DANGEROUS surf conditions in the wake of gale-force winds and rain closed Bennetts Beach last weekend.

‘Beach Closed’ signs in the middle of the school holidays are never a happy sight, but the visible churning of the waters, and waves averaging two metres in height, were more than enough to bring out the signs and the red flags.

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“We still have to keep an eye on the ones who think they can survive it, and dissuade them from going down the path,” Tea Gardens Hawks Nest Surf Life Saving Club (TGHN SLSC) volunteer Andrew Jeffries told NOTA.

Despite the weather conditions, TGHN SLSC volunteers still showed up to perform two main tasks: review and refill their equipment, and make sure that the access path to the beach remained usable once the storms were over.

The prominent blue ‘MobiMat’, received by the SLSC last year and re-installed at the start of this season, has allowed hundreds of less-able beachgoers to enjoy Hawks Nest’s town beach.

Following the storms, the club is appealing for assistance to sweep the path clean every morning the beach is open.

“David, Dave and Roz do a great job, but they need a few more sets of hands,” Club Secretary Kerrie Moore told NOTA.

“Anyone who can spare an hour or two in the morning to help others get down to and enjoy the beach would be much appreciated.

“The daily task can be a simple one but when the weather has not been kind to us it can be a task that takes a person a great deal of effort and time.”

Winds reaching over 100km/h up and down the coast north of Sydney have partially buried the MobiMats a few times, but the diligent team always put in the hard yards to bring it back to the surface.

By Thomas O’KEEFE