Sunshine Coast

Sunshine Coast.

Continuing my stories of travels in Australia.

This story was related to me by a friend. Although I was not directly involved, I have written it as a first-person account. The actual location of the event and names of those involved, I have changed to protect their identities. In fact, the basis of this story happened many thousands of kilometers from my story's location. So, although there is some truth in the story, I have given it a lot of literary license.

I write stories and try to create interesting characters and scenarios. Often the erotica is slow in coming but it does come. If you are after a quick erotic read, this may not be for you.

I had been travelling and surfing with my brother on the east coast of Australia and was now alone with my brother Cam's van, as I continued up the coast from Northern NSW (New South Wales) with occasional day trips into Queensland's Gold and Sunshine Coasts.

My brother Cam had hooked up with an American girl who was travelling and surfing with her brother and had invited the two of us to travel to the US with them and down to Mexico to surf. I had opted out for financial reasons, as I was determined to continue what remained of my year of freedom before I started University, without having to work or hit up Mum and Dad for funds to continue my travels.

On this particular morning, I was parked behind a surf club at a small town on the Sunshine coast. This was a long time ago in the early 70's. My reason for only day trips from NSW to Queensland was a result of an incident about a year before.

My brother Cam who was working in Sydney at the time, had been invited and was staying with friends at Kirra, a famous wave spot just north of the Queensland / NSW border. As he exited the water after surfing one afternoon he was confronted by two cops at the roadside. Queensland at the time was somewhat of a 'Police State'. The dark blue police uniforms and scruffy peaked caps reminded me of Nazis and some of them didn't act much better. Plus, unlike at home where cops were generally pretty good guys, they wore guns. Cam like me had the long hair plus his bit of a beard being the fashion of the surf culture. The cops hit him up for five dollars. Cam's big mistake was laughing.

"Why would I be carrying five bucks when I'm surfing?"

They threw him and his surfboard into the back of their police wagon and took him to the Southport Police station where they then chucked him into a cell with his broken board which they had obviously stomped on.

When he didn't turn up back at their pad that evening, his friends went looking for him at the beach. Luckily a couple of the locals had seen what happened and the friends ended up at the station where they were told they could pick him up in the morning.

It appeared there was some law at the time that if you couldn't produce five dollars you could be done for vagrancy. After the friends paid a dollar the next morning, Cam who spent the night in his boardshorts shivering in the cell was released with the parting words.

"Fuck off out of the state or better still fuck off back to New Zealand."

So, the cops didn't like surfers, didn't like long hair and didn't like Kiwi's.

Hence my paranoia about having spent the night in the van parked behind a surf club in Queensland. But there was a good reason for it. An unusually big and long period swell had hit the coast the day before and I had spent the day surfing the right-hand point break rolling into the bay.

I was hoping for more of the same as I awoke with the dawn and checked out the beach. It was not only bigger but also better as the long period swell rolled down the point. I was pumped, made myself a coffee and was eating a bowl of Muesli when a red Mercedes 350SL pulled into the carpark directly behind the club. A woman in a black tracksuit carrying a hold all got out, stopped momentarily and glanced my way before unlocking and entering a door in the basement. I gave her a quick wave then finishing my breakfast locked the van, grabbed my board and checked out the beach again from the grass rise next to the club.

"Good morning. Nice waves."

I turned smiling to the woman who now stood beside me in a one-piece swimsuit, tucking her hair into a swim cap. I guess she was in her mid to late thirties, and was absolutely beautiful. She had a great body with wide swimmer's shoulders.

"You're not going to swim in that are you?" I nodded towards the maelstrom of white water smashing into the beach as the water pushed into the bay by the swell and tried to find a way back out.

"Oh my.... look at those beautiful eyes. I've never seen anything like them before. I guess you don't have any problems hooking up. Probably got a few girls tucked away in that van of yours and yes, I'll be fine thanks, swim every day...Hot body too."

I laughed and she did too. I'd learnt recently how to accept a compliment and how much easier it is than be embarrassed by one.

"Wow...thank you...and I hope you don't mind me saying. You have a beautiful smile and please don't take offence; the smile goes with the face and you also have a stunning body."

