Meet Our Vice Chair With Beachy Hair.
Rachael Parker, Torquay
“I grew up in Melbourne and moved down the Surf Coast five years ago.”
How old were you when you took up surfing? And why did you start?
I had my first surf lesson when I was 30 and never looked back. I was working in Portugal and my boss told me as an Aussie I needed to learn to surf. Passing me onto his friend for some surf lessons, he made me go out every day.
What do you love about surfing?
I love the feeling of dancing on the waves. Reading the lines of the wave and playing with the ocean.
What's the biggest challenge for you when it comes to surfing?
Fear… I’m so scared of paddling into bigger waves.
What's your favourite surf spot and why?
Torquay Point. It’s where I really learnt to surf and it’s also walking distance from home.
“I love the feeling of dancing on the waves. Reading the lines of the wave and playing with the ocean. ”
How often do you surf in an average week?
Almost daily. Sometimes twice a day!
Tell us a bit about your work?
I run a charity called Ocean Mind. We provide therapeutic surfing programs for young people with mental health challenges and disabilities. We train local surfers as mentors and match them 1:1 with the young people on the program. It’s amazing to see the confidence of the little surfers grow as they have fun learning to surf.
Is it your dream job being able to make your living in the surf?
Yes, I kind of created my dream job. Unfortunately I’ve now employed someone to do my dream job and I spend a lot more time behind a computer than I would like.
How do you think being a surfer has changed your life?
Surfing changed everything about my life. I moved down the Surf Coast so I could surf, I no longer take holidays that don’t involve surfing and Ocean Mind was born out of learning to surf and understanding the mental health benefits of gliding along a wave.
And what goals do you still have in surfing?
I want to learn to be comfortable in bigger surf and ride my shortboard a lot more.
What advice would you give someone just starting out on their surfing journey?
Keep paddling out and giving it a go. It does get easier.
