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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.
The beaches in Australia are often right at your back door. The houses in the background are simple units. Just imagine sipping your coffee on the balcony of one of those units?
The race was great as well. We are big on surf boats. Quiet dangerous sport slicing through massive sets. Lot of the races are ending up in real carnage! Fun! I have shot this one from the ocean side while doing water safety for the victims of the carnage.
36 Palm Beach (Qld) SLSC training Indonesians in surf reel and belt, Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia. September 1977
For our trainees who were good swimmers the hard work began with surf reel and belt training. This work requires not only strength and stamina, but also precise and disciplined drill procedures.
By far the tallest and strongest Indonesian I have met was Ida Bagus Garuda Pujarsa. He was a giant among his compatriots. Garuda is shown in this photograph performing his signature trick of carrying another man on his shoulders. In this case it was Barry Magnus who was far from a lightweight. Even more remarkable than Garduda's stature and strength was his character. He was truly a man of integrity and principle who carried himself with a confident dignity. Garuda had held a commission in the Indonesian navy, but on a matter of honour had felt obliged to resign. That Garuda held himself to high and dignified standards was unsurprising. His grandfather had been the preeminent Brahmin on Bali and a man held in some reverence. Garuda had inherited no small amount of whatever charisma his grandfather possessed.
Garuda was an adventurous soul, trying his hand at rice cultivation and prawn culture in East Java, and even worked oilrigs in Aceh on Sumatra. He was forever battling bureaucracy and was confident to attempt most ventures. Why not then learn to be a surf lifesaver? Why not indeed. Garuda was a very apt pupil and became a first rate lifesaver.
Palm Beach (Qld) SLSC - Bellows Beach, Oahu - World Surf Lifesaving Championships, Hawaii, 1983 - Photograph by Robert McPherson 06-08-2015_28a