Remembering Dave

As a young teen I was besotted with the idea of being a surfer. I wasn't a strong swimmer and a bit scared of big waves so it was the idea rather than the reality of it that I craved. I saved all my Christmas and birthday money for several years until I had enough - £20 - to buy a 9'6" heavyweight - it took two of us to carry it.

Me and my cousin John Honey

Of course, it was also the surf scene that attracted me: all the cool kids were part of it. Trouble was I was  terrifically shy and scared not only of waves but boys too. So I was never a cool kid, nor did I achieve much success surfing-wise. 

I did stand up on my board - maybe once!

But I'm getting distracted. In the late sixties the first surf shop opened in the village to great excitement from everyone including me and my friend, Maggi. It was run by a surfer called Dave Friar and his wife Vicki, and it was Dave who gave me my first ever surfing lesson. 

Of course my mum came with me. (See how I was never going to be cool?) She sat on the beach and chatted to Vicki while Dave tried his best to give me some idea of what to do. Dave and Vicki were both so patient and lovely, and encouraging when Maggi and I would go into the shop to buy my copy of the American Surfer magazine - the only one around in those days. (And incidentally I still remember Wales being referred to in Surfer as that bit on the edge of England.)

As part of my attempt to fit in I joined the Gower Surf Club and, embarrassingly, as I was possibly the only female member at the time, won a membership raffle to have a surfboard made for me. Dave designed it; my only contribution was, "Can it be green please?" I cringe just to think about it.

I last saw Dave a good number of years ago when we passed on the street. He remembered me and we spoke for a while.

He died last year and this afternoon there was a paddle out at Langland. It's a surfing tradition, originating in Hawaii, where surfers paddle out, form a circle, and pay tribute to the deceased. 

Surfers gathering

There must have been nearly 70 surfers out there

It began raining just before the paddle out but that didn't take away from the event, which was incredibly moving. Dave had a huge influence on the local and Welsh surf scenes and was highly respected and well-thought of, as could be seen from the people who turned up on a miserable afternoon.

His name is at the top of a fairly newly erected signpost, commemorating people with an association with Langland. 

Dave's name, top left, and my cousin's, bottom left