Sunday 8/6/2008 Page: 11
A TEAM of swimmers will brave the icy waters of the Bega River today to raise $10,000 to install a 400W wind turbine at Tathra Primary School.The swim is part of a push led by the community run group, Clean Energy for Eternity, to make the NSWV South Coast's Bega Valley 50/50 by 2020 - with a 50 per cent reduction in energy use and a 50 per cent adoption of renewable energy by the same year. Today, 10 people will swine 7km along the river in water that could be as cold as 10 degrees.
" Wetsuits, booties, gloves and hoods will be mandatory," Clean Energy for Eternity founder Matthew Nott said. "Hypothermia's going to be a real risk, so we've got a couple of doctors on the water and we've got an ambulance on standby at the finish. It's going to be an event the like of which has never been seen before on the Bega River." Also this morning, an enormous sand sign will be constructed on the southern bank of the river.
Dr Nott believes it will probably be the world's largest sand sign. The Bega River Lifesaving Energy Big Swim is the fourth of a series of swims which have raised more than $50,000 for renewable energy infrastructure for surf clubs in south-eastern NSW.
Dr Nott said that with council support and federal government rebates, the money would allow Clean Energy for Eternity to install more than $100,000 worth of renewable energy in the six surf clubs in the region in the next couple of months. The wind turbine would be one of a couple of strategically placed initiatives. The swimmers will start at 10am at Blackfellas Lake in Bega and are expected to finish 2.5-3 hours later at the Mogareeka Bridge.
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