Local engineering a lifesaver for volunteers on patrol Myall Coast Myall Coast - popup ad Myall Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - February 7, 2025 The TGHN SLSC ‘pie cart’ in its early stages. LOCAL engineering ingenuity has provided patrol crews of the Tea Gardens-Hawks Nest Surf Lifesaving Club with better protection and immediate access to emergency resources. Club Captain Wayne Bower told News Of The Area that crews needed a fit-for-purpose vehicle that was able to carry all the equipment needed to patrol the busy beach. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au “We needed something that was more robust, in particular more functional,” he said. The brief was met through a combination of local engineering inventiveness. It started with a build of the basic structure on Budgeree Street in Tea Gardens, followed up by some significant augmentations and additions by Tea Gardens Engineering (TGE). “We extended the draw bar, added a whole new canopy, seating, storage racks – underneath, on the back and out the front – a new PA system, and all new upholstery and new clears on the sides,” TGE’s Stephen Ellicott said. TGE, located at Tea Gardens Industrial Estate, has been fabricating for the mining industry for many decades. Its projects have included mobile lunch/toilet/generator-on-wheels units; earthworks at both local petrol stations, and work at the newest water tower overlooking Tea Gardens. “The ‘pie cart’, as we call it, can hold a permanent supply of 50L water, keeps all our electrical equipment fitted in a permanent situation, and holds everything else that previously had to be dragged down from the clubhouse in multiple trips,” Captain Bower explained. “It can provide shelter for weather on the beach, and gives a safer place for initial assessment and first aid treatment, before casualties have to be taken up to the Clubhouse for more serious injuries. “All this work was funded by local community fundraising, including the pig races at the Country Club, and proceeds from the SLSC Bar, which is open on weekends.” The “pie cart” also has a public address system featuring multiple loud-horns, which can be used to play a range of pre-recorded messages, including warnings for sharks, snakes, beach conditions, and general notifications like sunscreen reminders. There is even a handset for lifesavers to use the PA directly. The whole cart is pulled down to the beach by one of the club’s new vehicles, the tractor or the all-terrain vehicle (ATV). Several active SLSC patrol members said the “pie cart” is an “awesome” addition to their kit as they stand vigilant on Bennetts Beach every weekend throughout the season. By Thomas O’KEEFE TGE upgrades underway last year, including the hi-vis yellow, and clear, weatherproof sides. The installed PA system has several pre-recorded warnings, as well as a handset for direct communication. The TGHN SLSC ‘pie cart’ provides shelter for volunteers on beach patrol.
