Disabled Surfers Association Of Australia

Having cared for my son Rob, who has Cerebral Palsy, for literally decades, I was used to the feeling of gratitude such a parent has when good people go out of their way to help your child.  It was a totally different feeling to look beyond the disabled and their families and really be affected by the large group of volunteers proudly wearing their bright blue tops. I wasn’t prepared for the wave of humanity that struck me as I stood atop a sand dune overlooking 
Smith’s  Beach on Phillip Island on a fairly cold Summers’ day.  I had seen the posters for the All Abilities Surfing day coming up and had just assumed all abilities would mean able at least to sit, stand and in general move about with minimal assistance. Gosh how wrong I was.

I had arrived fairly early in order to meet a friend who was volunteering. I stood there taking in the scene without coming close to appreciating what these wonderful people were really all about. Small groups of around a dozen in each, were beginning to form at the ocean edge. The volunteers were dressed alike and were in deep conversation. I would come to realise that each group was being trained to work as a team to support and protect one excited, anxious and trusting individual. 

To my naive eye there was a group cooking food, a group parking cars, another directing caregivers and family members, others waiting to transfer people from electric wheelchairs to beach wheelchairs, first aid personel, and four groups at the waters edge waiting to take responsibility for the wellbeing of some pretty excited people. That was just the surface view. Every volunteer on that beach would have been well aware of the work behind the scenes. Those at the coalface, the anonymous heroes who sit through endless meetings and lobby hard for donations, take their payment in the smiles all around them, and those who would provide those smiles were just beginning to arrive in a steady flow. 

The Bass Coast Council has done an incredible job of building a boardwalk down the side of what is really quite a steep cliff. Even the most wayward wheelchair driver can easily negotiate the twists and turns as they find their way down to the sand below. Once at the bottom a solid mat provides wheelchairs a good base as they meander down to where the beach wheelchairs stand waiting. My son Rob recently got bogged in a neighbours front yard so I was mildly surprised not to see similar here.

I had been watching the preparations for almost an hour when the first beach wheelchair starting moving towards the group of volunteers closest to me.  Like a well oiled machine four people lifted the teenage lad and lowered him onto the surfboard below. Then they all knelt down and spent quite some time making sure he was comfortable and calm. It is a daunting experience to be reliant on people you don’t know in an environment where you are totally vulnerable. Speaking as Rob’s mum I know the many times he has told me how vulnerable he has felt in different situations. So I was standing there watching parents as they waded into the water to be closer to the action, fully in tune with their concerns. The waves really were whipping around so this young man was in for a rocky ride. 

In perfect sync the volunteers circled the grounded surfboard and then lifted it as one. It was only then that I understood why there were so many volunteers in each group. They formed a kind of safety cocoon around the young man on the board. There was no way the bouncing waves would tip him off. It was amazing to watch as the group walked out into the waves holding their precious cargo. I doubt any of them felt the cold of the water. Soon enough they were heading back through the surf to rewind the whole process, making sure their charge was comfortable, calm, and ready to be lifted once more into the beach wheelchair. 

I wasn’t conscious at first of the tears dripping down my cheeks. It wasn’t new to me being in such environments. I had been in many disability settings over decades. I had met some wonderful carers, volunteers and professionals, but something was different here. Suddenly it hit me what that difference was. It wasn’t the glee on the faces of the families, the disabled surfers, or the obvious effort put into the event. What hit me in the heart was watching each group of volunteers being so meticulously trained to care for the one special person whose day, and maybe life, would be changed by this experience. 

We have all been through some difficult times over the past couple of years, and those difficulties are still lingering in our collective background. As I walked back up to the top of the boardwalk to look down on the scene I became totally convinced that we have so much hope for the future. So many people of all ages coming together to create a magic day for others can only be positive. The tears really let loose as I was filled with relief knowing I had truly witnessed something special. I had to leave. I was emotionally exhausted. I had a job to do writing this blog. I guess it is my way of putting something I can offer into the collective pot of good will.

Disabled Surfers Association of Australia has groups right across the country. Do yourself a favour and suck in some of the good vibes along with the fresh air. Volunteer yourself, or give them a donation to help buy the special wheelchairs, equipment or snags. You can donate at Disabled Surfers Association of Australia  BSB 633000   Account 160458576  An internet search will verify details and help you find events near you.

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