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Your backstage pass to the world of surfing, hosted by MC and commentator Terry “Tappa” Teece. From pro surfers and legends of the sport to shapers, innovators and anyone with an epic story and a love for the ocean—The Green Room dives deep. Expect tales of epic wins, brutal wipeouts, and behind-the-scenes moments from life in and out of the water. Whether you’re chasing waves or just some inspiration, this podcast will leave you stoked to paddle out.
00;00;07;19 - 00;00;29;09
Tappa
Welcome to the Green Room. Your backstage pass to the world of surfing. I'm your host, surf emcee and commentator, Terry Tapper diving into epic winds, crashing fouls and wild stories with surfing's biggest names, as well as the legends working behind the scenes to keep that state alive. A big shout out to our sponsor for this episode. The official break out with their new Jersey lager.
00;00;29;11 - 00;00;49;27
Tappa
So wax up, paddle out and join us in the green room with a surf chat. Navy guys, flat and ice. Welcome to the Green Room. My first memories of today's guests was when I was cutting my teeth at Berkeley with my brother Robert and my good mate Marcus Moore, both goofy for us. We lived in Miami, and as soon as the wind was south and the swell was up, we're at Berkeley.
00;00;49;29 - 00;01;16;01
Tappa
There are a lot of guys out there who dominate the line up, but this black stood out guy on raw, tall, lanky, a man who could drive vertically off the bottom and hook up and under the lip and then ride out onto the curl, repeating the dice. Many a time. When might Marcus Moore and my brother Robert, I reckon, got their own style of that guy and just watching him is one and I and club Championship at round in his 50s and still dominates the lineup, particularly when the waves are solid.
00;01;16;04 - 00;01;35;13
Tappa
But he's more than that. A husband, a father, a grandfather, a man of God who has traveled as a missionary overseas and before retirement, a pastor at Kings College. He surfed against the world's best. And as has respect from surfers all around the world. Most of all, he is a good guy. He is guy. Welcome to the green room guy.
00;01;35;13 - 00;01;35;25
Tappa
I'm Rod.
00;01;35;29 - 00;01;37;23
Guy
Thanks, Tab. Awesome.
00;01;37;25 - 00;01;48;00
Tappa
Mate. It's so good to have you here. And so many of my guests have talked about you because, you know, you're a bit of a well known figure around the place, but your early life, did you, were you born on the Gordie on.
00;01;48;05 - 00;02;10;05
Guy
No, I was I was born in Sydney. My dad was Maroubra surf lifesaver. So I'm one of the original Bra boys. My mum was married. Matt travel, botany. That's where my, grandparents were from. And so. Early years. I was born in, Paddington Royal Women's Hospital and, Sydney. Boy.
00;02;10;12 - 00;02;12;25
Tappa
Wow. And when did you come to the Gold Coast?
00;02;12;27 - 00;02;35;12
Guy
My dad worked for six brothers that were a big contracting firm. Yeah, and we moved from there down to Husky and then from there out to the Snowy Mountains. And then by the age of ten, I'd moved about eight locations and then finally ended up on the Gold Coast because of all the, all the canal contracts, you know, the contractors and building all the canals.
00;02;35;12 - 00;02;40;29
Guy
And my dad was, you know, working there. And that's how we got to the Gold Coast, right?
00;02;40;29 - 00;02;47;03
Tappa
Yeah. At ten. And my what? How did you find surfing or or surfing fans. You how did that happen?
00;02;47;04 - 00;03;06;22
Guy
Well, my dad was, a lifesaver. And the first time we ever saw waves was at Palm Beach. The first day we got there, and it was a dumping shore break, and he grabbed me by my arm and my leg and threw me into a a close out shore, but I got absolutely smashed. Came up crying. He goes, no, that's the worst that's going to happen to you.
00;03;06;22 - 00;03;13;08
Guy
Go out there and have fun. And I just took it up from there, surfing the all cool lights, you know.
00;03;13;10 - 00;03;21;22
Tappa
So what's the first wave that you really remember? That sort of hooked you, like on surfing? What was your first wave that you remember?
00;03;21;25 - 00;03;27;00
Guy
I think it was when we got off the cool lights. I mean, cool lights were great, but they used to just.
00;03;27;00 - 00;03;29;13
Tappa
Talk to me hectic.
00;03;29;19 - 00;03;48;16
Guy
And we try and stand up on them. So it goes from all the time. And then we would get one and we'd try and stick and bits of timber in it as fins. Yeah. And then a guy saw me, Rodney's cool lights. He was a, a surf lifesaver at Palm Beach, surf club. And he had a mick.
00;03;48;16 - 00;04;06;15
Guy
Kerry, four foot three, twin fin square square tile with the old sort of half moon shaped fins. And one of them had been knocked out. And my dad said, lock him, put a he got a bit of an arrow dot and a bit of, timber and stuck it in there. And that was it. And that was my first surfboard.
00;04;06;15 - 00;04;14;14
Tappa
So a twin fin. But that would have been why, before the twin fin era on it. Why before was I what is that about my.
00;04;14;15 - 00;04;22;01
Guy
Oh, that was in I was ten, so it was in 1968. Nice. Yeah. Yeah.
00;04;22;04 - 00;04;25;12
Tappa
So twin finished 68. That's like start of the cut down here.
00;04;25;15 - 00;04;32;02
Guy
Oh, no, it was just, it was just a mic. Had no rocker in it. It was just like a surfboard cutting off.
00;04;32;03 - 00;04;37;15
Tappa
And that's when, when you got your your first wave, where was it that your first real kind of wave at Palm Beach?
00;04;37;20 - 00;04;57;09
Guy
In front of the surf club? Because I used to live across the road. That was our first place because, or the old Broad Beach and that were getting developed all the canals. And my dad worked at all the canals. And so our first spot was at Palm Beach. And then, from there on, we just moved to Burley and then a few other locations on the Gold Coast.
00;04;57;10 - 00;05;12;22
Tappa
Yeah, I remember the canals being built and all these big, earthmovers going on at the back of the caravan park. We used to sit there playing in the sand and watching the. Yeah, big things. It was amazing because really, back then the Gold Coast existed to the Gold Coast Highway and maybe a couple of blocks back. And that was what I.
