Building the
WindanSea
Community Clubhouse
A remarkable project
Building the Clubhouse is a project that speaks of true commitment, collaboration, perseverance, and determination. About 12 years lie between the ideations and the opening day.
Clubhouse Development Honour Board
This honour board celebrates the people and their place in the timeline of the development of the clubhouse. Some contributed a lot and some just a bit but everything contributed no matter how big or small was essential and highly valued by those that ran the show.
The honour board timber was contributed by Dave Kirby Longtime local surfer then shaped and homed by the Caloundra woodwork club. The board shape was taken from a Freefluid board from the 70‘s.
The Clubhouse
Project Timeline
The clubhouse’s existence is no accident, lucky find or present from a rich donor. The clubhouse has been earned through hard work, focus, expertise, diligence, a bloody-minded never-give-up attitude and an old surfing motto: “Eddie Would Go.”
This timeline is just a snapshot of how it all happened, and of some of the key moments and individuals that made it happen.
At the end of the timeline is an image of the major in-kind contributors who turned a dream into reality, and without whom the clubhouse could not have been built.
2011
In 2011, long term senior WindanSea Surf Club members Terry Landsberg and Tim Hindley developed the idea for a dedicated WindanSea Community Clubhouse with Terry as Club President endorsing Tim taking charge of a small committee to start a twelve-year journey to opening day in 2023.
2014
In 2014, committee member Brad Williams presented a comprehensive planning report and concept drawings for the new Clubhouse. A feasibility study was completed and the state government rezoned to special purposes and provided the land for the project, a major hurdle overcome!
2019
For 2 long years Don and the committee persisted and in June 2019 ultimately winning the day with a vote on the council floor that won 8 votes to 2 for a Material Change of Use to the WindanSea Clubhouse!
Unfortunately, the SCC staff reports from the faction opposed to the Clubhouse enticed a small group of neighbours to appeal the SCC approval decision in the Planning and Environment Court. This forced SCC and Windansea to fight the appeal in court requiring many expert reports, solicitors, barristers and many many hours of committee effort.
Today, the well-established Clubhouse is a thriving community hub, hosting local surf clubs, health and wellbeing clinics, various functions and events. An experienced committee of club members and community representatives manage the facility, ensure budgets are met and plan for its future.
2012
In 2013, WindanSea drafted its first Clubhouse business plan, setting out the vision, structure and case for the facility. This was taken to the community for input and endorsed by the members.
2016
During 2016 Tim handed the project leadership to Don Smith and took a back seat on the committee. Don, a former Caloundra Mayor applied his political nous, network and incredible determination to the task of getting planning approval.
2021
In 2021, after a long legal battle that cost WindanSea over $100K, WindanSea and SCC won the Planning Court decision for the approval to stand and the legal right to build the clubhouse, clearing the final legal hurdle and giving the green light for construction to begin.
With COVID inspired inflation the build became a cost nightmare for the building team to manage. The build leaders literally built it all themselves, working nonstop all year in the cold, rain and heat they just carried on. That inspiration resonated throughout community and people, groups and companies donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to get the job done and done right!
Today
By the end of 2012 the committee was very busy on the ground knocking on doors engaging with the community and council to determine the needs and value of the surfing community. The committee developed an economic feasibility plan and began looking at potential sites. Local surfer and building designer Richie Graves began the concept building designs for a WindanSea clubhouse that caught the attention!
2023
The WindanSea Community Clubhouse officially opened on 1 July 2023 at Currimundi’ s Buderim Street, the culmination of more than a decade of community effort. It is a remarkable effort by many many people to create this amazing well designed, handcrafted by skilled old school tradesmen, beautiful clubhouse that can be home for our local surfing fraternity and hired by a broad church of community groups and individuals.
2013
2015
During 2015 it became obvious that whilst there was broad community and political support for the clubhouse, a significant faction of the council bureaucracy was staunchly opposed to the idea, based on their interpretations of various planning policies and strategies.
Clubhouse Major In-Kind Contributors Honour Board
The major in-kind contributors, without whom the Clubhouse could not have been built, turned a dream into reality. The community just kept turning up for this build, from a cheery daily hello to companies arriving with truckloads of free materials (footings, cladding, plants and turf), at-cost hardware, or a hard day’s labour. It all contributed to the success of the project.
From all of us at the WindanSea Community Clubhouse: THANK YOU ALL!