"Oh...my giddy aunt. Not only buff as hell but polite and has a brain as well. Haven't had a compliment like that in a few years. You're a real panty dropper aren't you. Where are you from, can't place the accent, it's lovely though?"

"Please don't hold it against me, but I'm a Kiwi. Ah...I guess we respect girls and women a bit different to some Aussie guys."

"You can say that again. Umm...are you sticking around?"

"Probably not. I was taking a bit of a chance parking up overnight. Don't think the cops would appreciate it."

"Oh, don't worry about that, they won't hassle you."

I laughed. "You're not a cop are you...I'd hate to make a run for it with those long legs chasing me."

"Good heavens no... let's just say I have a bit of influence with the local constabulary. Wouldn't mind paying you back for the lovely compliments...how about a coffee after your surf...my shout."

"I should be shouting you. I could be a while though."

"That's okay...I can wait."

The way she said it left me in no doubt there might be more than coffee on her mind. "Okay, that would be great. By the way...I'm Tim." I held out my hand which she took but didn't then let go immediately, just gently squeezed.

"Hello Tim with the beautiful eyes that I can't take mine off...I'm Wendy...ah...guess we better hit the water then. Are you surfing the point?"

"Yep...and thanks Wendy, you've made my day before it started"

"Oh no... you've made mine. I could stand here all day swapping mutual compliments, but I bet you are itching to get into those waves. Actually, I put my cap on in the clubhouse then pulled it off again just using it as an excuse to check you out when I saw you standing there." With that she trotted down the bank and across the sand no doubt fully aware I was following her with my eyes.

I had been watching a couple of locals with boards walking up the point above the rocks and figured there must be a track there. That had to be a better option than trying to paddle out through the middle of the bay as I had done the day before, so jogged along the beach and up the rocks. By the time I got to the end, the other two were paddling out wide of the incoming sets so I figured out where they had jumped in then waited for a lull before throwing my board and following it into the water. The swell was definitely a couple of feet bigger than the day before and I was amped to get into it. I joined the other two surfers.

"Howsit boys. Nice eh."

The two of them looked at me and were obviously sizing me up the same as I would if a stranger turned up at my break.

"Yeah, it's alright."

I got the impression they weren't too comfortable with the size, and this was confirmed when they suddenly started paddling wide of the next wave set that came through, where as I turned and paddled into the first wave which was maybe one and a half times overhead. Bottom turning then trimming out, the wave jacked up and fell over my head. Three seconds later I blasted out of the barrel, fired off a couple more turns and pulled off the wave, hooting as I did. This was the start of one of my most memorable surfs, as I reveled in the conditions as the swell got bigger.

I was joined by another guy just as the other two paddled back to the beach without taking one wave.

Jono was a real character, all smiles and as pumped as I was with the conditions. We hit it off straight away. Jono came from Western Australia where he explained the powerful waves resembled Hawaii, jacking up from deep water hitting reefs and throwing big barrels. He was a competent surfer and we encouraged and hooted for each other going wave for wave.

We had an audience now. Early morning walkers who had stopped to watch the bigger than normal waves. At least a dozen people were standing above the rocks on the point and although I normally think of nothing else when surfing, I scanned the spectators for Wendy.

There she was in her black tracksuit standing on a rock below everyone else. She waved and I waved back just as Jono let out a piercing whistle. He was pointing out to the horizon. It took me a few seconds to realize that the line of the horizon was distorted by a huge set of waves heading our way. I frantically followed Jono as we paddled away from the point and out.

We crawled up the first of the waves and fell off the back just before it broke in one continuous line from one side of the bay to the other, then just made it up the second and third before sitting on our boards grinning at one another.

"Owe you one Jono."

"No sweat brother."

Suddenly there was yelling and shouts from the people on the point. My immediate thought was someone had spotted a shark, before realizing someone must have been washed off the rocks and in my heart, I knew who, and paddled flat out 50 meters to the spot that people were moving towards and pointing. One of the men on the rocks pulled off his shirt as if to dive in but then glanced up the point at the next set of waves rolling down. He thought better of it as the first wave smashed along and up the rocks. I had no choice now and let my board go as the wave arrived. To hold onto it would have meant being swept well past where everyone was looking. I ducked under, but was still cartwheeled by the force of the wave and had to kick back up to the surface.

