NSW surf club halts changing room nudity

The Terrigal Surf Lifesaving Club on the NSW Central Coast has told its members that nudity in its changing room is no longer permitted.

Widely reported in mainstream media, a recent email notice to members and users of the Club’s changing rooms told of the Club’s no-nudity policy, with signage installed in the space advising ‘Shower in your swimming costume/change with a towel around you’.

One user was advised in February that she had breached the Club’s no nudity-in-changerooms policy, receiving a letter that advised “the club is a family friendly environment and … nudity is not acceptable.

“Should you continue to ignore the rules, you will be subject to disciplinary action, and/or … termination of your membership.”

The rule, reportedly written by Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) as part of its Child Safe Policies, requires adults to avoid being naked in changerooms when children are there, or could walk in.

Advising that its purpose is to protect young people, Surf Life Saving Central Coast Chief Executive, Jon Harkness told media that with the Terrigal club having 949 members, with over a third under 16 years of age, “they all potentially use those shower facilities.

In response to criticism that the policy amounted to body shaming, Harkness added “nobody inferred that.

“We were purely asking they follow the rules to constantly be modest within changeroom facilities.”

He went on to point to situations when young people had been exposed to nudity in the changeroom and felt “uncomfortable”.

The SLSA policy on changing rooms states members should “not shower or change at the same time as supervising groups of children”.

It adds that members should “not undress and avoid using a changing room with a child unless other people are present”.

Image: Terrigal Surf Lifesaving Club. Credit: Facebook.