00;05;12;23 - 00;05;13;01
Tappa
Yeah.
00;05;13;02 - 00;05;20;01
Guy
Like back then, like a Hollywood drive in that, that was just old Bush and that.
00;05;20;04 - 00;05;23;24
Tappa
Well that's like what will remain and all that, that was like that was the sticks.
00;05;23;27 - 00;05;24;14
Guy
Yeah.
00;05;24;17 - 00;05;29;05
Tappa
And kids we went to school. More merriment from madder by that. I said, how did I get to school on time.
00;05;29;08 - 00;05;30;21
Guy
Well Mary was in the sticks.
00;05;30;24 - 00;05;43;15
Tappa
Yeah it was that. Yeah it was. Yeah it was. Why am I out now. So from that Matt you started obviously surfing and you had a bit of talent as a young fella. You seemed to go pretty good from what I remember and what I've been told.
00;05;43;18 - 00;06;11;08
Guy
I so I started surfing at Palm Beach and then, my dad had a stint, in the lock up for, for a few reasons. And so, my, my mum, they because my dad went to jail, they what do we do with this woman with a couple of kids? So Tweed Heads Bay Lodge, it was a it was a lodging house.
00;06;11;11 - 00;06;19;14
Guy
And, so she ran that. And that's how I got to meet Michael Peterson and Tommy Peterson, because they had the pool room underneath.
00;06;19;16 - 00;06;19;27
Tappa
Right.
00;06;19;27 - 00;06;29;21
Guy
And because everyone from Coolangatta, like Peter, would come and play pool there, and rabbit would come and play pool. And I was only just started surfing. Those months would be only 11.
00;06;29;24 - 00;06;34;00
Tappa
So you're a grommet. And they had kinda like a little bit. Yeah, yeah, they're.
00;06;34;00 - 00;06;55;15
Guy
Older than me. And then, I joined Kirra Boardriders first Kirra and then, from there, there was a few contests on, you know, and the Gold Coast cadet titles came up and someone said you should go in it, and I think I was too. So I won the Gold Coast Cadet Championships three years in a row.
00;06;55;15 - 00;06;56;11
Guy
Under 15.
00;06;56;15 - 00;06;58;29
Tappa
Wow. That's pretty cool. Yeah.
00;06;58;29 - 00;07;09;23
Guy
And then got chosen for that too when I got to high school. Surf in the under 15 school boys championship and and one that the under 15 school boys.
00;07;09;25 - 00;07;14;08
Tappa
The girl has no Australia. Wow. Australian title at 15 right.
00;07;14;10 - 00;07;16;24
Guy
Yeah yeah I was I was only 14.
00;07;17;00 - 00;07;24;05
Tappa
Oh you're four. Yeah. Aside from then, everything sort of just started. You got a lot more attention, obviously, I suppose.
00;07;24;06 - 00;07;39;29
Guy
Yeah. And I said I said really much, pretty much just hanging out with the old guys. Yeah. And wherever the surf was good. Just bumming lift, whether it was Coolangatta or whether it was, you know, the the beach breaks up abroad or whatever. And so hanging with the older guys, I should just sort of like glean off them.
00;07;39;29 - 00;07;55;19
Guy
And then you get to surf different locations and then, yeah. From then on I after after my mum after my dad going to jail, we had to move and then we moved to Burley and then I joined Burley.
00;07;55;21 - 00;07;57;23
Tappa
Burley. But right now you're back.
00;07;57;28 - 00;08;22;12
Guy
That was way back in the day. And then from then, Burley, there was a few undesirables in the club back then. Yeah. And, and so the course I really what I was Queensland cadet champion and there was a real push from the north end of the Gold Coast and, the first major club up there back in the day was like, and, went and.
00;08;22;12 - 00;08;24;26
Tappa
See, I am now Chalmers and Paul Nelson.
00;08;24;29 - 00;08;38;15
Guy
Paul Nelson, Peter drawn, you know, young, Doris and all those guys. And so I end up joining that. And then from there, I got an invite to the first pas. Bendel.
00;08;38;17 - 00;08;40;18
Tappa
Oh yeah, that's a no.
00;08;40;18 - 00;09;00;02
Guy
I was only 14 and I and it was unbelievable. So I got to go up there with the wind and say, crew, because I was in wind and say, and I was a Queensland cadet champ. And so I got an invite to it. And then we got up there on the Wednesday and Thursday there was a cyclone getting pushed down from, from, the tropics.
00;09;00;04 - 00;09;22;26
Guy
And the swell was coming up, but also the rain. And so all the roads between the Gold Coast and Brisbane and Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast were closed. That was on the Thursday. The chorus are supposed to start on the Saturday, set to cancel it, but there was Jerry Lopez and a whole lot of the Hawaiians. They got up there just before I got up there and so we got the surf.
00;09;22;28 - 00;09;35;23
Guy
Unbelievable tea tree with my hero Jerry Lopez and all the Hawaiians, and we got stuck there. And then the commerce had to be delayed until the week after. And then I got second to, my mate Richard Harvey.
00;09;35;26 - 00;09;40;03
Tappa
Yeah. And that's, you know, the thing was, you would have got a bit of prize money for that when you get in second.
00;09;40;08 - 00;09;51;03
Guy
I got, well, it was the richest contest in Australia at the time. He won, $1,500, and I won $250 for second.
00;09;51;05 - 00;09;51;26
Tappa
But still.
00;09;51;27 - 00;09;54;10
Guy
But for back those days, it was huge.
00;09;54;11 - 00;10;12;03
Tappa
Well, I thought that was a bad. And, you know, I asked Richard about it and Richard and I said, well, might what was that thought I guess. Well, actually I used a thousand of it and put down a 10% deposit on a house and land package at Dawn parade, Miami Sun. Yes, I house it. Dawn parades with, what, about 1.5 million?
00;10;12;03 - 00;10;14;20
Tappa
Yes. That it's like that's like 150 grand.
00;10;14;20 - 00;10;15;01
Guy
Really.
00;10;15;02 - 00;10;21;24
Tappa
I know that's a lot of money. Yeah. So the richest contest and you actually beat Jerry Lopez by the end of it.