"Where?" I yelled at the onlookers.

"There," They pointed to a spot five meters from me.

There was nothing on the surface so I dived. The water was so full of bubbles I couldn't see, just felt just rocks and weed before the next wave hit and I was tumbled head over heels again. I was desperate for air when I bumped into her, and grabbed at a handful of hair that wrapped around my arm before pushing off the bottom. She was heavy and with lungs bursting I momentarily thought I would have to let her go as I kicked for the surface before my head broke through.

As I gasped for a lung full of air, I slipped my arms under hers and yanked her to the surface just as the next wave hit us. Determined not to let her go we were tumbled over and over my hip hitting against the rocks. We broke surface again and I managed to get behind Wendy and keep her head clear, but what to do next? Try for the rocks or take the long road and try to swim for the beach.

"Tim." It was Jono, 20 meters away on his board. "Can you get her over here?"

Dolphin kicking, I headed towards Jono while keeping Wendy in front of me. I couldn't believe she was so heavy and she flopped around like a rag doll. It was that bloody woolen track suit. Then Jono was grabbing at her and pulled her across his board.

"On her side...get her on her side," he told me.

Jono was whacking his palm between Wendy's shoulder blades and on the third hit she coughed then vomited. Thank God for that, I had been convinced she was drowned. Blood was seeping from the side of her head and across the board. This was a good sign 'Dead men don't bleed.' was one of my father's sayings.

"We've got to get rid of the bloody tracksuit Jono." We rolled Wendy and unzipped the top then wriggled it off. Next the pants leaving Wendy in just panties and bra.

She continued to cough and gasp for breath but her eyes remained closed. Jono and I started to push the board and swim towards the beach. With Wendy lying on her side, it was a balancing act and we had to stop and hold her as each unbroken swell lifted and passed beneath us.

"How the hell do we get her through that Jono?" We were two hundred meters from the beach and the swells in front of us were rearing up and smashing into acres of whitewater. We were going to lose Wendy for sure if we just kept pushing in the way we were.

"Been thinking about that. Do you think you could surf her in mate?"

"Guess it's worth a shot. Don't think we can wait for help. God knows how much blood she's lost."

We put Wendy on her back and I crawled on top of her trying to position myself so that the board was trimmed. Too far back and the board wouldn't surf. Too far forward and we would nose dive which would be a complete disaster. If I lost her in the broken whitewater, I would never be able to find her again.

"Looks good Tim, just as well she's not a seventeen stone joker. When I say, paddle like hell. We'll need to pick a big one, if we get much closer, we're going to get smashed from behind."

We waited for a couple of minutes. I was conscious of Wendy beneath me and tried to ease my chest off hers to help her breathe. We could hear sirens now, coming from the road behind the surf club and we could see people moving along the beach towards us.

"Set coming Tim." Looking behind I saw a decent size set. I knew we wouldn't get onto the first wave and it lifted and passed under us. I thought the second wave would do the same, but Jono thought different.

"Paddle like hell matey." Jono gave us an almighty shove from behind and as the swell lifted us, I felt the board begin to slide. To head straight in was risking getting smashed from behind as the wave broke, so I angled right and surfed along the unbroken face as far as possible before I saw the section in front rear up, so straightened out, wrapped my arms around Wendy and the board and held on for grim death. The wave exploded behind me bouncing us into the air momentarily and surrounding us with a cloud of water and foam.

As the wave started to peter out, I aimed straight ahead for the beach not rolling off until the fin hit the sand. Arms and legs surrounded us and Wendy was lifted away while I lay on my back in the shallows, absolutely knackered. A big dude in 'Speedo's' and wearing a surf club cap grabbed my hand and lifted me to my feet then lead me up the beach where I collapsed on the sand.

"You okay mate?"

"Will be in a while...hey my mates still out there...got no board. The 'Clubby' (Surf club member.) trotted off along the beach in the direction I pointed.

