AusLeisure

The body of a teenage surf lifesaver who disappeared during a competition yesterday has been recovered from the water.

Matthew Barclay, from the Maroochydore Surf Life Saving club, was competing in a board relay race at Kurrawa Beach yesterday afternoon when he fell off his board and did not resurface.

The youth's body was recovered this morning.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has expressed his condolences to the Barclay family, stating "it's just a tragedy when someone so young doing something they love doing passes away like this."

Premier Newman said he would not speculate about the events leading up to the death, but suggested a possible need for an inquiry beyond a coronial inquiry.

However, the decision to stage the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships at Kurrawa Beach has been condemned as a "national disgrace". 19-year-old Saxon Bird drowned while competing in the same competition at Kurrawa Beach two years ago.

Chris Branson, QC, who represented Bird's family at a coronial inquest into his death last year, claimed organisers risked the safety of competitors for commercial reasons.

Branson told reporters at the scene this morning "this is a national disgrace.

"Commercial reasons dictate why it's here, and the easy facility of Kurrawa surf club with the lawns and the accommodation but the safety of the competitors is completely secondary to the commercial undertaking.

"There's about $15 million worth of sponsorship for these championships ... and unfortunately there's a bureaucracy of people that run this carnival now, who essentially are not competitors at an elite level."

Branson said Surf Life Saving Australia had ignored critical recommendations made by the Queensland Coroner following the death of Saxon Bird, adding "they've learnt nothing from Saxon Bird's death. They've learnt nothing from Robert Gatenby's death.

"This should not be held here at Kurrawa at all, ever, ever."

Branson went on to call for Royal Commission to be held into the event's organisation, describing the outcome of yesterday's competition as a "scandal of momumental proportions".

Surf Life Saving Australia Chief Executive Brett Williamson said he was confident the organisation could not have done too much more to keep competitors safe, but declined to respond to Branson's comments.

Williamson stated "it's inappropriate for me to comment about where things might occur.

"I don't wish to comment on comments made by someone who obliviously isn't aware of the facts."

Williamson said he had no doubt future national championships would go ahead and defended what the surf lifesaving movement had done to improve competitor safety in recent years, saying the only finding from the Saxon Bird inquest that had not been implemented was for the organisation to select a suitable flotation vest for competitors.

He added "one of the recommendations from the coronial inquiry last year was for Surf Life Saving to continue to work with designers of safety vest flotation devices.

"That has been going and underway and it's just too early to stipulate a particular brand or type."

In the Saxon Bird case, Coroner Michael Barnes found no evidence that the competition organisers were influenced by financial considerations.

The Sydney Morning Herald quoted a competitor, who did not want to be named, as saying Matthew's board washed up on shore and there was a dent in it where they believe it hit his head.

She said senior competitors had warned officials that yesterday morning's conditions were too rough for competition but were ignored.

A top coach added that he believed organisers had not learnt anything from the drowning of Saxon Bird and there should not be an under-15s age group competing at the Aussies.

He explained "it's too dangerous, they're only kids.

"I have had senior competitors, elite athletes, tell me they shouldn't be competing (in the current conditions)."

23rd August 2010 - SURF LIFE SAVING’S BEST HONOURED AT 2010 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

22nd March 2010 - LIFE SAVING SURF EVENTS SCRAPPED AFTER IRONMAN DEATH

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