00;10;21;26 - 00;10;41;08
Guy
And Rabbit Noel, I was the only guy that wasn't in it was, MP. I don't know where AMP was that year, but paid Peter and all the guys from Sydney came up like Mark Warren, Carl Smith, all those guys, dapper Terry Fitzgerald, everyone was there. It was a richest contest and it was perfect wise. The cyclone was forming and everyone, you know, they had.
00;10;41;08 - 00;10;43;11
Tappa
To do a ritual going left to at Moffitt.
00;10;43;11 - 00;10;51;19
Guy
Yes, we at the at the end, at the very end of in the finals, the tide had come in and the riots got a bit fat and.
00;10;51;19 - 00;10;52;08
Tappa
Which I do.
00;10;52;12 - 00;11;11;27
Guy
It was in my semi, I think he was in the first semi, I was in the second semi and I just started going left and he caught onto it and then we sat on the left together. But because he's rich in and he's the master and Aussie apprentice, let him have it. I'm not really
00;11;11;29 - 00;11;23;28
Tappa
that's that's pretty cool. My and that's like honestly went on our talk to Richard about the money and that that's like it's amazing. That was that was like a real it was like having a seat really with all these crew that were there.
00;11;24;00 - 00;11;31;02
Guy
That was it was really good because Richard took me on under my under his wing at that time, and I got to go to the bill he took into the bills contest.
00;11;31;04 - 00;11;31;19
Tappa
So you went in.
00;11;31;19 - 00;11;33;27
Guy
Bells to I in the, I went in all the.
00;11;34;03 - 00;11;36;27
Tappa
How do you go on it at bells.
00;11;36;29 - 00;11;39;26
Guy
1415 wow is it's a.
00;11;39;26 - 00;11;41;13
Tappa
Lot for a young like there's.
00;11;41;13 - 00;12;01;27
Guy
A, there's a fight because I got knocked out pretty early. So I had to caddie because there was no leg ropes, so I had to carry. So I used to just go out there and take this second board and sit in the channel. And there was one. Tom was absolutely huge. And that I had, you know, rabbit and I was a caddie for rabbit and Ian Cairns.
00;12;02;00 - 00;12;09;28
Guy
I remember Kanga eating it on the take off for not the paddle. My board over to him, which was his ball, and then swim all the way in.
00;12;10;05 - 00;12;13;03
Tappa
Like a croc, not a near the bottom where you would you get a winky.
00;12;13;06 - 00;12;23;12
Guy
And, it was pretty big, but I was a good swimmer. Yeah. You know, my dad was a surf loss. I haven't I learned I was in the nippers at, you know, early in the day. Back in the day.
00;12;23;14 - 00;12;31;18
Tappa
Wow. So that that's that's an amazing adventure for such a young guy. But I reckon because you're such a tall fella, a lot of people would have thought you were a lot older than you were.
00;12;31;19 - 00;12;32;21
Guy
Was skinny, though.
00;12;32;26 - 00;12;35;26
Tappa
Oh. You skinny.
00;12;35;29 - 00;12;39;08
Guy
Oh. So skinny. Yeah. Oh.
00;12;39;10 - 00;12;42;00
Tappa
Mike. That's awesome. So he did bells in all these contests.
00;12;42;00 - 00;12;42;21
Guy
All those college.
00;12;42;21 - 00;12;46;18
Tappa
Yeah. And then then where you go from there, like you got sponsorships and all that.
00;12;46;18 - 00;12;50;04
Guy
Got sponsorships from Billabong. And,
00;12;50;07 - 00;12;52;12
Tappa
I that would have been early days of Billabong, wouldn't it?
00;12;52;16 - 00;13;14;04
Guy
Well, my wife was one of the first sellers. Debbie Ormerod she was Debbie Stevens back in the day. But when Gordon first started, he started up at Miami Headland on the headland with, Rick Tracey. And if you know, not Rick Tracey, Tracey Richmond, I think it was. And anyway, they it was an all pair of shorts that I had.
00;13;14;09 - 00;13;31;17
Guy
And then Gordon had a few because I was only a size 28 then. And so I was he and they were mine was falling apart, though I don't know what they were. They'll fall apart. And Rena, who could. So just unpick them and unpick Gordon's and made a sort of a pattern out of a bit of cardboard.
00;13;31;17 - 00;13;35;19
Guy
And then she saw them together and that's how they first started.
00;13;35;19 - 00;13;39;00
Tappa
So you must have been one of the first sponsors. Yeah. From Billabong.
00;13;39;00 - 00;13;53;25
Guy
Yeah. Well, they changed the history of it. I was one of the first sponsors. When you look back in the history books and now it's been taken over by corporations, have rewritten it, you know, because because, young they say Joe Ingles was the first.
00;13;53;25 - 00;13;56;13
Tappa
But Joe Joe's why younger than you wouldn't he.
00;13;56;16 - 00;13;58;27
Guy
He was why young. And he came from Sydney.
00;13;59;00 - 00;13;59;19
Tappa
Yeah. So and.
00;13;59;19 - 00;14;00;23
Guy
I Bondi. Yeah. Yeah.
00;14;00;23 - 00;14;03;20
Tappa
So and Thornton was sponsored by Thornton.
00;14;03;23 - 00;14;04;18
Guy
All of us but that's.
00;14;04;24 - 00;14;05;18
Tappa
Yeah. But that's.
00;14;05;18 - 00;14;06;18
Guy
Yeah. Yeah that's.
00;14;06;18 - 00;14;21;00
Tappa
History anyway. Yeah that's the history. We know the we know the truth anyway. Now go on. But so, mate, so how was it in the 70s and I and like, late 70s, it must have been a little bit debauched, wouldn't it? Like, you know, a bit of, like, fun and games going on then?
00;14;21;00 - 00;14;22;20
Guy
Well, in the surf.
00;14;22;20 - 00;14;26;07
Tappa
In the certain hour, windsurfing gets. Oh, yes. And stuff. Yeah.
00;14;26;08 - 00;14;50;13
Guy
It was, it was like we actually what was so good about surfing back then, they weren't separated from the public, you know, that they didn't have a like a, a contest area. So you could get and go and talk to like Barry on a pony, you know, like, or, you know, or my heroes or Jerry, you'd walk straight up to them and talk to them, you know, and you're in the contest together.
