00:00A lot of them are quite a distance for an ambulance to get to.
00:05They are, some are remote, some are on dirt roads,
00:08some do not have mobile reception or very little mobile reception.
00:12So for people going into these remote beaches,
00:15it's really important that they stop and think and have a look,
00:20not just at the water and the conditions,
00:22but also about what phone reception they might have,
00:25what flotation devices they might have with them
00:28if someone does get in trouble.
00:30And knowing what they would do if something did go wrong.
00:34For people who are getting into trouble in the water down there,
00:37do you tend to find that it's a mix of locals and visitors
00:40or is it just out-of-towners who are unfamiliar with the beaches?
00:43It's usually out-of-towners that are unfamiliar with the beaches
00:47and the conditions.
00:48They don't know how to read the surf.
00:50They don't realise that tides can come in very quickly
00:53and that conditions can change quickly.
00:56And it's really important that people take that message
00:59to stop, look and stay alive.
01:03There have, of course, been two deaths on the south coast since New Year's.
01:08It's just been a horror period for drownings on the east coast.
01:12There's a community campaign now happening in the Shoalhaven
01:15to raise money for beach safety kits.
01:17Can you tell us a bit about that?
01:19That started because I want to make it clear that it's not the responsibility
01:23of surf lifesaving to put these kits in along beaches.
01:27If you look up at the mid-north coast and Pavaa north coast,
01:31it's the councils.
01:32They do the coastal management plans.
01:34They manage our beaches.
01:36And on the north coast, they've got many of these rescue stations.
01:40And down here, we've started at Bendalong and Menyana.
01:44They've put in eight.
01:45They've raised the money.
01:46And, in fact, Shoalhaven City Council put up barriers for them
01:49to install them, and I had to step in and help them.
01:52We've now put the first one here in at Kiola, down on the south coast,
01:57which is a popular beach that's far away from any housing
02:02or any infrastructure.
02:04It was really important that that went in.
02:06And I have to say that Shoalhaven City Council have a really great program
02:11called the 100 Beaches, discover the 100 beaches of the Shoalhaven,
02:17yet we are putting people to these remote locations to discover
02:22and tick off these beaches without any of these rescue kits.
02:25And it's really important that we get Shoalhaven City Council on board
02:29to apply for funds that are available to get these stations in up
02:34and down the south coast without the communities having
02:37to raise these funds themselves.
02:39I mean, it is amazing that communities are stepping in
02:42to take on the responsibility and to fill these gaps.
02:45Can you talk through what is at these rescue stations
02:48that are being fundraised for?
02:50So, in each rescue station, we have two rescue tubes,
02:55one for the person being rescued and one for the rescuer,
02:58because as someone who's fifth generation surf life-saving involvement,
03:04often it's the rescuer who ends up getting in trouble.
03:06So, it's really important that there's two tubes,
03:09there's a defibrillator, there's a shark kit,
03:13and there's information on how to operate an AED if required.
03:19So, a basic first aid, shark kit, defibrillator and two rescue tubes.
03:24And, Liza, do we know any stats about how often people
03:28are making use of these kits?
03:31Look, I haven't.
03:32Bendalong would be the...
03:33Bendalong and Menyana would have theirs operated the longest
03:36and would know, but I can tell you that at least one person
03:40every year dies in the beaches between Bawley Point and Pretty Beach,
03:45and it's really important that we have these rescue stations
03:48there when we need them.
03:50And I guess as well as having resources, it's also about education
03:55and talking about the dangers, encouraging people
03:58to plan appropriately, learn to read the beaches.
04:01How do we go about keeping up that dialogue?
04:04Surf life-saving does a great role in that,
04:07and it's probably easier in Sydney to reach a lot of people
04:13and a lot of our multicultural communities than down here,
04:17because we don't have huge multicultural communities here.
04:21So, that education program within schools and within the cities
04:27is really important for people to go to and understand
04:31before they come to this beautiful south coast
04:34and to access our remote beaches.
04:37information in your homes.
04:38I don't want to learn precious that's coming.
04:42If a boat is coming under a beach on alien beings,
04:46we are going to find the same national places that
04:49now may be related to a farmyoub Holmes.
04:51I haveč£”é¢icas of the African minority
04:52where you want so communities and citizens
04:54like the afn
04:58of where we go near the beach.
05:00With aim for being able to get carried out
05:02fromeries at all,
05:03let's go over here and tell me about
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