john.robert_mcpherson
37 Palm Beach (Qld) SLSC training Indonesians in surf reel and belt, Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia. September 1977
37 Palm Beach (Qld) SLSC training Indonesians in surf reel and belt, Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia. September 1977
John (Spider) McPherson and Mark (Coco) Crampton with their morning and afternoon squads of trainees and a few others were asked to pose for the camera. Franz Henrick in yellow shirt was an Indonesian lifesaver going for his Instructors Certificate and so he was training the afternoon squad with Coco and I. Franz was a reserved, very competent lifesaver. He kept his own counsel but knew what he was doing. Franz gained his Instructors Certificate with ease.
When asked to pose for the photograph with our squads I was immediately pushed into a position of discomfort. Since most of the trainees only reached my shoulder I crouched down to avoid appearing like a giraffe. This created another problem however. Being intimately close to a man was foreign to my experience and my nation's culture. For the Indonesians though nothing was more natural than to embrace a friend. With the camera pointed at us one of the men put his arms around my neck and clung on tight. When in Rome do as the Romans do. I put my arm around him and told myself to relax as I would not die by hugging him in return -- and I did not. Bali destroyed so many silly Australian inhibitions that I feel indebted to the affectionate Indonesian men with whom we worked.
37 Palm Beach (Qld) SLSC training Indonesians in surf reel and belt, Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia. September 1977
37 Palm Beach (Qld) SLSC training Indonesians in surf reel and belt, Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia. September 1977
John (Spider) McPherson and Mark (Coco) Crampton with their morning and afternoon squads of trainees and a few others were asked to pose for the camera. Franz Henrick in yellow shirt was an Indonesian lifesaver going for his Instructors Certificate and so he was training the afternoon squad with Coco and I. Franz was a reserved, very competent lifesaver. He kept his own counsel but knew what he was doing. Franz gained his Instructors Certificate with ease.
When asked to pose for the photograph with our squads I was immediately pushed into a position of discomfort. Since most of the trainees only reached my shoulder I crouched down to avoid appearing like a giraffe. This created another problem however. Being intimately close to a man was foreign to my experience and my nation's culture. For the Indonesians though nothing was more natural than to embrace a friend. With the camera pointed at us one of the men put his arms around my neck and clung on tight. When in Rome do as the Romans do. I put my arm around him and told myself to relax as I would not die by hugging him in return -- and I did not. Bali destroyed so many silly Australian inhibitions that I feel indebted to the affectionate Indonesian men with whom we worked.