Track events. Surfing is a poor cousin when compared to the State and Federal assistance that other sports receive, yet here on the Coast there are at least 60,000 people who surf and at least 3.5 million Australians who surf. In terms of votes, Surfing has never had a bigger clout and after the Australia Day Paddle Out, the message is becoming loud and clear in the corridors of power. It’s time that the State Governments pulled their collective heads out of the sand and work together to restore the greatness of Kirra.
There are so many people to thank for the participating and volunteering their efforts and the Australia Day Paddle Out at Kirra would not have been possible without the following groups and individuals;
Kirra Surfriders club, Kirra Surf Club and SLSA, Surfrider Foundation, Australia Day Paddle Out Committee, the many volunteers to many to name, the independent Media unit of Mico Wilkins, Peter Wilson, Simon Williams, Steve Shearer, Craig Halstead, Brad Nielson, Marty Tullemans, Matt Gye, Jay Phillips and Lachlan McKinnon. Tony Phillips of GC Surf was the spotter on the Hill and Cheyne Horan played a huge part in galvanizing the troops in the water. Well done to the Speakers, Mick Fanning, Wayne Deane, Neal Lazarow, Bob Moffatt, John Standing and the great MP. Thank you to State politicians and local Councilors who added their insight and what to do including Jann Stuckey, Michael Riordan, Christine Robbins, Katie Milne and Rabbit Bartholomew who received an AM (Australia Day award) on the day. No wonder the media exposure was cast across the Globe with regional/State and National coverage and the many surfing web sites ensured International coverage. It will be a positive Australian Day to remember and pave the way for restoring Kirra and keeping our Coastal and surfing environment in check. The KirraPoint.org committee which is now a sub committee of the GC/Tweed Surfrider Foundation is armed to the teeth and will take this campaign forward with recommendations and solutions. On behalf of the organizers, I would like to thank everyone for coming down to Kirra and making it work. Karma was definitely on our side – Well done!