NSW Ports cements 20 year partnership with local surf life savers in Port Kembla
NSW Ports today announced its ongoing commitment to supporting Port Kembla’s volunteer surf life savers, with an extended contract that will take its long-term partnership with Port Kembla Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) to a milestone of 20 years!
Surrounded by hundreds of nippers on the beach, Peter Engelen, NSW Ports’ General Manager of Planning and Infrastructure joined David Erskine, President of Port Kembla SLSC to announce the sponsorship, which will see NSW Ports continue its ongoing funding of the club’s operations, training and equipment over the next three years.
Peter said of the partnership, “NSW Ports is responsible for managing Port Kembla, a key infrastructure asset and an economic driver for the Illawarra region. We are a proud supporter of our local community and are thrilled to continue our long-term partnership with Port Kembla SLSC.
“Every weekend between September and April, the club’s dedicated local volunteers patrol the 6.6 km beach - the largest in the Wollongong area - to keep the community safe. We are proud to contribute to the ongoing operations, training and equipment of the club so that these everyday heroes can continue to play such a vital role in our community.”
David added, “Port Kembla is an integral part of our local community and our members either live near, or work at the Port. I’d like to express our thanks to NSW Ports for their continued support of our club and look forward to partnering with them for many more years to come.”
NSW Ports is proud to support a range of community initiatives in the Port Kembla area, including the delivery of local school programs, sponsorship of surf-life saving initiatives and the conservation and maintenance of heritage-listed items and surrounding wetlands and habitat at Port Kembla Heritage Park.
As NSW’s port of growth, Port Kembla operates 24/7 to handle the trade needs of NSW, handling 100 percent of NSW’s motor vehicle imports and the import/export of agriproducts, bulk and liquid bulk cargo. The Port delivers nearly $543 million in Gross Regional Product to the Illawarra (roughly $1,805 per person) and supports local jobs, with 99 percent of Port Kembla’s workforce residing within the Illawarra. Port Kembla is also approved by the NSW Government as the site for NSW’s next container terminal, once Port Botany nears capacity.
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To download this media release click here.
For more media information please contact NSW Ports on 0410 597 547 or vida.cheeseman@nswports.com.au
https://sustainability.nswports.com.au/sustainability-achievements/sustainability-highlights/community-partnerships/
About NSW Ports
NSW Ports manages Port Botany and Port Kembla, key export and import gateways connecting to global markets, and the Enfield Intermodal Logistics Centre and the Cooks River Intermodal Terminal. NSW Ports is a private consortium of leading institutional investors: IFM Investors (including Cbus, HESTA and Hostplus), AustralianSuper, Tawreed Investments Limited and Q Super. Our shareholders represent over six million Australian superannuation fund members and are long term investors with interests in a range of Australian infrastructure assets.
About Port Kembla Surf Life Saving Club
The Port Kembla Surf Life Saving Club was established in 1910 by a group of dedicated and community-minded individuals. The Club was established by bathers within the local area dating back to the early 1900s, with the first dressing sheds erected in 1912. The bathers established the Club to ensure safe public amenity for those within the community accessing Port Kembla beach through the provision of surf lifesaving services. Port Kembla Surf Life Saving Club proudly continues this tradition and offers nearly 110 years of experience of life-saving along the beautiful shores of Port Kembla Beach. The passion and dedication of its members is the cornerstone of its continued success with patrols running from September to April each year.