It’ll be the biggest surf party of the year, as Noosa celebrates the start of summer and the end of another successful year of stewardship of the 10th World Surfing Reserve.
Surrounded by surfboard history at the amazing new Noosa Surf Museum, a full house of surfers and their families are expected to fill up on Apple Pip Catering’s street food dinner, plus full bar, enjoy watching raw footage of local shredders on the big screen, not to mention a surf auction and surfboard raffle, then bop the night away to the salty sounds of The SandFlys, and later on a DJ.
It will be about as much fun as you can have standing up, but there is also a serious purpose behind the frivolity. During 2021 the Noosa World Surfing Reserve has created a Surf Code for all ages designed to promote safety and good behaviour in the surf, a program now being introduced through schools and surf schools, as well as through beach signage and social media campaigns. In addition the NWSR has worked closely with Noosa Heads Surf Club and BCR Medical to install defibrillators (AEDs) at safe intervals throughout the World Surfing Reserve, and is now working on the installation of life-rings (rescue tubes) at strategic positions close to our surf breaks.
All of this costs money, so the Summer Party will be a fundraiser, but in addition to that, the NWSR Stewardship Council has decided it’s time to acknowledge surfers who give back. Says recently-elected NWSR president Kirra Molnar: “Noosa became the tenth World Surfing Reserve in 2020, covering the world class point and beach breaks from the river mouth to North Sunshine Beach. Our motto of Share. Respect. Preserve. encapsulates the goal of NWSR to preserve surf zones and their surrounding environments and, by recognising and protecting the key environmental, cultural, economic and community attributes, to ensure that they are around for future generations.
“There are a numerous people who contribute to these goals within the local community, and the NWSR stewardship council would like to publicly acknowledge these wonderful contributions at the NWSR Annual Awards on Saturday, 27 November.”
Awards will be presented for Environmental Contribution, Industry Innovation, Cultural Contribution, Videographer, Photographer, Community Surfer of the Year (male and female juniors and seniors awards), and the NWSR Prestige Award for extraordinary achievement (in memory of Bill Wallace).
Award nomination forms can be downloaded from noosaworldsurfingreserve.com.au and emailed to noosaworldsurfingreserve@gmail.com
Early Bird tickets at reduced prices are available now until 12 November at noosaworldsurfingreserve.com.au/product/nwsr-awards-night-summer-party-2021
Connor battles back
Aussie WSL battler Connor O’Leary’s heroic win over Michel Bourez at the Quiksilver Pro France Challenger Series event last week finally gives him a fighting chance to requalify for the world championship tour for 2022.
It’s by no means a done deal, with the big goofyfoot now sitting in equal sixth place with two others. Only 12 men and six women can qualify through the series, but with current rankings leader Kanoa Igarashi double-qualified there’s a bit more wriggle room. For a return to the tour on which he made such a splash on in his rookie year in 2017, Connor will need a solid performance next month in the last of the Challenger events in Hawaii, with fellow Aussies Liam O’Brien, Jackson Baker and Jordan Lawler all outside chances hovering around the cut-off line.
In the men’s final at Hossegor, a tight first half of the heat saw O’Leary and Bourez exchange similar scores on the rights and lefts with only a slight advantage to the Australian, but Connor pushed the Tahitian’s requirement a touch higher with a good little left he punctuated with a clean air midway through the heat. Unfortunately for Bourez, the rights that gave him his best scores so far had disappeared, and the lefts clearly favoured O’Leary’s forehand attack and air game. As the clock ran down, Bourez was unable to find the right wave and O’Leary walked away with the win.
“I feel amazing, it’s been a huge day,” O’Leary told the WSL interviewer. “I’m literally on top of the world right now and cramping up, can’t wait to have a beer! I’ll just really enjoy the afternoon with the lads, and try to keep it up and finish the year strong!”
After difficult starts in the previous Challengers in California and Portugal, the Australian from Cronulla needed something big in France and delivered with his first major win since Ballito in 2016.
In the women’s division, Australia’s India Robinson’s brave second in France puts her in with a chance of qualification, now sitting at fourth in the rankings. Costa Rico’s Brisa Hennessy secured her qualification with a solid win over India in the final.
The final event of the Challenger Series will get underway at Haleiwa from 26 November.
