Surf Life Saver Profile of the Week - 28

Published: May 10, 2023

Welcome Noel and thanks for sharing with us

 

So let’s get deep and meaningful straight up

Q – How long have you been in Coolum Surf Life Saving Club and what motivated you to volunteer your time?

About 4 years.

In all honesty, the hot showers. I was living in Maroochydore and part of their club, then I moved to Coolum and started coming down to the beach everyday and Jobbo was the Board Trainer then (I knew him from Maroochydore and he invited me to join in). After training everyone would go to the club for a hot shower and I would head to the public cold shower. After a while, and moving towards winter, I thought ‘Bugger this, I’m gunna join Coolum’. I had dual membership for 2 seasons until doing patrol every 2^nd weekend got to me and I decided to stick with Coolum, as I live here.

 

Q – Is your experience so far what you thought it would be?

Unbelievably good. I just love the vibe of Coolum Surf Lifesaving Club. I’ve done things here I never dreamed possible eg Coolangatta Gold, Aussies etc and that was just because of the people around me. It’s a great club and with great people and I love it.

 

On a lighter side...

Q – Where did you grow up? (Assuming you’ve grown up)

If I ever grow up, please hit me.

I grew up in Brisbane. From 2002 through to 2014 I lived on a farm 775kms north of Port Lincoln in South Australia. It was such a good place for the kids to grow up- truly the Wild West. I always remember a mate who came to visit telling the story of us flying across a paddock in the work truck doing 80kms an hour with Chantelle, my eight year old daughter, driving. It really taught us all a lot about self-reliance and freedom. I feel blessed to have lived there for so long and truly understand the ‘the country’ as well as ‘the city’.

 

Q – What’s the best job you’ve ever had?

Working on the farm driving tractors and air seeders. They do a lap of the paddock with you and go ‘right, you got it’. When I said I don’t, the boss said ‘mmm…’ and pulled a black marker out of his pocket and wrote the instructions on the windscreen. It just cracked me up. Doing it at night was especially interesting – every time you go up or down the paddock you get 40 foot further away from your ute where you started. When you finish it’s not practical to drive back to your vehicle in the seeder as it’s best to start again the next day right where you finished (if you’re a beginner).

I remember a dark night, overcast, no moon and no stars and I’m getting further and further away from my vehicle. How am I gonna find it? Well the paddocks are about 2km long and you are doing 7.2kph. So you get a lot of time to formulate a plan. The tractors have so many lights on them, they look like a little city moving along but once you finish and shut it down it’s pitch black. You honestly cannot see you hand if you put it on your face. Anyhow, here’s my plan: Every time I do a pass down the paddock I’m digging 64 rows in the ground which is being sewn with wheat. I’m probably a km from my ute and I figure if I pull up so that I walk at 90 degrees across those furrows which I can feel with my feet and don’t deviate or change angle I should run into the Ute. If I miss, I will walk into the fence eventually and follow it back to the road then just walk to my house which a light on. I walked smack into the side of my ute. Was such a Buzz. Little experiences like this made living in the country really interesting.

However, the very best job I every had was being a dad to Tanika, Edward and Chantelle.

 

Q – Any nicknames?

Noelsey, sh*thead

 

Q – Any Hobbies?

Surfing, competition ball room dancing

 

Q – Favourite Music/Musician/Band

I enjoy everything from heavy metal to classical. The Eagles, Bee Gees, Leonard Cohen, Oliva Newton John. I really love the Muppets doing Rainbow Connection – oh yeah. Frank Sinatra…

 

Q – Can you cook and what’s your favourite dish to prepare?

Bl**dy oath. If my kids are coming back to Australia (they all work overseas) they will ring and say ‘are you doing curried sausages?!’ …that’s my signature dish.

 

Q – Final & Life defining Question…. Pineapple on Pizza, Yes or No??

Bl**dy oath. Had it two nights ago

 

Thank you Noel

 

If you’d like to share your story here with your mates, please contact your member officer - we’d all luv to hear it. Cheers