PHIL JARRATT
The Poms are lurking in Coolum and Byron Bay, waiting for the swell to come up, but the first official international arrival in Noosa was on February 12, all the way from Oporto, Portugal.
Over 50s competitor Jose Pedro Marcos flew in for his first ever Noosa Surf Festival with his mother, Virginia (“Zizete”) Marcos, to begin a 42-day stay.
“I have been dreaming of coming to this event for many years,” Jose told Noosa Today. “Friends have been telling me about it and I have seen the photos and the videos for more than a decade, but always there has been a reason I could not come – obligations with my work or other travel plans. Now I am here, I can see with my own eyes that it is a very beautiful place. All we need is some surf!”
Neither Jose nor Zizete has been to Australia before, and Zizete plans to take time out from Noosa to visit the Sydney Opera House and other attractions. But for Jose, this holiday is a Noosa mission. “I want to meet the local surfers, get to know the town, and most importantly, experience those beautiful waves on the points.”
Jose, 51, has worked in real estate development in his home town, and also in the surf industry, running surf schools. A year-round surfer most of his life, he admits that Oporto’s cold winters these days force him to “surf indoors” at the gym.
“Europe was cold and stormy when we left, and now this,” he exclaims, taking in a beautiful, sunny afternoon at First Point. “We are very happy to be here.”
It’s been unseasonally flat for a week. Jose has 35 days left and counting. Pray for surf!
For more information on the Noosa Festival of Surfing see www.noosafestivalofsurfing.com
