Story by Jo Kennet / Images by Brad Whittaker
CABARITA BEACH has joined a network of prestigious surf breaks by being declared a Regional Surfing Reserve at a ceremony on Saturday, March 18, during the Surf for Sanity event.
National Surfing Reserves Board Chair Brad Whittaker joined Mayor Chris Cherry and Councillor Nola Firth in dedicating Bogangar/Cabarita Beach a Regional Surfing Reserve of New South Wales.
Brad Whittaker said Cabarita is a “fantastic surfing community.”
“I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate today than sharing it with this great community,” he said.
“Thank you very much for the hard work in getting recognised in the National Surf ing Reserve movement.”
Chair of Bogangar Cabarita Beach Surf ing Reserve, Kerrie Foxwell Norton, said it had taken six years to put it all together.
“It’s great to be having it with the Surf for Sanity competition as this is our community and it’s about surfing and surfers,” Kerrie told The Weekly.
“The motto of surfing reserves to share, respect and preserve are things we can extend to each other, to share and respect each other”
“Athough it is largely symbolic, it does give us a seat at the table at potential developments”
“There are a lot of changes and population growth in our little village and this is a reminder to those who come along now and in the future that this is a special place and to share, protect and preserve it.”
Cabarita Boardriders’ Chicka King said he loved to share the stoke in the surf.
“I got involved to protect what we have in this beautiful environment so it will be here for all these little kids in front of us, so it will be here for them and they can share the same stoke that we have to being able to live and surf in such a beautiful place,” he said.
Mayor Chris Cherry said one of the three criteria to becoming a Regional Surfing Reserve was that it had to have a reasonable break.
“The national and international surfing contests we have here really demonstrate just how good and special this break is,” she said.
“The public also had to be supportive of it and protective and recognise it as a great surfing beach. There is such a strong history of locals wanting to protect this beach.
“The last criteria was to demonstrate that it’s been used for surfing for a long time, and it has been very well used for as long as anyone can remember”
“Sometimes it’s hard to share because it’s such an incredibly well-loved area. It’s been fantastic how locals say that it is here to share and that’s fantastic because it’s not always easy to do”
“The Cabarita community has stood so strong over many years and Kerrie has been working for many years to try to protect what you have here and it’s wonderful that the community recognises that what you have here is something really special”
“I’d like to congratulate you from Council that you work so hard to protect it and Council will keep that in mind when we are considering development applications that come to us.
“We will really try to back up the community’s desire to keep this the special place it is.”