00;14;50;13 - 00;15;17;29
Guy
And it was just so good. And you're all mates and you, you free surf together, you know, and and you travel together because, you know, a lot of people didn't fly then. So you'd travel from the Gold Coast to Sydney in your car. I remember having a, a trip with, Al Chapman. Rabbit and Michael Peterson and Mike Higgins, and I'd got thrown in the back and we drove from Sydney to to the bells contest.
00;15;18;06 - 00;15;18;23
Tappa
Growing in the.
00;15;18;23 - 00;15;36;23
Guy
Back. That's how you let you learn on the straight. You learned surfing. The community of surfing teaches you. Yeah. You know, and and when you hear all the stories I've heard from, you know, other guys that have been on your show, it's just unbelievable stories about surfing and surfing is the teacher, you know?
00;15;36;23 - 00;15;43;07
Tappa
So, that's awesome right now, when how are will you in your first time you went to Hawaii, then?
00;15;43;10 - 00;16;13;08
Guy
I didn't get to y I see, I, I got, so I sort of did really well, up until in the juniors and then the last year of the junior. So this, I got through three times. Cadet champion, for Queensland. Then I got into the juniors, I got second to Doris. The next year I won it, and I was supposed to go to the Australian titles in Victoria, and Mick Higgins and a few guys said, we're going to cactus.
00;16;13;10 - 00;16;26;29
Guy
Do you want to come? And I made a choice, you know, a defining dorm. You know, like those sliding doors? Yeah. Whether to go with Nick Higgins, you can go surf and lifts or go and represent my state.
00;16;27;02 - 00;16;27;25
Tappa
Yeah.
00;16;27;28 - 00;16;42;29
Guy
And I made a final decision then, and changed my life. In a way. I went surf with me, Higgins. And when I didn't go to the Australian titles, I got a three year ban from surfing, from Kuwait, from Queensland. Surfing. Just.
00;16;43;06 - 00;16;46;22
Tappa
But did you tell them you were. No, no. All right.
00;16;46;23 - 00;16;49;26
Guy
I, I did the wrong thing because I didn't have a phone. We had a phone.
00;16;49;27 - 00;16;51;21
Tappa
Yeah. It's not like you can send him a text.
00;16;51;24 - 00;16;57;12
Guy
Yeah. We're in the, we're in the, you know, we all got scabies like you living in the desert.
00;16;57;17 - 00;16;58;16
Tappa
And one of the wiser.
00;16;58;18 - 00;17;03;14
Guy
Oh, unreal. I like I want to go left. Yeah. Kid grown up.
00;17;03;16 - 00;17;04;10
Tappa
Here we go. See foot.
00;17;04;10 - 00;17;26;16
Guy
Of mine. And so I came back after three year ban. And during that time, the stubby start to. So I couldn't surf in the stubbies and all those contests, I couldn't. So I had to sit out for three years and, and then I was allowed to go back in and I got, I went in the and won the first Stubbies trials against Barton in the final.
00;17;26;18 - 00;17;31;13
Guy
Man on man. Cool. So that was my first comeback after the three year band.
00;17;31;20 - 00;17;33;26
Tappa
And how I would do it in like 1809.
00;17;34;01 - 00;17;36;24
Guy
Oh, the be. And
00;17;36;26 - 00;17;37;13
Tappa
Early 20s.
00;17;37;18 - 00;17;39;18
Guy
And then by mid 20s. Yeah. Yeah.
00;17;39;20 - 00;17;44;10
Tappa
That's cool. And so from there you did just get back on this contest like start touring.
00;17;44;13 - 00;17;46;03
Guy
No, I got married.
00;17;46;06 - 00;17;47;05
Tappa
Yep. Married, I.
00;17;47;05 - 00;17;48;11
Guy
Got married, I started.
00;17;48;11 - 00;17;51;24
Tappa
Did you meet Debbie before she worked at Billabong or.
00;17;51;26 - 00;18;14;00
Guy
No. Well, so I in that during that three year band and then I took a time out for a while, from surfing to just sort my life out. Yeah. And, started going to church and. And then from then I met Debbie, and then we decided to have a family straight away. And so I was I was 21.
00;18;14;00 - 00;18;40;29
Guy
She was, I was 21. She was 21. We got married and had laser and, three other beautiful girls, Monique and Neil and, so then started going to church and just so put a big head. I kept on surfing. Yeah. And my sponsors, I thought, I thought I'd lose all my sponsors, but to their, you know, credit, they, they kept me, which was good.
00;18;41;06 - 00;18;48;17
Guy
And then I sort of had a three year break when I became a Christian and then got back into surfing and that's when I won that stuff.
00;18;48;20 - 00;18;52;27
Tappa
So what made you go to, to to find the Lord? My. What was it like with you?
00;18;52;28 - 00;18;53;15
Guy
I think.
00;18;53;15 - 00;18;54;24
Tappa
A bit of trouble and strive.
00;18;54;24 - 00;19;01;08
Guy
For. No, but because I lost my mum when I was 15, I moved out of home.
00;19;01;10 - 00;19;02;28
Tappa
So you were on your own from 15.
00;19;02;29 - 00;19;06;14
Guy
From 15? I was living at a different people's houses.
00;19;06;16 - 00;19;07;00
Tappa
Well, from.
00;19;07;00 - 00;19;28;27
Guy
15. And that's why surfing was. My dad was my teacher. And so I left home and, learned from different people and, and people, you know, that's, it was life changing. But then during that time, I saw a lot of stuff going down, you know, and it was around that time that that's, you know, smack and everything.
00;19;28;28 - 00;19;41;26
Tappa
I remember that I was too young to ever say that. But I remember seeing the guys who did like one like it. Nobby said. I used to like, was one of the best servers at normies. Yeah. And he got on the teen tech and then he was, I say, gone. And it's like, wow, I.
00;19;41;26 - 00;20;01;02
Guy
Saw so many good surfers come, especially when I hit Coolangatta. Yeah, there were so many really good surfers. I got caught up on that wrong end of it. Yeah. And, thank God for people like Rabbit and Petey and that, that just kept that their focus, you know? Yeah, that was like a guiding light for a lot of young people because we all start smoking pot when we were young.
