LIFE OF BRINE
PHIL JARRATT
A screen grab from the WSL broadcast showing the massive over-development of Uluwatu.
THE WRECKS WRAP UP ANOTHER ONE The Noosa Wrecks and Relics were blessed with warm winter sun and passable waves at the river mouth for last weekend’s umpteenth annual golden oldies extravaganza. And while it doesn’t get any easier with every passing year, even the most senior surfing divisions showed that they can still cut it. That’s the beauty of this great little comp. It doesn’t really matter if you finish first or last, except when you’re in the final and that mongrel you’ve been trying to beat since those junior meets more than 50 years ago has a crook back and a touch of gout, and today might just be the day you get the drop on the bastard. Ah yes, old rivalries die hard, and while there are many who have come to competition late, and mainly for the camaraderie around the beer tent, there are just as many who have been whining about judging decisions since the year dot, and the Noosa Malibu Club gives us this wonderful opportunity to come together each June in a spirit of bonhomie, goodwill, and revenge. But it’s all good clean fun, especially over an amber or two on the nineteenth wave in the bar, and if you can remember that the guy that beat you last weekend is the same guy who beat you all those years ago, then look on the bright side. At least you can still remember! No prizes for guessing who won the old farts - in the over 70s Nev Smith added another trophy to the cluttered cabinet, and in my division, the over 65s, Eric Walker, the jockey from Ballina, clobbered us all as usual. The Mal Club’s stalwart Mick Corcoran brained them in the juniors, while Sandy Knights-Woods and Kate Perry were on fire in the women’s. And speaking of trophies in the cabinet, this year’s were outstanding, thanks to
local artist and artisan Owen Cavanagh, whose corrugated creations are a joy to behold, even at the matchbox size reserved for minor finishers such as your humble correspondent. A great weekend came to a pleasant end with a killer set at the Reef from aging boy band The SandFlys, with Victorian bush band supremo Brendan “Ranga” Dowd sitting in. Some of our town’s most respected businessmen were up and dancing. Ulus in extremis Meanwhile, at the other important surfing event held last weekend, our own Julian Wilson reclaimed the yellow jersey with a brilliant and emphatic display at Uluwatu, falling just short of a win over Brazilian powerhouse Willian Cardoso after dispatching Jordy Smith and Kolohe Andino to reach the final. Julian seemed to grow in power and confidence in every session in the tricky overhead lefts, and must go into his favored Jeffrey’s Bay event with his world title campaign back on track. There’s a long way to go and a lot of Brazilians to beat, but I’d get a bet on while he’s backable. The completion of the Margaret River Pro at Bali’s most famous wave (following the shark scare at Margie’s in March) was a stroke of genius on the part of the World Surf League, but it inadvertently put a global focus on a growing problem for Bali - the absurd over-development of the Bukit Peninsula. When the challenging lefthander at the foot of the Suluban cliffs first hit the surfing radar in the early 1970s, the dry scrub of the Bukit was sparsely inhabited by poverty-stricken villagers who had descended from petty criminals who had been banished from Badung rather than beheaded. In those years surfing Uluwatu was a wonderful adventure that changed my life,
but by the late 1980s Tommy Suharto, the corrupt son of the corrupt president, had been given free rein to develop along the peninsula’s starkly beautiful cliffs, a trend that has continued unchecked ever since, creating massive problems of erosion and toxic run-off. I don’t go out there for pleasure these days, but on filming and research trips, I have been appalled at what I’ve seen, although amazingly, the compounds of some of the families we befriended all those years ago are still intact, hidden behind concrete walls. Local and expat surfers have formed environmental groups, like Clean Water Uluwatu, to try to improve the situation, but development greed is hard to eradicate. Perhaps those panning shots on the WSL broadcast, showing crowded bars hanging off rocks on the edge of the sea, will help the cause. FOOTNOTE: Surfing buddies of the late Ray “The Admiral” McKeon please note that there will be a paddle-out for The Admiral at First Point on Saturday morning at 7am. It should be a beautiful morning, complete with Ray’s beloved Hawaiian music, as his mates bid him farewell. ●
time
Height
time
The only wetsuits made on the Sunshine Coast
FRIDAy 15 JUNE
$
s
3:08 am 8:53 am
69
$
4:03 am 9:48 am
79 KIDS IN” DE R T “ A GRAM PROPLIES AP
5:00 am 10:44 am
2:53 pm 9:30 pm
0.27 m 2.29 m
3:45 pm 10:22 pm
0.32 m 2.22 m
0.44 m 1.60 m
4:39 pm 11:15 pm
0.41 m 2.12 m
5:39 pm
0.51 m
22° /13°C
Brilliant sunshine 21° /13°C
SUNDAy 17 JUNE A stray afternoon shower 21° /13°C
0.49 m 1.50 m
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Thursday, 14 June, 2018
12:11 am 7:00 am
2.00 m 0.52 m
1.88 m 0.54 m
21° /12°C
TUESDAy 19 JUNE Sunny
12:52 pm 6:46 pm
1.48 m 0.61 m
2:08 pm 7:58 pm
1.50 m 0.70 m
20° /15°C
Bring the kids to play NoosaÕs only Championship Golf Course set in a nature reserve. For all the details go to noosagolf.com.au or call 5447 1407. We are located at 46 Corooy Noosa Rd,Tewantin.
WEDNESDAy 20 JUNE
WED 20 JUNE 1:11 am 7:58 am
MONDAy 18 JUNE A little morning rain
TUE 19 JUNE
Opp Melco Mitre 10, Venture Dr, Noosaville Mon – Fri 9-5 Sat 9-12 noon Phone 5474 1010
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0.46 m 1.54 m
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SATURDAy 16 JUNE
MON 18 JUNE
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0.45 m 1.65 m
Clouds and sun
SUN 17 JUNE
6:00 am 11:43 am
38 NOOSA TODAY
0.25 m 2.30 m
SAT 16 JUNE
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Sprin
2:03 pm 8:38 pm
FRI 15 JUNE
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0.49 m 1.69 m
21° /13°C
Height
THU 14 JUNE 2:15 am 7:58 am
NOOSA WEATHER FORECAST THURSDAy 14 JUNE Plenty of sun
14 to 20 June 2018
SPRING SUIT SALE
Julian Wilson on fire at Uluwatu last weekend. Photo WSL.
Over 65s finalists at the Wrecks. Photo Ellie.
Tide Times
ZEE KIDS
Gordon Fuz styling at the Wrecks. Photo courtesy Fenna de King (fennadeking.com)
Sunny 22° /15°C
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noosatoday.com.au