The amazing Smales brothers never cease to, well, amaze me!
There are so many great young Noosa surfers to rave about that I could fill a book, let alone a column, but here let me join their mum Nat Smales in sharing the stoke of the clan’s recent sojourn to Bells Beach (Djarrak) for the Australian Indigenous Titles.
Over the past couple of years I’ve written the story here and elsewhere of how Landen and Kaiden discovered their First Nations roots through research carried out by their dad in Western Australia, and embraced it to the point where they’ve become ambassadors for reconciliation locally and have surfed with distinction in the Indigenous Titles.
This year at Bells, Lando chose to surf in three divisions in order to maximise his time in the water with only three other surfers in the water at this iconic break.
Proud mum Nat takes up the story: “In true Landen form he built momentum through every heat and won all three divisions – Open Mens Longboard, Open Mens Shortboard and Under 18 Junior Boys Shortboard. All of this at just 16 years old.
“Kaiden also surfed amazingly, pushing himself in conditions he’s never surfed before. He made it through to the quarters in the Open Mens Shortboard and placed second in the Open Mens Longboard.”
As a result, Landen was invited to compete in the Bells Beach 50 Year Storm event as Indigenous champion, and has been given a wildcard into the WSL longboard trials to be held at Bells later in the year.
Says Nat: “Just wow! He sure knows how to create opportunities for himself. I’m proud of my boys, including Zeike who did the 20-plus hour drive [to Bells] with me. Little champion! So beautiful to see my family supported and making important cultural connections. [Former Pipe Masters champion] Robbie Page called the event a modern day corroboree. There was many goose-bump moments, that’s for sure. A trip we will never forget.”
Storm launched at Bells
Speaking of goose-bump moments, the 50 Year Storm at Bells Beach, to which our Lando is now an invitee, held its opening ceremony last weekend with its share of emotion-charged moments.
Run if conditions reach optimum level between 1 June and 31 August, the event seeks to raise awareness and funds for people’s mental wellbeing, with vver $45,000 raised so far since its inception in 2017 and donated to One in Five and headspace, 50 Year Storms’s charity partners. Just as importantly for the local surfing community, the Storm honours the memory of former top pro surfer Shaun Brooks who passed away some years back, his mates wanting to pay tribute to him while acknowledging mental health issues to create a conversation.
The inspiration came from the tongue-in-cheek ‘90s classic film Point Break, in which Bohdi (Patrick Swayze) escapes an FBI manhunt by paddling out into massive waves at Bells Beach created by the mythical “50 year storm”… never to be seen again.
According to the organisers: “Our idea was originally a big wave event, but it has grown into more of a metaphor that everyone at one point in their life may experience: a 50 year storm of some magnitude. The event aims to bring the community together, generate conversations, create awareness and break down the stigma behind mental health wellbeing.”
The Storm’s list of invitees, selected by a community vote, includes not only current champions and some of the biggest names in surfing from recent years, but also several generations of Torquay’s surfing legacy families, including Shaun’s brother, former pro Troy, and his nephew, Jahli.
PT party time in pink
Coolangatta has seen its share of parties over more than a century now, since the long-gone stately guest houses of Greenmount Hill encouraged visitors to form conga lines and dance around the block in their pajamas.
There were no PJs in evidence at former world pro surfing champion Peter Townend’s celebration of 70 spins around the sun at Greenmount Surf Club last week, but PT had advised guests to follow his lead and dress in vivid pink. Unfortunately, your correspondent, on his way to a funeral, didn’t have a lot of pink in his backpack, but did his best.
A who’s who of surfers from several generations stacked in for the shindig, including a bunch of buddies who flew in from Huntington Beach, California to honour their mate PT who has been based in Surf City Huntington for 40 years.
Never known to do things by halves, the one-time “Coolangatta Kid” who claimed the first ever IPS world title in 1976, started a weeklong celebration in Sydney where he was feted at a reunion of his Cronulla mates from his time working for Gordon and Smith Surfboards, before tootling up the coast for four days of celebration with family and friends, culminating in his actual birthday, 30 May, which began with pilot son Jhye taking him for a light aircraft spin over his old stomping grounds.
I managed to catch him for a quick pre-load and information exchange at Twin Towns before the big night began at 3pm. (Remember, we’re talking old people here!) Former Coolie Kid and ’78 world champ Rabbit Bartholomew got the roasting off to a fine start, and it was my pleasure to relate the story of when PT and I burnt our beards off during a “purple flyer” drinking contest during a long ago Bells Beach contest.
Ah, what a night it was. HBD, PT!
