Our Father’s Day Gift Guide is full of lovely treats and fun activities that dads and grandads can enjoy with the family, bringing all generations together to celebrate and commemorate their special day of the year.
Our Father’s Day Gift Guide is full of lovely treats and fun activities that dads and grandads can enjoy with the family, bringing all generations together to celebrate and commemorate their special day of the year.
Get set for sunny, sandy days with our 2022 Beach Guide. Just a few handy accessories, and a checklist of absolute essentials, will make all the difference when you’re planning a full day at the beach. From what to wear to keep cool and comfortable, to simple sunshade solutions and the perfect picnic pieces – it’s the little extras that can make all the difference to family fun at your favorite beachy spot.
Sliding into the cool embrace of a river on a summer’s afternoon, a gentle breeze rustling through the branches of bankside trees and the whisper of birdsong high above, it’s easy to see the appeal of wild swimming.
The act of wild swimming - swimming outdoors in lakes, rivers, ponds and the sea - has seen a huge rise in popularity in recent years. The Outdoor Swimming Society had more than 100,000 members at the start of 2020. When it was formed by avid swimmer and author Kate Rew in 2006, there were 300 hardy souls who joined up.
Wild swimming has become the subject of an array of books, from nature memoirs to feminist histories. And at a time when reconnecting with nature has hit the top of the news agenda, thanks to climate change and a global pandemic, it offers the perfect way to experience a unique, frog’s eye view of the world.
New research by the University of Portsmouth in the UK has also found that wild swimming and cold water immersion have anti–inflammatory properties, helping to ease mental health conditions including depression and anxiety.
It is my experience of the latter that brought me to wild swimming, dipping regularly in the famous bathing ponds on London’s Hampstead Heath. As the years have passed, I have travelled across the UK and Europe in search of the perfect place for a swim, from limestone plunge pools in the Yorkshire Dales to a reed–filtered pond in the suburbs of Antwerp.
The chance to be closer to nature and gain a new perspective on the world, one where I’m part of nature as opposed to simply looking at it, while also slowing down my nervous system, is extremely powerful. It eases my worries and brings a sense of contentment and calm that I personally find hard to achieve when on dry land.
As the evidence of its curative and restorative properties mounts, the surge of interest in wild swimming is hard to escape. Head to any body of water on a hot day and you’re bound to encounter swimmers who prefer slipping into rivers rather than ploughing out laps at the local pool.
Picking the right place to go wild swimming doesn’t have to be challenging – in fact it’s all part of the adventure. For those starting out, guidebooks are a great place to start - Open Water Swimming lists the very best dips in the United States. Crowdsourced maps are also available online, detailing swims all over the globe.
For those looking to find their own special place for a dip, it’s smart to assess conditions of any river, lake or bay before jumping in. Choose locations where the river, lake or seabed slides gently into the water, avoid places with strong currents and keep an eye out for submerged objects.
Then it’s simply a case of getting yourself into the right frame of mind to brave the cold and feel the power of the water as you drop your shoulders beneath the surface and start swimming.
The joy of wild swimming is that you don’t need to splash out on expensive equipment either. A simple bathing suit will do the trick, although those who really feel the cold or want to swim longer distances might want to opt for a wetsuit.
A pair of neoprene shoes, similar to those worn by surfers, can come in handy when entering water where rocks and stones are abundant, but they’re not essential. Likewise, gloves and a hat can also come in handy, but only for those who want to go wild swimming as the weather cools off and the nights draw in.
While splashing out on kit isn’t necessary, understanding the risks of wild swimming and ensuring you take care of your personal safety is paramount. You should always go wild swimming with others. Ideally, your group should include an experienced wild swimmer who understands the conditions and is able to assess risks.
As well as providing safety in numbers, the social aspect of taking a dip in a river or lake together makes wild swimming even more fun. Not only will friends be able to keep an eye out for you, they’ll also give you the much needed impetus to brave the cold and get in in the first place.
The cold is an inescapable part of the wild swimming experience – the endorphin rush you get after immersing yourself in cold water is powerful and addictive and a key reason why so many people have become such big fans of jumping into open water.
But that’s not to say it’s easy to get in, or that you should feel forced to do so. If it feels too cold, get out. There are no medals for staying in longer than your friends and even if you only enjoy a quick dunk the benefits for your mood and mental wellbeing are every bit as strong as if you stay in for a while.
However, you’ll find that the more you do it, the more your body will acclimatize to the cold, meaning you’ll be able to swim for longer. This process can take time – despite being a committed wild swimmer for more than a decade there are still occasions where my body decides it doesn’t fancy being in the water for more than a few minutes.
I’ve learned to listen to it and swim back to shore and the warm embrace of my towel whenever this happens. On colder days, I make sure to have a flask of sweet coffee to hand, all the better for warming up quickly.
Armed with some basic safety knowledge and a swimsuit, you’ll find that once you start wild swimming, you won’t want to stop. The urge to explore and discover new places and see nature from a new angle, not to mention the tangible benefits for your mental health, mean that this is a hobby that will quickly become a lifetime obsession.