00;20;01;02 - 00;20;24;00
Guy
And that. And then after that, when the heroin came in, it was really sort of dangerous. So during that time, I saw what happened to a few of my friends, and then I just, ya, a friend of mine just talk to me about God. And I just started going to church, and then I saw so many from my upbringing and coming from a dysfunctional family, I saw the hurt of so many young people.
00;20;24;00 - 00;20;41;08
Guy
So I devoted my life for 25 years at a school as a chaplain, just helping young people guides through those decisions that every young person has to face, you know? And, that's what I did for 25 years.
00;20;41;10 - 00;20;56;15
Tappa
Because I remember, like with the Jesus contest and all that was going on. I remember hearing you speak at that and like. But what, like I've known this bloke for a long time. He used to come down to novels and play touch footy or get a cricket with us. But guys always been a Christian since I've known him.
00;20;56;17 - 00;21;08;16
Tappa
Yeah, but you've never, ever forced your beliefs of God on anyone. And I really respect that because, you know, like, you know, like, if someone asked you about it, I'm sure you got to talk to them about it. Exactly. Right. Yeah.
00;21;08;17 - 00;21;34;03
Guy
Of course. Yeah, but but it's just it's a personal decision. Like, really the whole Bible boiled down into one sentence is, you know, for us to love God and the way we show we love God is how we treat others. And it's about loving people, doing the right thing, you know, in the traffic, you know, in the surf, but in the surf, sometimes I'll get a bit sidetracked.
00;21;34;06 - 00;21;50;17
Tappa
But, I must say, I'm so angry. But I've never seen you hit anyone. But I'm so angry. But I've never seen anyone. But. Yeah, that's that's, that comes up occasionally. But. Yeah, but, you know, as sometimes a bully, you gotta speak your mind otherwise, you know.
00;21;50;19 - 00;22;12;20
Guy
And not, you know, I've been, been a young guy traveling. You learn very quickly in Hawaii, wherever you surf and you learn to respect the locals. You learn, you know what? You can and can't get away with that. There. And we need to teach the next generation that there is there is some rules out there. There is an advocacy.
00;22;12;20 - 00;22;18;15
Guy
There is, a thing of respect and and honoring those, you know, that live there.
00;22;18;17 - 00;22;20;09
Tappa
And the older guys too.
00;22;20;11 - 00;22;43;15
Guy
Well, that was what was unreal because I just finished, you know, and going around Australia with for two years with my wife and rocking up at places that I used to surf as a kid. And because I was, you know, well respected back then and behaved, you know, when I got to these place, people go, oh, go. I come in my let's go surf and they show me and that type in the local spots and give me waves.
00;22;43;15 - 00;22;45;15
Guy
And that's what it's all about.
00;22;45;20 - 00;22;55;04
Tappa
Yeah. That's cool. Yeah. That's how some of these girls are like, I, I don't think I got a wave to myself at early till I was 16 or something because, you know, if you're a girl minutes. You were just saying, oh, I got.
00;22;55;08 - 00;23;11;10
Guy
Chased like I got chased when Richard Harvey pulled me in the lawn. Paul Nelson pulled me in the lawn a few times, you know, and guys of that Nawsa. Yeah, he gave me a smack on the year one day, you know, behave, you know?
00;23;11;13 - 00;23;26;02
Tappa
Well, but that's, you know, it hasn't. And that's what you had to learn. Now, might I at the, at the event, I'm on the market and a burly there is a big thing, isn't there, about the best quality food at Berkeley? It's a sort of a thing, isn't it? You know, it's like. Yeah, with.
00;23;26;05 - 00;23;29;09
Guy
It, it was. Yeah, it could be.
00;23;29;09 - 00;23;46;23
Tappa
And hire me at one stage. Yeah. And you're one of them because you're under the lips at Berkeley. It's like I just it's still etched in my mind. As a kid, Marcus Moore was very much did a very similar one to Marcus. And, but I was, I mentioned you on the mark and I said, well, one of the best could be for this guy.
00;23;46;26 - 00;24;08;26
Tappa
Ron's one of them. You know, I mentioned a few, but I mentioned you and I was talking to Kaipo Guerrero, afterwards, and I said, and I bet he mentioned you as well on the, on the webcast, but like I said, the cop out. Yeah. I said about going to guys. Yes. He came to sunset and he showed us because Guy Bay's a goofy two and he goes, you had a surf sunset like nobody else had.
00;24;09;02 - 00;24;18;22
Tappa
Mike coming from Kauai by a Hawaiian, to say that you showed them how to say sunset on your backhand. Mike, that was did you use the same theory? Is what you do at Berkeley or what?
00;24;18;22 - 00;24;39;14
Guy
Pretty much. I mean, some sometimes, you know, at the Chi that the elements biggest like a little inside sunset, you know, like the did the ball and stuff like that. Bill is different than snapper in that like they got just down the line where Bill is picky. You know there's a lot more pics. So and I happened to meet Kaipo for the first time the other day.
00;24;39;14 - 00;24;49;10
Guy
And when I said to him, hi Kai, I thought, I love your stuff on TV, mom's got any guys going on rod? And then he told me that story. Oh, is also on it.
00;24;49;16 - 00;24;52;14
Tappa
Yeah, like a grandma. It would have been a grandma watching, you know.
00;24;52;16 - 00;25;16;02
Guy
Well, back in the day when we'd done the circuit, I used to live with, Eric our car, and Tony, my niece. And so we would have sunset a lot. And, because it was it pretty much in our backyard and, just doing those hooks, you know, because that's, on the goldy for for a goody for all your power comes off that the top bit of the wave never off the bottom.
00;25;16;02 - 00;25;30;20
Guy
It's always off the top. So as you come off the bottom with the speed from going down the face, you'll hook up for thought. That's what you get, you know, to a pelican speed to get down the line. Yeah. And it's the same sort of thing just hooking under the lip.
00;25;30;22 - 00;25;39;28
Tappa
Wow. Well, but that's a pretty, thing now. Like, you've done missionary stints as well. Might. And that's now was it only the surf break?
00;25;39;28 - 00;25;46;21
Guy
So I only ever surfed once on a mission trip. And I've done I've done 15 years of mission trips.
00;25;46;23 - 00;25;48;24
Tappa
Wow. And so what do you do with that? Mind you, what?
00;25;48;28 - 00;25;54;25
Guy
It's just, so our school that we work for is a Christian school, and we would do for.
