Guest Blogger #7: Ramsnake

Ramsnake and I keep crossing paths. Either it's on my blog, his blog or on the two group blogs which list us both as contributors. Who is Ramsnake? Well, I can't say. I wouldn't do him justice. All I know is that he is a waterman in the best sense of the word. He's not wed to the idea that one must always stand on a board in order to be accepted into the surfing fold. What really caught my attention about Ramsnake was his complete, almost obsessive, appreciation for the surf mat. He does stand up to surf: I've seen video of this fact. He also appreciates the fact that riding a craft in the prone position offers more satisfaction than one can explain to those who've never given it a serious try. He totally "gets it". His stoke cannot be described with words, but I feel it every time I read his blog, read one of his comments or see his videos about riding mats. I am thankful that I can call him a friend, a friend I hope to meet some day soon.

TO RIDE WAVES!

For many years, I wondered why it was I ended up living in Australia as there did not seem to be much about my life that prepared me for it particularly.

From This Colonial Life

I was born in Scotland, raised in Singapore until the age of 18 when, after 9 years of thrice yearly flights home to Singapore from boarding school in Perth Western Australia, I commenced living there permanently.

It took me awhile to sort out what it was that I wanted to do with my life which ended up being a career teaching music as I had played the guitar, mainly rock and blues of course, with passion and gusto, non-stop as a teenager. But to undertake a career as a music teacher I decided that I needed to study the classical guitar, which I did for 10 years, 5 of which were at the West Australian Conservatorium of Music.



Now Australia is a country where sport is revered rather than the Arts and I often felt that I might have been better off in Europe. As there, the choice of a career in Arts was admired and respected, unlike Australia, where the usual response, when I told somebody what I did for a living, was often a derisory " Well, when are you getting a real job?'
Anyway to cut a long story short, I no longer do make my living from teaching the guitar as I did eventually get a real job as a Lecturer in Business & IT at the local college of technology. Funnily enough, this has not been the negative step that it might sound like as I have found that I create and play music far more now that it is no longer my livelihood. So much so that I made a recent decision to learn the piano which is where I now spend a lot of my day. As I have a wealth of knowledge and experience about the guitar I still feel obligated to continue to pass that on and teach no more than a handful of carefully selected students most of whom search me out having discovered that I may be able to help them where others may not.

From Waveriders

In 2001 when I was 48, my current partner Michelle and I got together and it was then that I think I truly discovered the reason I ended up living in Australia.

Yep, your correct to ride waves!

She had attended surfing classes and was keen to continue the journey. Up to that point in time, my experience wave riding wise had been restricted to very sporadic hand-boarding and bodyboarding. Interestingly, it turned out that a neighbour had a 7' 6" mini mal that he was happy to loan me so as I could accompany Michelle on this journey also.

9 years on and our lives are arranged as much as possible around the opportunity to go ride waves. We both only work part-time and live only 6 minutes away from a consistent break so can conceivably surf everyday if we want to.

Through the medium of the internet and blogging, I have now got to know many other stoked wave riders of all ages and likes that I would never ever have thought that I might have got the opportunity to meet. Some of them are truly inspirational and probably none more so than Surfsister, whose recent account of the decision to have a knee replaced and her return to being able to enjoy her passion has been riveting and at times distressing but inspirational reading.

To all of you who I know and share the stoke of riding waves, thank you for taking the time to post your stories, pics and vids. It really adds to and enrichens my life!

regards Ramsnake

From surfers over 50