By Jason Wyatt – Member Representative of the Williamstown Swimming & Life Saving Club
For over 100 years, the WSLSC has stood proudly on our local beach — protecting swimmers, training the next generation of lifesavers, and serving as a welcoming hub for the entire community.
Today, we are preparing for a vital redevelopment — one that will ensure our volunteer lifesavers have the space, equipment, and facilities they need to keep the beach safe well into the future.
Last month The Westsider published a story raising concerns about the redevelopment, which have caused confusion within the community. We’d like to share the real facts — grounded in consultation, purpose, and community benefit.
Here’s why this redevelopment matters.
WSLSC is a volunteer-run organisation, relied upon by thousands of locals and visitors every year. Our patrols contribute over 5,000 hours each summer to public safety. We train and mentor hundreds of Nippers and young lifesavers, run CPR and first aid courses, actively deliver competition and wellbeing training, and support inclusive programs in partnership with local schools and community groups.
For many young people, the club is their first experience of leadership, teamwork, and community service. Many go on to careers in emergency and essential services — and many return to train the next generation.
This isn’t just a building — it’s a community institution with deep roots and wide-reaching impact. The current facility — with sections dating back to the 1930s — is no longer safe, inclusive, nor fit for purpose.
We are facing serious challenges:
- Storage is overflowing, with rescue equipment jammed into unsafe, makeshift areas
- First aid rooms are outdated, limiting our ability to care for patients
- Change rooms are inadequate for our growing number of female members, families, and people with disabilities
- There is no dedicated space for CPR training, education, and lifesaving instruction
- Active training space is limited, making it difficult to maintain fitness standards for our volunteers
- There is no private nor appropriate space for meetings or essential administration
- The redevelopment directly addresses these issues by delivering:
- Fit-for-purpose storage and first aid facilities
- Modern, inclusive amenities for all genders, ages, and abilities
- Dedicated rooms for training, education, and operational briefings
- Restoration of the original 1930s clubhouse as a preserved heritage feature
- Flexible community and club spaces for meetings, youth programs, and member events
Every element of the design has been developed to support lifesaving operations and community service — not commercialisation.
We would like to set the record straight and clarify several recent claims.
Incorrect statement: “It’s an enormous, two-storey warehouse-like building”
Fact: The building has been scaled back in height and footprint through community consultation. It is set behind the restored heritage clubhouse, using sympathetic materials and proportions that complement the beach and streetscape.
Incorrect statement: ‘It will overshadow the beach and destroy the village feel’
Fact: The design includes generous setbacks and landscaped areas to preserve sightlines and maintain the open feel of the Esplanade. The original 1930s clubhouse is being retained and restored — not replaced.
Incorrect statement: ‘The top storey is just a party space’
Fact: The upper level includes lifesaving and training rooms, an active training area, briefing rooms, and a multipurpose space for AGMs, education nights, awards, and occasional member gatherings. These are standard features at surf lifesaving clubs across the country and appropriate for a club of this size and function.
Incorrect statement: ‘It will bring more alcohol, noise, traffic, and hooning’
Fact: The club will continue to operate in line with community values and council regulations. Events will remain low-key and member focused. There is no plan for a commercial late-night venue.
Linking this redevelopment to ‘hooning’ is unfounded, outdated, and unfair to a volunteer-led organisation that has long been a positive presence on our foreshore.
This redevelopment has been built by locals, for locals, led by community members, not developers. It has taken years to develop and has been shaped by consultation with club members, neighbours, heritage experts, architects, and Hobsons Bay City Council.
The result is a respectful, functional, and future-focused design that meets the practical needs of lifesaving operations, preserves local heritage and complements the surrounding streetscape, and strengthens our ability to serve the community for generations to come
We all want what’s best for Williamstown beach. Let’s make sure we base our decisions on facts, not fear — and move forward in the spirit of cooperation and shared care for this place we all love.
If you have questions or concerns, we’d be happy to meet, share the plans, and talk you through the project further. This is a community-led improvement, built by locals, for locals.
Let’s work together to ensure this special place stays safe, inclusive, and welcoming — now and for the next 100 years.
