It might not have been First Point as we know and love it, but there were enough runners at Main Beach over the weekend to get the 32nd Noosa Festival of Surfing off to a rollicking start.
And by Sunday afternoon we were seeing about the best that TC Judy was going to muster, with waist to shoulder high sets providing just enough for the groms, the teams and the very welcome return of the Golden Breed Noserider after a long hiatus. Apart from the odd scudding shower early, the weekend was beautiful and the crowds came for the surfing dogs on Saturday and the surfing humans on Sunday.
My preference will always be for the humans, and some of the best in show included reigning world longboard champ Harrison Roach, noseriding grom star Ryder Worthington (whose flyweight agility enables him to hang off the tip in ways we haven’t seen since the glory days of Jai Lee and Christian Wach) and the ever-graceful Sierra Lerback and Mason Schremmer.
While the frenzied antics of the judges and Noosa Mal Club volunteers to master the admittedly complex mechanics of the noserider time trials brought a wry smile to an old festival director who has been there, done that, last weekend I also had pause for thought that we don’t do opening ceremonies the way we used to. It’s not for a former director to offer advice to the current, so I won’t, but the point I’m about to make was rammed home to me the evening following the paddle-out, when at an impromptu birthday celebration on the riverfront park for an esteemed surfer and citizen, I enjoyed the most amazing Korean pork and beef barbeque, cooked and served by members of the South Korean longboard contingent here for the festival.
Korea is a new frontier of the longboard sport and culture, but it found its home away from home early through the Noosa Festival. And it was by no means the first group to do so. We’ve entertained Filipinos, Tahitians, Indonesians, Taiwanese and Chinese and numerous Melanesian groups, as well as French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, and even a few Poms, not to mention the tried and true Kiwis, Californians and Hawaiians. But not as much as they’ve entertained us.
Our celebration of these connections always used to be the traditional blessing of the waters, in which all the visitors from around the world of surfing could share water from their home beach and feel owned by our festival, after which we would paddle out and form a thanksgiving circle for what we are privileged to share.
Now that the internationals, new and old are coming back, we need to celebrate the bonds that surfing creates. But we don’t do that anymore. Sure, we paddled out and gave thanks, and it was beautiful, as it always is. But so many of our guests this week didn’t even know they could participate. I think that’s something that needs some thought going forward. Just sayin’.
I’m a Nipper Now!
Victorian surf coast pair Sally Cordner and Lucy Simms have joined forces to release their first children’s book, called I’m a Nipper Now! The book is inspired by a real-life group of six friends, who embark on their first day of Nippers. Unsure, afraid and with many reservations the children witness a real lift surf rescue before their eyes – what an introduction to your first day at Nippers!
The children’s book, developed in partnership with Boolarong Press and Surf Life Saving Australia, aims to raise awareness of beach safety and boost interest in Nipper programs across the country.
Tragically, last year, a 12-month drowning toll of 339 deaths was recorded, the highest Australia had seen in 25 years. Water safety experts issued an urgent plea to make safety a focus of this 22/23 summer. Surf Life Saving Australia reported that 49 per cent of coastal drowning deaths occurred more than five kilometres from a surf lifesaving service.
According to Royal Life Saving Australia, as of 3 February 2023, 52 Australians had lost their lives this year by drowning. Almost 60 per cent of these were in coastal waterways. In the last financial year, Surf Life Saving Australia performed almost 9,000 rescues across Australia – an average of almost 25 rescues per day, every day.
Currently, there are 44,000 patrol members across Australia, and 62,000 Nippers. Nipper registrations and retention in Surf Life Saving is critical in keeping patrol numbers up and our beaches safe for generations to come… it is one of Australia’s largest community-based youth movements.
Alarmed by the water safety trends and with a history of community involvement in surf life saving, Sally and Lucy realised there was need for a strong message to reach young children about participation in surf life saving from a young age. This book, three years in the making, and based on real life characters, is a great way to present the message.
Available from all good book stores, including Annie’s.
