A Sydney cafe owner is begging his council not to ban an annual Christmas Day beach party after thousands of people turned up and vandalized the area with rubbish.
Dave Martin, 53, who runs the Courtyard Café in Coogee, has urged Waverley Council to reconsider a possible ban on his popular backpacker event “Orphan’s Christmas” after its mayor vowed “never again” following the event. this year.
Martin said completely banning the event, which was attended this year by up to 15,000 people, mostly backpackers and visitors, would be a “knee-jerk” reaction and that the council should be better prepared next year.
He suggested the annual party should be treated more like a festival in future, with adequate facilities to contain the disorder that angered locals on Wednesday.
Waverley Council is considering introducing ticketing and glass bans after huge crowds overran small but popular Bronte Beach, leaving it a litter-strewn wasteland the next day.
This was despite the council having already provided 250 extra bins and allocated a dedicated bin lorry to service the site in a futile attempt to prevent a repeat of the messes left in previous years.
Newly elected Waverley mayor William Nemesh said changes were needed for future Christmas Day parties.
Martin said the council and local community should “embrace (the party) rather than trying to suppress it” and use it to benefit the area.
A local cafe owner has defended the 15,000 people who attended ‘Orphans’ Christmas’ on Brontë Beach and left mountains of rubbish behind.
Dave Martin (left), who runs the Courtyard Café in Coogee, said Waverley Council just needs to prepare better for the event rather than ban it entirely.
The cafe owner recommended hiring additional cleaners, putting up more fencing, adding additional portable toilets, and increasing security guards by December 2025.instead of doing what Australians are famous for and banning everything.”
‘This year the containers increased, but obviously it was still not enough. It’s pretty bad, I understand that side of things. I’m not saying you shouldn’t take personal responsibility.’ Mr. Martin said Newscorp.
“People come from all over the world to spend this day on the beach, it is something very important for them,” he added.
‘All local businesses accept it (but) most (locals) wouldn’t want it. It’s the old, the right. It’s one day, let them keep it.’
Martin said Waverley should not follow the example of Randwick Council which banned alcohol. on the beaches of Coogee, Bondi, Brontë and Tamarama a decade ago, after similar messy Christmas parties.
Despite the trash left behind by the crowds, Martin said local businesses and the state government benefit greatly from the flood of tourists coming to the area.
He said the council should stop “complaining” and start planning as “everyone knows” about the event and it should be no surprise that record crowds turn up year after year.
Martin added that he was worried Australia was “becoming a nanny state” full of “fools” that relied on outright bans rather than creative solutions.
Revelers left Bronte Beach trashed despite Waverley Council installing an extra 250 bins in preparation for the event.
Many locals criticized the disaster, calling it “shameful.”
His controversial interpretation of the event that sparked outrage in the community also sparked a debate on social media where he began posting his ideas to improve 2025.
Many people who commented on her post criticized Randwick Council for taking such an extreme step as removing the option of drinking alcohol after their own rowdy parties.
“I’m angry that as a local I can’t sit on the grassy area of Coogee Beach and enjoy drinking a crisp, crisp white wine in the shade on a hot summer afternoon. “Overreaction by Randwick Council,” he said a person
‘I agree. I was there briefly in Brontë for a Stickybeak while celebrating Christmas along the way. And yes, it was crazy, but fun for those who were there. It’s like everything, there will always be cleaning. “But the (money) these people bring to local businesses probably exceeds the cleanup costs,” another added.
However, there were some who accepted the ban on alcohol on the city’s eastern beaches.
“I’m glad they banned alcohol on the beach and in 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 the place where we live,” a second woman said in response to the mess left behind by the revelers.
“I’m all for an alcohol ban over Christmas to reduce crowds and address the resulting attitude about the mess they leave behind,” added a third.
Martin said the flood of cash that tourists brought to the area year after year was a boon for businesses and the state government.
He said he was concerned that Australia was becoming a “nanny state” that was content to ban everything rather than come up with creative solutions to welcome the masses.
Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh has vowed to change beach rules after personally spending five hours on Bronte Beach cleaning up the mess left by partygoers.
“Most of the rubbish was cleaned up last night and the beach and park were completely clean by 9am this morning,” he said.
“I recognize our residents’ concerns about the level of litter and waste, and we will make changes so this does not happen again in the future.”
The event has become a mecca for tourists and backpackers celebrating the holiday away from home and is affectionately known as ‘Orphan Christmas’ (pictured, revelers)
But despite the council’s new ‘Summer Safe’ programme, with increased police and crowd control in the area, Cr Nemesh said it was disappointing that there was “still so much rubbish and waste left”.
Some locals bristled at the thought of the additional costs these measures would bring for nothing this year.
‘Who paid for this? Probably us taxpayers,” said one social media user.
‘Next time charge each person $20 for cleaning. It’s a cheap day on an amazing beach.