Commodores Notes
COMMODORES NOTES JUNE 2025
CLUB NEWS
We’ve just had the wettest and windiest June long weekend we can ever remember and despite that we had 3 very busy nights. Thanks to Hutch who puts up the 3 marquees with the walls and heaters so everyone is dry and as warm as toast. On windy nights Hutch has to pull them all down after everyone leaves in case they get wind damage overnight as has happened in recent years. The big attendance was surprising for this time of year as a lot of our members are up North.
Our happy hours, seafood raffles, world's best and coldest beer and friendly reputation has become famous. It never ceases to amaze me the number of interstate and overseas visitors that already know about our club and its wonderful reputation.
Members and Visitors having a lovely time. Dry and warm in our Marquee.
POINT GREY UPDATE
13th June 2025
Over the last few weeks, Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCAPA) has held information sessions with community groups and the public regarding the recently released draft Urban Design Framework (UDF) for the Point Grey precinct. A session with the Aquatic Club held on Wednesday 4th June, was very well attended with in excess of 120 members and supporters of the Club present. The representatives of GORCAPA certainly received strong community feedback and very little support for the UDF as it currently stands.
We now encourage all members and supporters of the Aquatic Club to complete the online survey on the draft UDF which is open until midnight on 22nd June and can be found at www.haveyoursay.greatoceanroadauthority.vic.gov.au/point-grey-redevelopment.
The main issues with the draft UDF that directly affect the Aquatic Club are as follows:
Boat wash
The draft UDF does not include a boat wash. The Club does not accept this, as the boat wash is an integral part of the Club and its activities. Reluctantly, we have conceded that the boat wash cannot remain in its current location due to safety issues related to traffic movements. The LAAC have indicated an alternative location to GORCAPA which they have referred to their traffic engineers.
LAAC Clubhouse
The internal clubhouse size has been confirmed as 235 m² and we believe this is adequate internal space.
We have insisted that a fish cleaning area be included with the building. There is no reference to this in the draft UDF.
GORCAPA have indicated that we will be granted a lease only for the internal area. They have indicated that we will not be granted a lease but only a non-exclusive licence/permit over a yet to be defined external area. With any external area provided under a licence, we have been informed no fencing will be allowed.
LAAC wants the external area to be included in the draft UDF and importantly, included as part of our lease, which means fencing would be permissible. The ability to fence the area is crucial for meeting our liquor licensing requirements and ensuring safety. We have proposed that the external area should be at least as big as our existing external space (including decking and the Lazarus Lounge).
Parking
While car parking numbers are not specified in the draft UDF, it has been indicated to us that it is planned to have less than 30 in the lower section of the precinct, compared to the current 60+ usable spaces. This is nonsensical given the key purpose of the redevelopment is to increase visitation to the precinct. In addition, the location of the planned roundabout is restrictive of parking and the proposed LAAC clubhouse location.
Plaza
The proposed plaza on the lower-level section of the precinct is too large and takes away valuable and necessary parking space. Also the location of the proposed plaza is exposed to severe weather for much of the year and is not conducive to casual activity. The sacrifice of parking spaces for unusable open space is unacceptable. There is adequate open space in the remainder of the precinct. The pier is the plaza, we don’t need another one!
Other Issues
The proposed location of the public toilets in the lower section of the precinct is taking up valuable parking space. If the public toilets need to be moved from their current location they should remain in the mid-level section of the precinct, where they are more accessible to the majority of visitors to the precinct.
In addition to the above issues, there is insufficient acknowledgement in the UDF of Lorne’s timber/fishing/tourism heritage and the important place that the historical Co-op building holds in the memories and hearts of locals and visitors alike.
This is an important next step in the Point Grey redevelopment and the Committee of the Aquatic Club encourages everyone with an interest in this unique site to consider and contribute to the discussion.
While your initial reaction may be 'Not another survey!', your Club’s Committee strongly urges you to complete the survey, as your responses will shape the future of the Point Grey Precinct and the Aquatic Club. Complete the survey at www.haveyoursay.greatoceanroadauthority.vic.gov.au/point-grey-redevelopment.
