Bill Brown ABC SE radio

You don't normally see a surf lifesaving club on a lake in alpine country, and you don't usually associate orthopaedic surgeons with environmental campaigning, but both came together in Jindabyne last week to launch an environmentally sustainable club house.

The Lake Jindabyne Yabbies were formed 12 years ago when Jindabyne locals became concerned about children who although confident in inland waters would visit the coast and get into problems in the surf. So they formed an association with the Tathra Surf Club to develop surf skills for the high country kids.

Then on New Years Day, 2006, Matthew Nott, a member of the Tathra Surf Club and a local orthopaedic surgeon, was on surf patrol at Tathra. His wife had bought him Tim Flannery's "The Weather Makers" for Christmas, a gift he now says his wife may never forgive herself.

Much was to follow from this gift, including the building of an environmentally sustainable surf club by a lake in the Snowy Mountains.

"I was expecting it to be a very quiet morning being New Year's Day," said Matthew Nott, "and I got up to about page five and then this hot westerly wind hit Tathra, and it was the hottest temperature I've ever experienced I think. It got up to 42 degrees at the surf club, which was the hottest temperature by four degrees ever recorded there. And someone in Tathra recorded 47 degrees. Now that might have had absolutely nothing to do with climate change, but it was a bad day to start reading "The Weather Makers"."

Matthew finished the book and immediately was inspired to do something about climate change. His wife advised he do more than just read one book about it, so he spent months researching everything he could find about climate change: the science from all sides, and the politics from all sides.

Matthew told me this story as we were driving along the Monaro plains. I spent a day with him driving to Jindabyne and back to the coast, and after being exposed to his seemingly infinite level of human energy, and learning something of his medical work and dedication, I was in no doubt that when he said he researched everything he could get his hands on that I was talking to someone who is a walking resource on all matters to do with the issue of climate change, and a man committed to doing something about it.

"Why did I do this? I've got three young boys and I wanted to do everything I could to ensure that when they are my age now they can look at their kids and hope for a bright future. The science of climate change is so disturbing that it demands action. I aim to do whatever I can to kick start as much change in as short a time as possible."

The group created a 50/50 by 2020 campaign, targeting a 50% reduction in the consumption of energy and 50% production of energy by renewable resources by the year 2020.

In a very short period of time the Bega Valley Shire Council, Eurobodalla Council, and Snowy River Council have adopted the 50/50 by 2020 target. Bega Valley Shire Council have also subscribed to Green Power, which Matthew describes as "the single most important thing people can do if they want to make a difference. Its a small cost for an individual household, a cup of coffee a week, and Green Power money goes into renewable energy projects, and it sends a strong market signal to politicians that people are willing to invest in renewable energy."

"There are so many ways to reduce energy demand without reducing your quality of life. And that saves you money as well.

"The more we do that then the easier the second part of the target becomes. The exciting part is getting renewable infrastructure on the ground. Things like community owned solar farms, big projects that make a big difference, and also wind power which is much cheaper than solar. And wave and tide generation, and bio-mass generation. Dairy farmers creating methane generated electricity. All things that reduce our dependence of coal based energy and replace it with renewable resources."

Then Mathew turned to the concept of making the Tathra Surf Club a self-sustaining building using renewable energy. Last year the club was fitted out with solar panels and a wind turbine, with money raised by the community and additional funds from the Bega Valley Shire Council.

This has now turned into a campaign to fit out all the surf clubs on the NSW south coast, and the creation of LifeSaving Energy, a national campaign to fit out every surf club in Australia.

And so, a little over two years since he read a book in the hot winds on Tathra Beach, Mathew Nott has created a storm of the action he wanted, and we are driving up to a surf club in the mountains to launch the second club, and I would soon hear there is much more to follow.

The Home of the Lake Jindabyne Yabbies is on the outskirts of town on the way to the ski fields. It was a classic alpine day with crisp clear skies and the peaceful expanse of the disturbingly low lake reflecting the surrounding landscape. On the lake shore below the club house the dragon boat club, the surf club and the sailing club were preparing their boats for a race as part of the celebrations. (See the race in the video.)

I was met by Steve Cavanagh from the Lake Jindabyne Yabbies, the nippers club.

"In February last year we had the first inland surf carnival in the world up here, and Matthew saw that a perfect opportunity to spread the word of clean energy from the coast to up here into the mountains.

"Matthew said he wanted to get solar power and solar hot water and a wind generator for us. So, in February this year we held the Lake Jindabyne 7 kilometre Big Swim, and in three weeks we managed to raise nineteen and a half thousand dollars.

"Jindabyne was the first surf lifesaving club to have a Big Swim and its now become a series. Narooma had their swim last week for Bermagui and Narooma Surf Clubs. On May 10 there will be the Moruya Big Swim, and that will raise money for the Moruya and Broulee Surf Clubs.

"So the seven clubs on the Far South Coast are all swimming seven kilometres to get solar power for their surf clubs."

Stephen Garrett and his son Shane have been familiar faces on cricket grounds in the region for many years representing their Pambula club.

He has also been in the energy business for 26 years, and provided the system installed at Tathra and was now at Jindabyne to launch their system.

"This club now has the latest technology in solar hot water, the evacuated tubes. It has PV solar panels which create the electricity. And it has a 400 watt wind generator. It's twice the size of the Tathra solar power system, it's a 2 Kw system, which should provide 8 to 10 Kw a day. The solar feeds directly into the grid so what's not used here is exported back into the grid, and the club gets credits," he said.

It is planned that credits will accumulate over the summer periods and these should off-set the winter power costs.

"Clean Energy for Eternity is unique. Over the years there have been several small groups that have tried like this. But this one has been more successful. I think the timing is right. The population is ready. Climate change has become a serious issue on everyone's mind. I think people realise the only way we are going to get change in Australia is from a grass roots level. Now we have two communities working towards building community owned solar farms.

"We just needed a champion, and Matthew Nott was that champion."

Matthew Nott grew up in Canberra and would have been the third generation of doctors to have practised in Canberra.

However, he had always wanted to work down the south coast as a doctor, attracted by the environment and the community.

At a time when the region struggles to attract medical specialists he is an exception in being a medical professional whose dream is to live and practise in a rural area.

I met plenty of people that day who feel that the region is lucky to have him around.