It’s one of the main the reasons why thousands of people visit the Bega Valley each summer, but for some people the beaches have always been out of reach. 

For many years Pambula Surf Lifesaving Club has been working hard to address this issue and now with a new access ramp Pambula Beach is once again paving the way in regards to making the beach accessible for all. 

Over the past 16 years, a dedicated and skilled team at Pambula Surf Life Saving Club have been making a difference to the lives of people with a disability or developmental delay through their Same Wave Nippers program. 

Michelle and Peter Bootes started up the program in 2000 with the aim of making the beach accessible for all kids “even those who don’t fit the norm”. 

They have since taken this program to surf clubs all around the country. 

Through numerous grants over the years the surf club has been able to continually grow and improve its Same Wave program. The club has also been fortunate enough to receive donations to allow it to purchase two beach wheelchairs.

These wheelchairs, which are available for those in need at the club house, enable wheelchair-bound people to enjoy a dip in the surf in a way they were never able to before. 

Unfortunately, the chairs can be difficult to push across the soft sand.

However, Pambula SLSC and the Bega Valley Shire Council saw this problem and have now installed a solution. 

Thanks to NSW Department of Family and Community Services grants offered to Surf Life Saving NSW, and with local support from BVSC and Pambula SLSC a wheelchair friendly access ramp was installed at Pambula Beach last week. 

This will make a huge difference to the lives of hundreds of people, locals and visitors alike.

The ramp is not just for those in a wheelchair, it will also improve access for people with prams and the elderly, many of whom can walk comfortably on hard sand but are unable to navigate the soft sand. 

Pambula SLSC is setting the standard for beach accessibility and now it’s time for other surf clubs across Australia to step up and follow suite.