If you have any trouble completing the survey, please speak to a Committee member when you are next at the Club or email info@lorneaquaticclub.com.au and we will contact you.
We thank you for making a valuable contribution to the future of our club.
John Higgins
LAAC Treasurer
RECENT EVENTS
WORKING BEE
Cleaning out the CoOp.
We decided to cancel the working bee because Hutch and Nichole had been slowly moving stuff out of the CoOp and into the shipping container that’s now situated behind our storage shed. By the chosen date of the working bee there was bugger all left to move and we had over 20 members coming and that’s only the ones I knew about so we arranged with 4 committee members to finish it off. It only took a couple of hours.
How many clubs get too many attending working bees?
The 20 foot Container that GORCAPA kindly gave us.
Hutch and I swept out the CoOp on the last day of our lease. We left it much cleaner than it was when we started using it.
DONATION TO LORNE SES
We recently donated a large amount to the Lorne SES to purchase new equipment. We regard the SES along with the CFA as one of the most worthy services there is.
Clive Goldsworthy presenting the Lorne SES Unit Controller Chris Jones with our donation.
MAJOR FISHING COMP NUMBER FOUR
SPONSORED BY TOM DAWSON LORNE CONCRETING
The weather was horrendous with a 30 knot Southerly and about 30mm of rain and yet we had 15 of our legendary stalwarts battle the elements out on the Pier and weigh in 10 fish. An amazing effort. As is the tradition we fed everyone with a beautiful beef roast.
We decided to try something different so we made roast beef, gravy and coleslaw rolls and everyone loved them, they were sensational. We will make them a regular thing from now on. Thanks to Clive for carving the meat with aplomb. Our well known local sponsor Tom Dawson presented the prizes so a thank you to Tom.
Junior Winner, Jack Hunter with a big Trevally, 2975 points
Junior Second, Charlie Hunter with a Salmon, 1995 points
Junior Third, Angus Hunter with a Salmon, 1770 points
As you can see The Hunter boys cleaned up with first, second and third.
Senior Winner Andrew Clarke with a big Salmon, 3490 points. This isn’t actually Andrew but a bloke who looks a lot like him.
Senior Second, Alison Arundell with a Salmon, 2165 points
Senior Third, Steve Arundell also with a Salmon, 2071 points
WORLD SAUSAGE ROLL CHAMPIONSHIP
As is our tradition we held this on the Sunday evening of King Chuck's Birthday Long Weekend. It was a very cold and wet night but we had a full house and a record number of entries. A huge thank you to all the competitors who very generously brought along heaps of extra sausage rolls so everyone there got a lovely free feed. A special thank you to our Vice Commodore Ric Addison who cooked 200 sausage rolls and kept the pie warmers going flat out to warm up all the extras. Ric tells me that there were about 1,000 sausage rolls devoured on the night.
An extra special thank you to our three judges, Elizabeth Punton, Jason Coffee Boy Betheras and our local Cheese Maker Ray Sutton.
The poor buggers had to taste a record amount of sausage rolls. I’m guessing they won’t be eating any for quite a while. Also, a thank you to Tom Curran who did a great job as MC for the night and also presented the prizes to the winners.
The 2025 WORLD SAUSAGE ROLL CHAMPION Tony Speer.
Tony told me that it was the first time he had ever cooked a sausage roll. Amazing.
Winner of the Biggest Sausage Roll: Billy Bowden.
It was the size of Ayres Rock easily biggest we’ve ever seen.
Winner of the Smallest, Ed The Machine Fry.
He is our champion sausage and sausage roll eater. It was a miracle he didn’t eat his entry on his way to the club.
Winner of the funniest shape Anna Hume. It was a replica of our Courtesy Bus and it was a ripper.
Our three judges, Jason 'Coffee Boy' Betheras, local cheese maker Ray Sutton and Elizabeth Punton filling up on sausage rolls.
GREAT OCEAN ROAD HALF MARATHON
Our famous mother and daughter staff members Nichole and Cody ran the half marathon together with an impressive time and they ran together the whole way. I was expecting one of them to make a break at the end for bragging rights but they surprised me and ran over the line together. Great stuff.
