SATURDAY'S storm might have blown them over but Wanda Surf Life Saving Club says it won't stop their nippers doing well in this week's NSW Junior Surf Lifesaving Championships.
On the eve of their biggest surf carnival of the season, the Wanda nippers campaign was disrupted when Saturday's wild weather ripped the roof off the Wanda SLSC clubhouse.
The roof above the club's Founders Room literally peeled off in the wind and came to rest on the other side of the building — on top of about $50,000 worth of solar panelling.
All power to the club was switched off, which also affected the adjacent Fitness First gym and the Wanderer Kiosk, as officials scrambled to secure the sight and minimise flooding from the driving rain and wind.
They managed to quickly move all historical items, including pictures of Wanda's Australian champions.
"The other surf clubs were fantastic with offers of help as were the SES, fire brigade and police," said club registrar Carol Woods.
Luckily, the incident happened at a relatively quiet time compared to the week before when Wanda hosted more than 1000 competitors — complete with surf craft, gear and spectators — at the annual Sydney Branch Championships.
On Sunday morning, Wanda's nippers, with their club out of action and still preparing for this Friday's start to the three-day NSW Age Championships at Ocean beach, Umina, were hosted instead by Cronulla SLSC.
There, the Wanda boys and girls who represent one of the top junior clubs in NSW, proudly received their state shirts, shorts and caps, and already had looked past the events of Saturday.
"We are sending away one of our largest teams [160 nippers] and after our results at Kingscliff last year, and Sydney Branch last week, we are hoping for some great results," said Wanda nippers secretary, Tracey Green. "Hopefully, the roof incident will be only a minor setback."
■ CRONULLA, North Cronulla, Elouera and Wanda nippers will join about 7000 others from NSW for the start of the NSW Junior Surf Life Saving Championships, on Friday to Sunday, March 1-3.
