If you’ve been surfing the Noosa points for a couple of decades or more, you’ll have plenty of memories of Geoff Fanning in the bank.
Known universally as Fanno, the Coal Coast lad made his mark locally first as a high performance longboarder and then as a traditionalist, winning or at least gracing the podium at logger and old mal events right along the coast, but nowhere was Fanno more on song than when Noosa’s points were firing.
There’s a famous story about Fanno paddling out at First Point for a star-studded final in one of those long ago years when the Noosa Festival of Surfing enjoyed near perfect waves nearly every day.
Fanno took off on his first wave as soon as the hooter went and rode it seamlessly from top of the point to the beach past the surf club, did the runaround and paddled straight into another one. While the judges were still tallying the scores for his second excellent ride, and with almost half the heat to go, Fanno reckoned he’d done enough and walked up the beach, plonked himself down and lit up a smoke while he watched his competitors try to catch him, which they never did.
Apocryphal or not, that story sums up Geoff Fanning – a great and stylish surfer, good photographer, a bloke with a big mouth but an even bigger heart, and he’ll never leave you wondering.
Fanno disappeared from Noosa quite a while back and re-emerged at Agnes Water in recovery mode after a few tough years battling with diabetes and other health issues as well as the old black dog.
Typically, Fanno’s recovery program is focused on self-help through helping others, which he’s been doing by helping establish the Discovery Coast branch of the Disabled Surfers Association of Australia.
Discovery just became the DSA’s 20th branch, based at Agnes, and last Sunday held its inaugural Let’s Go Surfing Day, with about 30 volunteers helping eight disabled children catch the first waves of their lives and “put a smile on their dial”.
Fanno is also responsible for the DSA’s first-ever Christmas membership drive, asking surf industry mates to help out with incentives for new members.
Says national DSA president Ian Gay: “The plan is to push for more people, whether they are participant surfers, volunteers, carers or general supporters, to take up our membership at just $20 for the 2022-2023 season.
“All money raised from membership goes 100 per cent to ensure that the DSA can keep doing what we do.
“The ultimate goal would be to raise enough money through membership to pay for our national insurance which currently costs around $18,000 per year.”
The Fanno incentive scheme is to hit up the Australian surf industry and create prize packs that members have the chance of winning when the drive ends, with three lucky members receiving a prize pack in time for Christmas.
Each prize pack will include a surfboard donated by Noosa’s Thomas Surfboards, Emery Surfboards and JS Industries. Now Fanno is on the hunt for minor prizes and vouchers to supplement the prize packs ahead of the draw on 4 December.
The Disabled Surfers Association was established in 1986 by a surfer named Gary Blaschke after a motorcycle accident in which he lost his knee cap and underwent extensive rehabilitation.
Gary saw a void that needed to be filled as, over the years, many surfers with disabilities found they had no one to help them get back into the water.
Gary’s vision to help surfers who had become disabled quickly extended to all classes of disabilities, and to people who had never surfed before but with help could derive such joy from it.
DSA now has 20 branches around Australia plus one in New Zealand.
Their mission is to
put Smiles On Dials by taking people of all disabilities surfing in a fun, friendly and safe environment.
To join the new Discovery Coast DSA email dsaalegals@gmail.com or visit disabledsurfers.org
Community surf awards
The motto of the Noosa World Surfing Reserve, dedicated in February 2020, is Share, Respect, Preserve, which encapsulates the goal of NWSR to preserve our surf zones and their surrounding environments.
There are a numerous people who contribute to these goals within the local community, and the NWSR stewardship council will publicly acknowledge these wonderful contributions at the NWSR Surfers Ball and Annual Community Awards night at the Boiling Pot Brewery on Friday 18 November.
In this, the second year of the awards, outstanding contributions in the following areas will be presented:
• Environmental.
• Industry Innovation.
• Cultural Award.
• Photographer.
• Videographer.
• Community Surfer of the Year (junior female, junior male, senior female and senior male).
• NWSR Respect Award – in memory of Bill Wallace.
Nominations for the awards are now open and must be received via email prior to Sunday 30 October. Nominations from coaches, clubs and associations are welcome, as well as from individuals.
Download the nomination form at noosaworldsurfingreserve.com.au
Email nomination form, a photo and other relevant information to noosaworldsurfingreserve@gmail.com