00;25;54;26 - 00;25;55;18
Tappa
King's College.
00;25;55;22 - 00;26;17;10
Guy
King's Christian College, we would do fundraisers and raise money. The kids would raise money to go to missions because, I believe it's more blessed to give than to receive. And so for the kids, when they when they give, you know, they, they buy a hot dog and that all the proceeds goes towards a mission. Yeah. And in the Philippines, there's lots of doctors and nurses but no money for medicine.
00;26;17;18 - 00;26;47;26
Guy
And so a local organization or a local church would go into a really poor area like, like in India in, in, in the slums. And sometimes we go into the, in Manila, the rubbish tip, and there's thousands of people living in that rubbish tip. And we would go in there and do a medical mission. So what we'd do, we would provide the money for all the, the medicine the doctors need, the immunizations, whatever.
00;26;47;28 - 00;27;18;09
Guy
And the doctors would give their time and we would go in that would feed them and we would put on a whole medical mission for a couple of days until we ran out of supplies and just help. But seeing kids from Australia as well, I'd take teams of young people from there. They when they come back, their parents go, I don't know what happened over there, but my kids just so much more grateful and and so much more pleasant to live with.
00;27;18;11 - 00;27;20;19
Tappa
But but but for them, it so happened in the old.
00;27;20;20 - 00;27;26;27
Guy
Chambers and life. Oh well, Queensland has the highest rate of teenage suicide in the world.
00;27;27;03 - 00;27;27;26
Tappa
Wow. I didn't know.
00;27;27;26 - 00;27;56;23
Guy
That. Yeah, it's it's a shocking statistic. Yeah. That that was a couple of years ago. I'm not sure what it's like now, but it's because there's so much of a transient population here. Yeah. You know, a lot of people come from somewhere. Like, a lot of my family are from Sydney. Yeah. So a lot of families come to the Gold Coast, and then they try and fit in, and there's like, as you know, there's a local population and there's a tourist population, and it's really hard to break into that local population.
00;27;56;23 - 00;28;00;13
Tappa
Yeah. Yeah. If you try too hard that's the worst thing. That's the.
00;28;00;14 - 00;28;18;20
Guy
Worst. And so a lot of kids come from their families being ripped apart. And so they're broken. And that's why. And it's normally when they leave school. So while they're at school they're called community. They've got friends. They got a purpose. It's when they leave school that's a real critical age.
00;28;18;20 - 00;28;21;25
Tappa
So you said you what you did. You go to other places in Manila.
00;28;21;25 - 00;28;27;29
Guy
We went to Fiji. Fiji? I did Fiji a few few years. Never surfed.
00;28;28;01 - 00;28;29;13
Tappa
Oh, that oh.
00;28;29;16 - 00;28;34;03
Guy
Drive past it many times. But it's you know, I devoted that.
00;28;34;03 - 00;28;37;10
Tappa
Time, you know, not to surfing to to doing, to do.
00;28;37;15 - 00;28;49;29
Guy
To do the right thing and to. It's not more it's not what I did, but showing younger people I what it is when you start giving and loving other people.
00;28;49;29 - 00;29;05;28
Tappa
Yeah. Well I saw, I saw I call I did like mortgage broker and I had this psychologist and he said this, I can't remember the third thing, but the two two things he said you need is one, a person that is your partner that you can unload all your stuff to. And the second is do something for charity.
00;29;06;01 - 00;29;19;17
Tappa
Yeah. And I can't remember what the third was. A third might have been about education or something, but but like people, a lot of people don't realize who haven't done it. How much doing something for people does for you inside. Yeah. It makes you feel really good because I know.
00;29;19;17 - 00;29;26;01
Guy
I come alive, I not you, come alive. Just don't ask me for a wave at the cove.
00;29;26;04 - 00;29;42;20
Tappa
Not know. Well, you know, I, I do know this, like, nice way to sit. It's kind of my favorite little spot. There's a spot where, if you're not aware of it, guys, it's, you know, there's a wave coming, which you're not going to get the one, the good one off him. You're not gonna get that, right now being a dad, right?
00;29;42;20 - 00;30;02;29
Tappa
You're a dad and a granddad now. And guy, you've got the distinction of the first family that I've ever commentated. Three generations. I've commentated yourself in the single fin and some other events. Yeah. Diamond. I'm a diamond. Nicholls. You're out, son in law. And now bam Nicholls little bam. So three generations. But it must be great. Great.
00;30;02;29 - 00;30;16;24
Tappa
You know, like, like because I'm a grandfather too. But I'm one little best thing I've done off that little jam with him. He's blind, I saw that, yeah, it's cute, but like, mate to have a. I'm saying I remember seeing you out in the water with them too, man. It must be great to go surfing with your grandson.
00;30;16;24 - 00;30;29;19
Guy
Oh, especially, you know, having three daughters. They all surfed, but a lizer was the one that sort of picked it up the most. Yeah. But then having five granddaughters and then the one grandson comes out.
00;30;29;21 - 00;30;31;13
Tappa
So I. None of the granddaughters want to surf.
00;30;31;14 - 00;30;40;26
Guy
Are they surf? Yeah. They surf. To two of them are in Palm Beach, Boardriders with them and they surf. But yeah, having a little the style. He's so clean and.
00;30;40;29 - 00;30;41;20
Tappa
He's a frother.
00;30;41;20 - 00;31;03;10
Guy
My allies is a lot a lot like me. She's very competitive and she's like, yeah, it should. She'll really encourage him. Really good. And Dynamo. Dynamo. Well yeah. But she's someone I'll listen to. The parents. What they grandparents I what I listen to, Mark Richardson who's doing an unbelievable job. Yeah. Right. What he's doing and rising up all these young guys and training them.
00;31;03;11 - 00;31;12;10
Guy
Yeah, I know, it's, you know, he's doing it, but that's where our next world champions is going to come from. You know, they'll come from trainers like like him. You know.
00;31;12;15 - 00;31;30;05
Tappa
Well, I knew that with my son he would listen to a thing I said. But like Phil McNamara said something. Well that's that's gospel, you know. And then and then it's like something I've been telling him. Yeah. For for a couple of weeks, but yeah, someone else tell me. Yeah, mine. You've also had a little tragedy in your life, like losing one of your daughters.