BLOKE KILLED EMU WITH HIS FACE
Well known member and courtesy bus volunteer driver Bill Fry was riding his motorbike in outback NSW recently when a mob of Emus ran in front of him and he hit one with his face.
The unfortunate emu was killed instantly.
I’ve googled this and it appears that Bill is the only person in the written history of the world to kill an emu with his face.
I’m deciding whether to contact the Guinness Book of Records or contact the authorities and have him charged as an Emu murderer.
This is Bill's blood on the bike, not the emu's
Our Little Aussie Bleeder Bill Fry
PELICAN AT THE CHANNEL
We recently had a visitor at our boat launching channel and I asked a few of our senior citizens if they had ever seen a Pelican in Lorne before and none of them had.
This might explain why my Troopy now has a white roof.
LOTS OF WHALES
We have been out on the club boat a lot over the last few days and have seen a lot of whales. They have all been Humpbacks so far but the Southern Right whales won’t be far away. We’ve had a couple of experiences where they began breaching quite close to us and both times they swam over to us and went straight under the boat only about 2 metres below the surface. One of them rolled over onto its side to get a better look and mustn’t have liked the look of us because it left in a hurry.
CHEST FREEZER
Our old chest freezer passed away recently so if anyone out there has one they don’t want please let us know. It must be a chest freezer and not an upright.
WOODEN SAILING BOAT DEADWOOD KNEE
The Lorne Historical Society have had this on display in their 'Fishy Tales' exhibition inside the old CoOp but now have no room anywhere to display it so they have lent it to us and we are now displaying it in Griffos Garden which is our garden area on the right near our entry gate.
The knees' new resting place
UPCOMING EVENTS
WINTER CUP FISHING COMPETITION NUMBER TWO
SPONSORED BY GARY KEANE - BRICK, BLOCK & SCAFFOLDING
Sunday 6th July, the comp runs from 6am until the deadline of 12.30pm. Weigh-in starts at midday. It’s free to enter for members and all competitors get a free mixed grill. Prizes are awarded for first, second and third in both the junior and senior categories. Juniors must be under the age of 18. You can only weigh in one fish each, so anyone can win on the day, and it’s environmentally friendly. Come and have a crack. It’s great fun.
This is Rhys Thompson who caught this nice Kingfish near the Lorne FAD just before it was removed.
FISHING REPORT
BOAT
The fishing over the last month has been as good as I can remember and the calm seas have made it even better. The variety of species has been incredible. The water temperature is nearly back to normal at 15 degrees but this hasn’t affected the fishing in the slightest. There’s been a few Kingfish caught which is amazing for this time of year. They are normally a summertime fish.
There’s also been a lot of Big Blue Morwong (Queen Snapper), Gummy and School Sharks, Snapper, Nannygai, Swallowtail and Tuna.
There’s also been a lot of huge King George Whiting caught when targeting snapper on 4/0 hooks and using salted pilchards which is unusual.
PIER
The pier is still producing good numbers of Salmon, Trevally, Mullet, Whiting, Snapper and Calamari.
Local Gun Angler Tilo DeBon (on the left) took his new boat out recently with a couple of mates and they caught this huge 162kg Tuna
Well known identity Rod Van Ingen with his first ever Gummy Shark
MERCHANDISE
Our 2025 range of merchandise is now available to purchase at the clubhouse, whilst stock lasts. The 2025 colour range is available in t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirts, hoodies, caps, stubby holders and the black smart polo. All the options can be viewed on our website.
Stock is selling very fast, so get in quick to avoid disappointment.
Don't forget our merchandise deals, stubby holders $15 each if purchased with a can of beer or UDL.
COFFEE
Jason is having a break for a few months, we'll let you know when he'll be back.
COURTESY BUS
The bus is now back to running Friday and Saturday evenings only. Now that we have the new automatic bus with hill assist we are hoping for some new volunteers to help Hutch out.
KEITH MILLER
COMMODORE
Cheers,
Commodore
Thanks to our sponsors
KEANE CONTRACTING BRICK/BLOCK and SCAFFOLDING – Gary Keane
SURFCOAST GARDENING – Kerry Webster & Rob Dalziel
