Main Beach Progress Association Sponsors - SOS Alliance

Profiles - Of SOS Alliance members

Steve Gration

For background: I became involved with SOS Alliance after attending a surf movie at the Trocedero late last year. After attending my first meeting I wasn't sure how I could help. I am a freelance actor and have taught drama and media studies in secondary schools. Currently I lecture on a sessional basis at Griffith University in Theatre Studies where I am completing a research higher degree, Master of Philosophy.

I surf and have lived at Main Beach for over 10 years. I grew up in the industrial western suburbs of Melbourne and have seen how disillusioned young people can be when they have no recreational parks and activities to channel their energies.

My first posting as a teacher was to Braybrook High School which was sandwiched between the third busiest highway in Victoria, Ballarat Road, dogfood and industrial fan factories and a quarrie. In frustration at the lack of quality open space, parks etc in this suburb I used to take groups of students on surf trips down the Great Ocean Road. This developed into regular weekend and out of hours adventures for the students. 28 years later after being at the student's 21 st birthdays, weddings and watching them establish succesful businesses I am still friends with several of the students I surfed with. They now take their own families to the very beaches I introduced them to when they were students.

One parent came up to me at a family celebration and told me that the surf trips his son went on saved him from getting involved in gangs and car theft. At the time his boy was introduced to surfing the signs of potentially anti-social behaviour were beginning to show and surfing channelled his energy into a more enjoyable and healthy pursuit. This 'boy', now 40 years old has a successful building company and takes his wife and daughters to a holiday home in the same coastal town where he and his friends learned to surf.

I am not saying surfing is the cure-all to social problems with young people but what message do we send to young Gold Coasters if it is OK to ruin world class surf beaches to get some (unsubstantiated) financial gains from the heavy industrial/polluting source of cruise ships and the infrastructure and dredging that is necessary to house these huge monsters in the Broadwater? That is why I stood for the committee of the Main Beach Progress Association at their recent AGM. I wanted to be pro-active and volunteer alongside people who have been fighting since 1961 to preserve The Spit as public open space.

The Macquarie dictionary describes a 'Progress Association' as:

a local organisaton formed by residents in a town, district etc. to develop and improve community amenities.

This is the kind of 'progress' I want to be associated with!

I would feel guilty if I didn't fight to hand over somenting I have benefitted from (The Spit and Straddie beaches, dunes, parks and Broadwater) in at least as good a condition as I found it and hopefully in better condition for future generatons. I believe the authorities have the same duty of care.

Does Mr. Beattie think in 20 or 30 years time our children and our grandchildren will thank him for a cruise ship terminal?

"Gosh Mr. Beattie you built a cruise ship terminal for us? Thank you!" Or will they thank him more for preserving and conserving the Spit as a coastal botanic reserve with world-class diving, fishing, swimming, boating, cycling, walking and surfing facilities? The answer is obvious isn' it.

Cheers,

Steve Gration