"Are you okay Dearie, here, sit up?" An elderly lady draped a towel over my shoulders. I guess it was because she had seen I was shaking a bit. Not because I was cold, just exhausted and maybe on a come down from the adrenalin rush of what went down. My hip started to hurt a bit too. A few minutes later as I was still sitting on the sand Jono flopped down beside me.

"Jesus Tim I'm fucked mate...current was a bitch...thought I might end up visiting some of your relatives in New Zealand."

We grinned at each other but it was a subdued grin as I guess we were both thinking of Wendy. Half drowned and bleeding. The clubby sat behind us.

"Fucking good job guys, you should be bloody proud of yourselves."

"Thanks mate...just hope she's alright Have you heard how she is?"

"Nah... the ambos have got her on oxygen and wrapped up her head. She was still unconscious when I saw her."

I became conscious of a couple of pairs of boots next to me and looked up at a couple of cops. An older one with Sargeant stripes and a younger one. "Need you two to come down to the station with us and make statements."

"Hey Sarge, give them a break will you...these two are absolutely buggered. Can't it wait a bit. How about doing it in the club while I at least get them a drink or something?"

The younger cop looked at the older one. "Yeah okay."

We followed the two cops up the beach to the clubhouse. A guy handed us Jono's board, and there were a few comments from the onlookers. One guy suggested the coppers should take us down the pub and shout us a beer.

"I'm Roger, the club captain here." He shook hands with Jono and me as we wandered up and introduced ourselves.

"Thanks for that Roger." I nodded towards the two cops.

"Least I can do after what you did for Mrs. Dawson. Don't suppose you know who she is?"

"No, spoke to her this morning though. Nice lady."

"Yeah, well the Dawson's own most of this town. And I'm not kidding. Even the club here has been mostly built thanks to the Dawsons."

"Shit...you know how to pick them." Jono laughed.

We climbed a set of steps onto a big decking that overlooked the beach then sat opposite the two cops at a table. They took their caps off and pulled out note pads. The Sargeant cop looked even meaner without his cap. He sported a long-ago broken nose and a couple of other scars on his bald head.

"What can I get you guys?" Roger included the cops. I just wanted water and Jono was at it again. "Haven't you had enough of that already?" Jono and the younger cop opted for coffees.

"Righto...names and addresses."

Jono went first giving his address in Western Australia then explained he was staying with a girlfriend and gave that address, but didn't know the phone number.

When it was my turn. I explained I was on holiday here from New Zealand, no fixed address.

The cop raised his eyes to the ceiling momentarily. "That your van in the carpark." I nodded.

"Right then one of you explain what happened. No dramatics, just stick to the basics."

"All yours Tim." Jono grinned at me.

Roger brought out our drinks on a tray then sat opposite us at another table where he could listen. Like the cop said, I just stuck to the basics and went through the events but I did try and embellish Jono's role in the rescue. The only reason we got her to the beach was because of Jono.

"You got anything to add." The cop turned to Jono.

"Nah... that's what happened, bang on."

Then the cop turned to Roger. "What about you."

"Yep. Been doing this job for 15 years and that's got to be the best rescue I can remember or have heard of."

The Sargeant wasn't impressed. "Okay here is the deal. I want you both to stick around. If Mrs. Dawson survives, she will want to thank you and my arse will be in a sling if you aren't around and that happens. If however, she doesn't survive then my arse will also be in a sling if you're not around. There will be a coroner's inquiry and at the very least you will need to complete an affidavit and may be required to attend the coroner's inquest. Got it. We need to be able to contact you, so don't think about buggering off or there will be an APB if you know what that means, and every cop here or in New South Wales will be on your arse. Shouldn't be hard to find that van." He looked at me.

"Loud and clear." said Jono. "Sorry Tim, not in a position to offer you a bed mate, not my place and other than a tiny sofa there aren't any anyway."

"Well, I guess we can find room at the back of the station for that van meantime." Cam's experience with the cops came to mind.

Roger piped up. "How about this. We've got accommodation here. There is a bunkroom. Tim would be more than welcome, in fact Wendy... Mrs. Dawson would probably be pissed off if we didn't look after him. Then that way you know where he is and can contact him anytime. What do you think Tim?"