00;31;30;08 - 00;31;34;00
Tappa
Early on. So the Northern Alliance sort of is, What a night. What adult?
00;31;34;00 - 00;31;35;09
Guy
Oh, yeah. She was 20.
00;31;35;16 - 00;31;37;06
Tappa
20. Wow. That must be hard.
00;31;37;09 - 00;32;01;23
Guy
Yeah, she just got married, so. Well, you know, as a dad with daughters, you. Yeah. You want your daughters to meet somebody that, you know that will take them for the rest of their life? Yeah. You raise them up, you try them, you do what you have to do. Yeah. And then I, you know, having a good guy to take your daughter and and and she just got married.
00;32;01;23 - 00;32;14;17
Guy
She, she was our first girl to get married. She got married to a young pastor from, from Brisbane. And, she was only married for two months and two days. And then she went to sleep beside him. One, one night, and she never woke up.
00;32;14;20 - 00;32;17;06
Tappa
Oh, wow. Did I find out what it was.
00;32;17;06 - 00;32;31;12
Guy
What they did. Because she was so young, they they wanted to make sure there was nothing. You know, like that her sisters might be carrying that. Yeah. Undetected. Yeah. And they did all these reports and, the come back. No reason.
00;32;31;14 - 00;32;33;03
Tappa
Wow. She just.
00;32;33;06 - 00;32;40;06
Guy
You know, no enemies reason, no heart attack. It's just like she went to sleep and never woke up. Well, and, it's like an adult said.
00;32;40;06 - 00;32;50;18
Tappa
Yeah, that's. I've had it. How did the family come to grips with all that? Because I know you got your faith and everything in that. But, like, how did you sort of come to grips with that? For anybody out there that's going through anything like that?
00;32;50;24 - 00;33;24;18
Guy
Well, it hits you like you've, like you've never been hit before. Yeah, yeah, the whole world changes, you know? And we went, you know, from just getting married and then finding a home. And that was her first real boyfriend, you know. And she met him. And then all of a sudden, you know, boom and hit you, it luckily, you know, good wife and, and, you know, our faith, you know, believing that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.
00;33;24;18 - 00;33;36;11
Guy
And she she had a faith with God. And, I just because as a dad, when you give a daughter away, you know, there's a part in the service where it says, who gives this?
00;33;36;11 - 00;33;39;00
Tappa
You know that I'm about to do that in about 12 months.
00;33;39;01 - 00;34;04;00
Guy
Well, who gives this man, who gives this woman under this man? See, you've had her under your covering, under your home like she she lived at home until she got married. And so I've looked after her. We've changed and that we've done everything to all our kids. And then. But in that time, in the ceremony, when you give, it's a transfer of covering to her husband.
00;34;04;06 - 00;34;31;11
Guy
Yeah. And she takes on his name and takes on his family, her and takes on, you know, our family. But, there's a real shift. And so as a dad, you train your kids, especially your daughters, to, to be given, like, you know, laws with diamond and then with tiny. But then to have that just her pass away, you just what do we do in that role?
00;34;31;11 - 00;34;49;17
Guy
What do we do? And then you want to blame, you know, shock and, you you want to blame. And there's we we can't blame anyone because there was nothing. No one did anything wrong. Yeah. She just. And it really didn't hit us. And and for a lot of marriages, a sin is there's a tragedy like that.
00;34;49;17 - 00;34;56;13
Guy
And all the breaks them up on them. And if anything, it bonded us even more closer.
00;34;56;15 - 00;34;59;00
Tappa
Oh, you. You're pretty tight. Yeah. That. You're a lovely.
00;34;59;00 - 00;35;02;10
Guy
Wife. Yeah. I did love her. Yeah. Good girl.
00;35;02;12 - 00;35;09;18
Tappa
Oh that's awesome. Right. And like, it's like through that tragedy that you've, you've grown closer and that's, that's, that's a beautiful thing.
00;35;09;19 - 00;35;28;02
Guy
And like grief you know, grief is not a once off thing. You live with grief. Yeah. But you just can't let it live on you. Yeah. You know, you have to, deal with it and then shine through a walk through it. It's like a spider web. You just, you know, you you know, you walk this. Why would you hide it?
00;35;28;02 - 00;35;32;07
Guy
It's all it's on you. But, you know, you got to just keep walking.
00;35;32;07 - 00;35;34;18
Tappa
And then the thing is, she's young forever.
00;35;34;21 - 00;35;35;21
Guy
She's young forever.
00;35;35;21 - 00;35;47;29
Tappa
Yes. That's. You know, that's that's one thing I know. And my good mate Adrian, who passed away, he's funny. His partner said he never wanted to get old, and he, you know, so I was he was still, well, his version of pretty anyway I know.
00;35;48;00 - 00;35;51;18
Guy
Yes, but yeah, but it does. It shocks you.
00;35;51;18 - 00;35;58;23
Tappa
Life might, You're retired now. So what's, what's going on for God besides getting all the sense at the point.
00;35;58;25 - 00;36;14;29
Guy
I'm just the eternal God. You are, I just. Yeah, they call me. Gave me when I was young because my back, and grommet and I just love going surfing. And like I said, surfing is a great teacher. And they're great. I'm 66.
00;36;15;01 - 00;36;21;29
Tappa
66. And you still like this box out at the point nearly as big as it gets and pull and and how's the body holding up?
00;36;22;02 - 00;36;28;05
Guy
Pretty good of. I've got to get a trillion cut off my I. That's why I can't see people on the inside.
00;36;28;08 - 00;36;29;25
Tappa
And you deaf in that it and.
00;36;29;27 - 00;36;31;20
Guy
Yeah, I've got a few problems with that.
00;36;31;21 - 00;36;35;10
Tappa
Hearing the early ideas too. I'm definitely can't say. Yeah, but.
00;36;35;13 - 00;36;53;05
Guy
Mainly I was talking to Wilbur today. He's walking on the beach trying to get back in the water, and I'll end up having that, I'll have to have a hip operation eventually because it's starting to go, and it's just all that trying to come off the bottom hit. Yeah, I hit in the top. So. But yeah, apart from that, you had.
00;36;53;05 - 00;36;55;05
Tappa
Your knee a while ago. But that's. Is that okay.
