The leader of a weekly beach gathering that has been shut down because it does not have a permit hopes to engage with Sunshine Coast Council to achieve a resolution.
Cristian Trujillo said he received a phone call from the council last month advising he needed a permit to hold his weekly men’s gathering at Mudjimba Beach.
Mr Trujillo has been running the sunrise gathering – which incorporates yoga, meditation and mindfulness – early on a Thursday morning at the beach for about six months.
He said he knew of three or four other people who led similar groups on Sunshine Coast beaches who had also been told they needed permits to continue.
Mr Trujillo, who runs a business in a similar field, said it had previously been unclear to him whether he needed a permit for the gathering, which he said was not run for profit.
“The sunrise gathering, we donate our time. We ask for donations. Some people give us coins, someone might give us $5,” he said.
“Basically, what we collect covers our expenses. We run advertising and expenses bringing this to the community and bringing people who are not following us to the gathering.”
He said he was told the council was acting on an anonymous complaint but he does not harbour a grudge towards whoever it was.
“Whether they said it because they were upset, didn’t understand us, competition, it could be an angry person, my approach is love and compassion,” he said.
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“We are doing something good for the community. Someone didn’t like that? That’s okay. Out of this, we are going to grow, to come out of this stronger.”
A Sunshine Coast Council spokesperson said events in Marcoola and Mudjimba had been reviewed in response to community concern.
“Some activities occurred without a permit and we provided the event organisers with permit process information. Council will assist them with their applications,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the permit process allowed the council to ensure applicants had public liability insurance, first aid certificates, relevant fitness industry qualifications, bookings to ensure no overlap and a site map to make sure community use was still available.
Not-for-profit groups were exempt from fees payable for permits, the spokesperson said.
Mr Trujillo said he had received offers from people to pay for a permit, offers of legal advice and other offers of support since posting on social media that the permit request had put a stop to the gatherings.
He was unsure about whether he would apply for a permit, saying his work took him overseas and interstate, and he felt obliged to “commit” to ensuring the gathering always went ahead if he took a permit.
He said he hoped to speak to the council about finding a solution that would benefit the community.
“For me, the approach is different. Can we talk? Open up the conversation with the council and open up the conversation with the community about the benefit of this work,” he said.
Mr Trujillo said he hoped the attention the permit interruption had drawn to the gatherings would raise awareness of mental health issues, particularly for men, and of the importance of such activities.
“People with social isolation, they come to these and change their mind. They come and feel support,” he said.
“It’s about creating an awareness. We need to do something. Everyone is responsible.”
