A Sydney cafe owner is pleading with his council not to ban an annual Christmas Day beach party after thousands of people turned up and trashed the area with rubbish.
Dave Martin, 53, who runs the Courtyard Cafe in Coogee, has urged Waverley City Council to reconsider a possible ban on the popular backpackers event ‘Orphan’s Christmas’ after the mayor said ‘never again’ after this year’s event promised.
Mr Martin said banning the event entirely – which this year was attended by as many as 15,000 people who were largely backpackers and visitors – would be a knee-jerk reaction and that the council would simply have to be better prepared next year.
He suggested that the annual celebration should be treated more like a festival in future, with proper facilities to contain the mess that enraged locals on Wednesday.
Waverley Council is considering introducing ticketed and glass bans after huge crowds swamped the small but popular Bronte Beach, leaving it a rubbish-strewn wasteland the next day.
This is despite the fact that the council had already provided 250 extra bins and allocated a dedicated rubbish truck to service the site, in a vain attempt to prevent a repeat of the mess left behind in recent years.
Newly elected mayor of Waverley, William Nemesh, said changes are needed for future Christmas celebrations.
Mr Martin said the council and local community ‘must embrace it’ [the party] rather than trying to suppress it and use it to the advantage of the area.
A local pub owner has defended the 15,000 people who turned up at Bronte Beach’s ‘Orphan Christmas’ and left behind mountains of rubbish
Dave Martin (left), who runs the Courtyard Cafe in Coogee, says Waverley City Council should prepare better for the event rather than ban it outright
The cafe owner recommended hiring additional cleaners, installing more fencing, adding additional port-a-loos and beefing up security guards by December 2025.instead of doing what Australians are known for and banning everything’.
‘This year they increased the bins, but it was clearly still not enough. It’s pretty bad, I understand that side of things. “I’m not saying they shouldn’t take personal responsibility.” Mr Martin said News Corp.
“People come from all over the world to celebrate this day on the beach, it is something big for them,” he added.
“All local businesses are embracing it [but] most of the [locals] wouldn’t want it. It is the old, the right. It’s one day, let them have it.’
Mr Martin said Waverley should not follow the example of Randwick City Council, which banned alcohol over the beaches of Coogee, Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama ten years ago, after similarly messy Christmas parties.
Despite the rubbish left behind by the crowds, Mr Martin said local businesses and the state government are benefiting enormously from the flow of tourists into the area.
He said the council should stop “whining” and start planning instead because “everyone knows” about the event and it should come as no surprise if record-breaking crowds turn up year after year.
Mr Martin added that he was concerned Australia ‘turned into a nanny state’ full of ‘narks’, with its reliance on outright bans rather than creative solutions.
Bronte Beach was vandalized by partygoers, despite Waverley Council having installed 250 extra bins in preparation for the event
Many locals branded the mess which they said was ‘disgraceful’
His controversial take on the event that sparked outrage in the community also sparked a debate on social media, where he posted his ideas to make 2025 better.
Many people commenting on his post criticized Randwick Council for taking such an extreme step and abolishing the ability to drink alcohol after his own rowdy parties.
‘I am angry that as a resident I cannot sit on the lawn at Coogee Beach and enjoy a cool, clear white drink in the shade on a warm summer arvo. Overreaction from Randwick Council,” said one.
‘I agree. I was there briefly at Bronte’s for a stickybeak whilst having Christmas on the road. And yes, it was crazy packed, but fun for those present. It’s like anything: there will always be some tidying up to be done. But the [money] These people bringing to local businesses probably outweigh the cleaning costs,” another added.
However, there were some who embraced the alcohol ban along the city’s eastern beaches.
“I’m glad they banned alcohol on the beach and green areas,” one woman wrote.
“I understand you probably have a financial interest, but for those of us who don’t… it’s really sad to see how people treat where we live,” a second woman said in response to the mess partygoers left behind.
“I’m all for an alcohol ban over Christmas to reduce crowds and tackle the resulting ‘zero f**ks’ attitude about the mess they leave behind,” a third added.
Mr Martin said the flood of cash tourists brought to the area year after year was a godsend for businesses and the state government.
He said he worried Australia was becoming a “nanny state”, content to ban everything rather than come up with creative solutions to embrace the masses.
Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh vowed to change beach rules after personally spending five hours on Bronte Beach cleaning up the mess left behind by partygoers.
“Most of the rubbish was cleared last night and by 9am this morning the beach and park were completely cleared,” he said.
‘I recognize our residents’ concerns about the amount of waste and waste, and we will make changes to ensure this does not happen in the future.’
The event has become a mecca for tourists and backpackers who celebrate the holiday away from home and is affectionately known as ‘orphan Christmas’ (photo, revelers)
But despite the council’s new ‘Summer Safe’ program, with increased policing and crowd control in the area, Cr. Nemesh said it was disappointing that “there was still so much rubbish and rubbish being left behind.”
Some locals were outraged at the idea of the extra costs these measures had brought in vain this year.
‘Who paid for this? We are probably taxpayers,” said one social media user.
“Next time, charge each person $20 for cleanup. That’s a cheap day out on a great beach.’