Bare poles shiver in the gale that's blown the surf champions from Bells
Beach. But it takes more than a gale to drive old Pa Bendall indoors.
Of course Pa isn't out there to win anything. He just wants to prove you are
never too old for anything. And while the competitors sit and wait for the sea to
send them waves worthy of champions, Pa battles through the choppy soup to
prove his point.
It's a rough wave but he catches it even if the ride finishes up a short one.
I am 65 but I'm not a pensioner. I don't think I am. You've been travelling around doing this for a long
time, or? No, I started at the age of 54 and
then by virtue of the fact it's an individual sport, I enjoy it. And then my
wife, she got a bit suspicious I might drift out to sea so she decided to do it
two years later. What happened to your eye? My eye - I had that at sunset in 1964
that's in Hawaii. I caught a big wave but I didn't know how to handle it and I hit the
reef. Smashed my nose, broke two ribs and about three months later the eye got
double vision. And now I see everything in the world
that is double with the exception of one thing. What's that?
Money.
(Laughs) There has to be a catch. Listen tell me what
about your eye though and your double vision regarding your balance for
your surfing, does this worry you at all? Oh no I put this on so I can keep my eye
open. Before I put it on I lost all my
teeth because I fell on the board, see? I went to step forward and hang five and I went
down and smashed my teeth. How long do you think you'll be able to keep this up for?
I don't know you'll have to ask that guy up there! Alright, what about Ma, where's she? Can we
have a word with her? Oh Ma! Come on Ma! Here she is, the old one. How old is Ma?
Oh Ma's over 60. Can we ask this of a lady? Oh yes! How old? Oh, I was 60 in February.
Do you worry about him at all, getting out there with all those waves? He's old enough to look after himself.
What about you, do you go out yourself?
Oh, of course.
Now, you're down here at the particular moment for competitions. Are you
entering or just spectating? Oh well, we've come down to see the world
titles and getting in a ride now and again when we can. What do you think
about the kids today, the surfers? I think they're mighty most of them. Oh yes they
are. It's a fabulous sport. It's an individual sport and now it's getting to
be a social sport more than it was before. It was too professional but now
the kids take it and as long as they don't continue through life, you know
professionally, go to school and get educated and get a trade or a profession
and then surf. They're accomplished. How do you maintain
yourselves financially with this, just travelling around like this? Well, we have a
business up in Caloundra, a flat business. We manage it somehow. I don't know how.
I suppose we better let
you, what? Get into your van which is pretty well set up to take you anywhere
and get yourself warm. Oh yes but we're with it you know! All the time. Jog in the
morning. We do all kinds of activities. Oh yes now we're we're anticipating going snow
skiing you can see our dogs have all got equipment with their fur coats on.
To go snow skiing.
As far as Pa and Ma Bendall are concerned, they don't surf who sit and
watch. While the surf's up they'll be there hanging five across the generation
gap. Even if it's only the practice waves at Lorne.