The first Indigenous world surfing champ might just come from the GC
In 1911, the first recorded surf rescue took place on the Gold Coast ... and it was by an Aboriginal man who has since inspired a new generation of Indigenous surfers
THE turquoise surf looked inviting. From the safety of Coolangatta’s golden sand, Mr McGonagil did not know that the crystal-blue water would almost claim his life.
Panicking, he felt the weight of the ocean was threatening to pour into his lungs just as the strong arms of Churaki, a Coodjingburra man of the Bundjalung tribe, hauled him safely to shore.
This rescue, in March, 1911, is one of the first documented acts of lifesaving on the Gold Coast, and one of many made by Churaki.
Historical reports suggest that the Aboriginal man worked at a Coolangatta hotel and spent hours watching over swimmers from Greenmount Hill under obligations of cultural lore.
The heroic actions of Churaki, pronounced Jeh-ra-kai, have largely fallen from memory on the Gold Coast.
The minutes of the first meeting of the Tweed Heads and Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club in 1911 recognise Churaki as performing rescues in the area.
These notes, along with a letter of commendation from the Royal Humane Society Australasia for the rescue of Mr McGonagil, mentions in newspaper clippings and local memories remain as evidence of Churaki’s brave deeds.
His fading legacy is largely because the waterman’s dying wish was to have his worldly documents burned with him when he died.
There was a push to have his deeds recognised with a statue at Tweed Heads in 2003.
And while the statue was never built, his story shouldn’t be forgotten say Fingal’s Joel and Mary Slabb.
Joel and Mary have started a notfor-profit organisation in Churaki’s name with the permission of local elders.
“One of his dying wishes was to have everything burned on him, that’s why we find it hard to find out a lot about him, it’s all verbal,” said Joel.
Named Juraki Surf Culture, so people would pronounce the hero’s name properly, the organisation is about inspiring confidence and community for Indigenous kids – and getting surfboards under their feet.
In a couple of weeks, Joel and Mary will set off around the country to deliver boards to Indigenous surfers.
Juraki Surf Culture plans to go as far as Darwin, Broome and Tasmania.
“That’s what the elders want to see (recognition) – it’s one of those stories that is honourable,” said Joel.
Joel, along with his brothers, was a talented surfer in the 1990s.
His father Kevin kicked off one of the first Indigenous surf competitions at Fingal in 1996, sponsored by Billabong.
“This is the story of a hero – I know there are a lot of heroes but he was an Indigenous hero.”
Joel explains Churaki was sent to Greenmount Hill to watch over swimmers by his father Gumoi because of cultural protocol.
“It’s because of cultural protocol, if we welcome you to our country then it’s our responsibility we have to look after you and out of respect you have to keep our laws and honour our ways,” he said.
It is documented that Indigenous people rescued seamen when ships were wrecked on the notoriously rough Tweed River mouth.
Joel said it was the same for swimmers.
“And because there was a lot of people around this area here, his father sent him.
“We had local responsibility, we had to make sure they were safe around the ocean.”
A letter from a woman to The Queenslander newspaper in January 1884 paints a picture of Churaki as a true waterman, describing him as an “enthusiastic fisherman and willing oarsman”.
“We join in his excursions and cover a great deal of water, we fish morning, afternoon, and night, equipped with rod for whiting and bream,” the letter reads.
“Our native companion chuckles with satisfaction when he hooks a large fish which makes him pay out his line.”
The letter suggests Churaki regularly took visitors on extremely successful tours of the Tweed River and its inlets.
“He only shows signs of gloom when the fish have temporarily retired … but such intervals of waiting are rare,” the letter continues.
“In pursuit of fish we explored the sand spits at the entrance and the deeper holes some distance up the river.”
In a letter to the Courier-Mail in 1933, a man described Greenmount Hill as Churaki Hill.
So it was fitting that the same hill watched over Juraki Surf Culture’s first surfing event earlier this year, which opened the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast in March.
With the help of 2012 world champion Joel Parkinson and World Surf League commissioner Kieren Perrow, local Indigenous children surfed with top professional surfers.
They tore up the waves with Parkinson, John John Florence, Stephanie Gilmore, Sally Fitzgibbon and Courtney Conologue as elders watched from the beach.
“Juraki community have some really great young surfers,” Parkinson said.
“The opportunity to have them mix in with the world’s best surfers is huge.”
Mary Slabb said the four hours in the water was a massive boost for the confidence of the young surfers.
“You know to have someone of that calibre push them into a wave at that age they’re stoked,” she said.
“Kieran Perrow did his best to make them feel like pros for the day.”
The competition ran just a month after Juraki Surf Culture formed.
“Parko really wanted to do something for the community, it’s just fitting,” Joel said.
“We know Joel (Parkinson) just from around here, and through Billabong and stuff like that, I went one day to have coffee with him and he said ‘Yeah, it’s happening’,” Joel said.
“We’d love to keep working with the WSL but it’s one of those things it up to them, they honoured everything we asked for,” he said.
Working independently of Surfing Queensland and NSW Surf Lifesaving, Juraki Surf Culture has attracted a plethora of local sponsors.
This allowed it to hold the Juraki Surf Invitational last month in which 60 Indigenous surfers from around the country hit the surf at Fingal over three days.
It also held a winter waterman program in July teaching surfing and lifesaving skills.
Joel said the connection to country is important and through surfing and water skills the organisation hopes to encourage community in a positive environment that doesn’t single them out as being disadvantaged.
“It’s one of those tags you put on Aboriginal kids, disadvantage,” Joel said.
“There are a lot of programs that label people as disadvantaged – we want to get away from that when we can – we don’t want to go down that road.”
Joel and Mary also stress the importance of closing the gap between Indigenous people and the