UP TO SPEED: Currumbin Alley is one of only three places (four if you
include Dbah) along the Gold Coast where boaties can enter the ocean.
• It was May 2011 when the long spoken risks became a dreadful reality - father of two
Richard King, 42, was struck and killed when a boat breached a wave, landing on him
as he traversed the lineup.
• Just one month later, Maritime Safety Queensland presented its 28-page navigational
safety review into the Currumbin Creek entrance and crossing - after the report and
recommendations, little changed.
• In March 2013, Currumbin MP Jann Stuckey introduced ‘Currumbin Creek Hoon Watch’
forms for the public to fill in, following a spate of complaints from residents about the
behaviour of users of Currumbin Creek.
• Then in June 2013, Chris Del Mar lived to tell the tale of a boat colliding with his board.
• On June 28, the dramas were addressed in a groundbreaking 2-hour meeting
called by the Surfrider Foundation Gold Coast Tweed branch’s Southern Beaches
Representative Chris Butler. It was held at the office of Jann Stuckey. The meeting’s
agenda focused on addressing three key items – safety, education and congestion,
and the 10 attendees were from a variety of related interests including surfers, boaties,
Currumbin Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR), Gold Coast Waterways Authority (GCWA),
the State Government and Gold Coast City Council.
• At the meeting tempers flared, with the local newspaper reporting that surfers accused
Jann of threatening them with a surfcraft ban, which she denied.
• On September 13, 2013, Jann Stuckey and GCWA CEO Hal Morris announced a string
of safety initiatives resulting from the community consultation, saying over the coming
months a dedicated Currumbin Estuary Safety Awareness Campaign would unfold
with a strong focus on education, clear signage and community cooperation.
‘Further investigations are not
rt with MSQ recommending that
kly to warrant the
Little changed after the 2011 repo
vity is relatively small and unlie
e of boating acti
warranted’ and that ‘the valu
probably be required.’
that would
substantial level of investment
• November 2013 and surfer Ross Mobbs was struck from behind by a six-man outrigger
boat in the lineup, leaving him with a broken arm, metal plate, and a disillusioned view.
• In December 2013, FROTH follows up on the next chapter of the Currumbin Alley saga.
FROTH | Page 80