00;36;55;06 - 00;37;00;19
Guy
No I just yeah I just yeah. Take time out of the water and but yeah I'm fit.
00;37;00;19 - 00;37;05;19
Tappa
Well so I might at 66. What's your exercise regime besides surfing? Do you do anything else?
00;37;05;19 - 00;37;25;21
Guy
No. Just stretch. Stretch? I do a lot of stretching. Yeah. I don't do any other weights. Nothing like that. Just stretching. Just. And surfing. I know, I, I watch what the pros do these days, and, but that's why they're doing the maneuvers that they're doing. They have to. Yeah. I'm not doing that stuff. So I don't really have to exercise that like they do.
00;37;25;21 - 00;37;34;09
Guy
But just stretching, keeping yourself like, look at Jerry Lopez. He's in the yoga and stuff. Yeah yeah yeah. Eternal. He's eternal. Grow it.
00;37;34;11 - 00;37;41;07
Tappa
Oh. You're one of the title eternal grommets, mate. And, yes. You're just going to be gone surfing and that's it for surfing.
00;37;41;07 - 00;37;57;27
Guy
Yeah. We're looking after Debbie's mum. She's 92, living at Palm Beach, still in the house, you know, and, and, in a little unit. And so we're just here and there because we went away for two years and, other cities, that was their job. Now it's our job to make sure she's okay, and we're just doing those strike missions.
00;37;57;27 - 00;38;02;13
Guy
Are we up to the sunny coast to watch bam surf? And. Yeah, you know, say.
00;38;02;16 - 00;38;08;26
Tappa
And then just what if what about your diet? Do you have a, just a normal diet or might just.
00;38;08;28 - 00;38;17;02
Guy
Yeah. Love just food. I eat food, I eat healthy. Debbie's a good cook. We eat a lot of healthy stuff. Yeah.
00;38;17;02 - 00;38;18;06
Tappa
You know. Oh that's cool.
00;38;18;09 - 00;38;21;12
Guy
Yeah, mate. And veggies like. No.
00;38;21;19 - 00;38;32;08
Tappa
Well my because you're in great shape 66. And honestly, if you ever see any surf out of the and it gets all nice but you getting a you wanting slightly bigger boards now than you used to I suppose.
00;38;32;09 - 00;38;34;22
Guy
I yeah but I've gone back shorter. Yeah.
00;38;34;22 - 00;38;35;19
Tappa
Because what you're on.
00;38;35;19 - 00;38;39;03
Guy
Now, my biggest board I'm on my shortest boards.
00;38;39;03 - 00;38;41;19
Tappa
Six for that year or what. Six.
00;38;41;19 - 00;38;43;18
Guy
What. Six. One and a bit.
00;38;43;18 - 00;38;45;02
Tappa
You're probably a bit taller. He's probably.
00;38;45;02 - 00;38;55;03
Guy
Shorter. Yeah, but always running a lot of mid lengths. Yeah, I got a lot of. I love Joe. My favorite surf is a Joe Tudor and, Tarrant Martin.
00;38;55;06 - 00;38;56;25
Tappa
Yeah. They're great I love them the beauties.
00;38;56;25 - 00;39;06;27
Guy
It's just ones. The single thin ones are twin thin. And, So I've got some new boards, which is, really stoked about. And, I'm loving it.
00;39;06;29 - 00;39;28;12
Tappa
Yeah. 66 on a 66. Yeah, that's how I got 64646464. Oh, yeah. Less. Yeah. Because I said, oh, well I was 59 and A59. I'm still on A59. But you know, but I'll write a six story today just to try it out. An old one. But my it's looks like my you've had a wonderful life so far and the so much more to go and say, are you a bit like me and you?
00;39;28;13 - 00;39;30;15
Tappa
You're going to stop surfing when it's impossible.
00;39;30;22 - 00;39;32;06
Guy
Impossible? Yeah.
00;39;32;09 - 00;39;33;23
Tappa
Look, I'll bodyboard if I have to.
00;39;33;26 - 00;39;50;15
Guy
Oh, yeah. I just love gallant. So I got it even when it's flat. Oh. I'll go. Yeah. For a I'll take them down for a swim in the ocean. You know, I like what we did there. Our trip around Australia, there's no inland stuff. It was just all on the coastline, all the way around. People.
00;39;50;15 - 00;39;53;17
Guy
Yeah, I know you like it now. Not lot of guys down the coast.
00;39;53;17 - 00;40;01;06
Tappa
Yeah, I know I haven't. York, I'd love to go see a or something, but it's just hard to take a holiday where there's no surfing involved. It's going to,
00;40;01;08 - 00;40;04;15
Guy
But there's some good vibes up on the Western Australia.
00;40;04;20 - 00;40;23;23
Tappa
Yeah, I know that's. I wouldn't write down a day that I have to do that one day. I haven't done that. Why I want my it's it's been such a pleasure to have you on the green room and hear your story. And I think my it's pretty inspirational. Your life, you know, particularly with everything you've gone through as a kid and an adult, and you're still a smiling man who rips heaps.
00;40;23;23 - 00;40;29;14
Tappa
And, and if you ever get a chance to say I get, I think I say I get, I. It's well worth. Dylan. Thanks for coming on the green room guy.
00;40;29;15 - 00;40;30;27
Guy
I thanks tap. Awesome.
00;40;30;28 - 00;40;32;17
Tappa
Cheers. Is my. Thank you.
00;40;32;19 - 00;40;34;27
Guy
You.
00;40;35;00 - 00;40;51;27
Tappa
Thanks for tuning into the green room. Hey. Thanks. Would you like to get your name in the Green Room podcast? Well, we are looking for sponsors, so if you want to get a sponsorship, check it out at Pod Fire. Lots of people can hear about your product on one of the best podcasts around the green room. So, check it out.
00;40;51;28 - 00;41;10;17
Tappa
Pod fire. Thanks for tuning into the green room. A big thank you to our guests for sharing their stories and insights and Pod Fire for bringing this podcast to life. Don't forget to subscribe, like, leave a review and share the green room with your friends. We'll catch you next time for more conversations with the Legends of Surf and Beyond.
00;41;10;20 - 00;41;12;22
Tappa
Until then, catch you in the wise.