Eleven-year-old Harry, who escaped a domestic violence situation with his mother and siblings, admits he sometimes gets angry.
Key points:
- SalTy Souls Legacy provides free lessons and surf boards to children facing trauma, disability and other challenges
- The program was co-founded by Tamara Smith, whose surfing brother Tyler Kennedy died in Bali in 2017
- SalTy Souls has helped more than 300 children over three years and organisers want to expand into schools
But he discovered that surfing helped him relax though his involvement with the SalTy Souls Legacy program on the Sunshine Coast.
"It makes me feel happy and, like, if you get angry, you can just go out and just enjoy yourself," Harry said.
The primary school student was one of the first graduates from the charity surf program three years ago on the Sunshine Coast.
His mother, who cannot be identified, said Harry stood up during his first lesson and never looked back.
"For a child that doesn't know how to express and understand all the feelings, it just takes all that away once he goes out there," she said.
She said she was "taken aback" when her son was offered a surfboard after five weeks of free lessons.
"Everything — it's all handed to you.
"Wetsuits … they just give so much I can't explain it — it's just unbelievable.
The program is so popular that families must must put their names on waiting lists to join, and lessons are now run from Noosa to Burleigh Heads.
ABC Sunshine Coast: Jacqui Street
)Keeping a surfer's memory alive
Co-founder Tamara Smith said SalTy Souls Legacy began after her brother Tyler Kennedy died on a surfing trip in Bali in 2017.
The family agreed that supporting children would be the best way to remember their own "big kid", so they began selling merchandise incorporating a drawing Mr Kennedy had done.
Those sales funded the first surf lessons for children before sponsors came on board.
"We are unique in the fact that we offer a six-week program, so they do actually learn to surf." Ms Smith said.
ABC Sunshine Coast: Jacqui Street
)'Absolutely beautiful'
The most recent graduates were kids aged between five and 17 who faced a range of challenges.
"So we have kids with disability, we have kids learning difficulties," Ms Smith said.
"We're just all in this together."
ABC Sunshine Coast: Jacqui Street
)Jennifer Byfield's daughter Harriet Byfield, who lives with autism and intellectual disabilities, graduated from SalTy Souls over the October long weekend.
Harriet overcame worries about the water and not fitting in, Mrs Byfield said.
"It's not a hindrance, but she always has lacked that confidence because [it's] sort of known that she's not like everybody else," Mrs Byfield said.
"But this program is excellent for including everybody."
As well as increasing in confidence, Harriet made a friend.
"That was absolutely beautiful to see," Mrs Byfield said
ABC Sunshine Coast: Jacqui Street
)Feeling swell
Ms Smith said the organisation had a mix of paid and volunteer staff, but the next goal was to pay surf coaches for lessons during school hours.
"Just making it more available, especially for kids through school Monday to Friday," she said.
ABC Sunshine Coast: Jacqui Street
)Another mother, Emma, said she was "stoked" for her seven-year-old son Jonathan, who has some mobility issues with joints and muscles.
"It was great for me as well — I got to meet other mums on the beach in similar situations," she said.
"Just a really nice bunch of people who organised it."
Seven-year-old Jonathan was also delighted with his own progress.
"I caught a wave and I was just on it for a while and then I stood up and then we [did a] high five," he said.
Source: ABC