For more information in wild swimming, including where to find great spots in our lcoal area, be sure to visit The World Open Water Swimming Association: https://openwaterswimming.com/2010/05/50-great-open-water-swimming-locations/
By Alf Alderson.
If you’re not sure whether the warm, easy waves of Florida are what you need to set you on the road to surf glory, consider this – Cocoa Beach is the home town of eleven times world surfing champion Kelly Slater. So, if it was good enough for Mr. Slater…
On a good south-east swell, combined with the region’s prevailing westerly winds, you’ll find consistent, beginner-friendly waves here, along with a surfing heritage that dates back over sixty years – after your surf session check out the legendary Ron Jon Surf Shop, which is also home to the Florida Surf Museum.
More information on Cocoa Beach
Malibu is one of the most famous surf spots on the planet and has even had a type of surfboard named in its honour – indeed, you might find yourself riding a ‘mini-mal’ (mini-malibu board) when you surf here, since these are amongst the best boards for learning on. It was from Malibu that surfing and surf culture went out to conquer the world, so you’ll be walking in the footsteps of countless other surfers as you trot down the beach here with your board tucked under your arm.
Head to Zuma Beach at the north end of Malibu for some of the best beginner waves – on smaller swells the waves roll gently shoreward and are warm and clear, making for perfect novice conditions. That said, you’ll undoubtedly be sharing the waves with scores of other surfers, from beginner to expert, since this is one very popular surf spot.
More information on Malibu Beach
The mellow waves of ‘San O’ have been ridden by locals and visitors alike since the 1930s, and as well as being a great spot for novices, San Onofre (also known as ‘Old Man’s Beach’ because so many senior surfers ride here) is a favourite spot for longboarders since the generally slow, gentle waves that break over the shallow beach here in summer suit this style of surfing.
Amongst the surf schools offering lessons here is the famous ‘Doc’ Paskowitz Surf School, one of the best-established surf schools in the USA. As a novice surfer, you couldn’t pick a better spot to kick start your wave riding career.
The laid-back vibe of the ‘San O’ surf scene is very much in keeping with surf tradition and helps to make it a great place for your first paddle out.
More information on San Onofre State Beach
Named after Gold Rush–era developer Henry Cowell, and located in a sheltered spot between the municipal wharf and Santa Cruz’ famous lighthouse, people have been riding waves at Cowell Beach since the 1950s, with novice surfers and longboarders in particular enjoying the generally small, rolling waves that are perfect on which to practice your take off and surfing style.
The water isn’t as warm as that of Southern California, obviously, which is perhaps the reason for one of Santa Cruz’ great gifts to the surfing world – legendary local surfer Jack O’Neill developed the first surfer’s wetsuits here way back in the 50s and 60s, and the company is still going strong today.
Take some time out from the waves to explore the rich, local surf heritage in the Santa Cruz Surf Museum, located in the above-mentioned lighthouse above the famous Steamer Lane surf break.
More information on Cowell Beach
Sure, the water here will be cooler than much of the west coast, but there are plenty of good waves to be had at Sea Isle City, particularly between 36th and 42nd streets. There’s a very inclusive local surf scene, with more experienced surfers enjoying the fast peaks that break off the rock jetties on north-easterly swells. Beginners can sign up with the well established and super-friendly Heritage Surf School, which has been getting people up and riding on New Jersey’s waves for over forty years (although the Heritage Surf Shop itself dates back to 1962), and can direct you to the best waves for your ability level.
More information on Sea Isle City Beach
This six-mile-long barrier island off the coast of South Carolina has a varied selection of fine waves on a good swell, including some great barrels for experienced wave riders at ‘The Washout’, whilst novice surfers will enjoy the gentle waves that roll in elsewhere along the beach. And in summer you’ll need a minimal amount of rubber as water temperatures easily hit the 70s (conversely it can be pretty darned chilly in winter, when a good wetsuit is a must, along with booties and maybe a hood).
Also worth scoping out is Folly Beach Pier, where crumbly left-handers make for good beginner and longboarder waves, although you can expect it to be busy on any half-decent swell. There are various surf schools and surf shops in Folly Beach that can provide all the help and advice you’ll need as a first timer or visitor.
More information on Folly Beach
If you’ve been thinking about grabbing a board and diving in, first take a look at our beginner’s video below for some top tips from Sydney surfer, Andrew McIver.
Introduction to Surfing from Tom & Teddy Limited on Vimeo.
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Interview by Rin Hamburgh.
Lucky’s was always the book that I was going to write. The dominant setting is what historians of immigration call the Greek-Australian Cafe and the extended Pippos family ran these types of cafes. The novel itself spans about 70 years and is mostly about the changing fortunes of a man nicknamed Lucky. It's also about the people whose lives in some meaningful way intersect with his.
Lucky is a Greek-American man who comes to live in Sydney after the second World War and establishes a chain of restaurants called Lucky’s. There’s also an English journalist called Emily, whose personal history is bound up with Lucky’s in a way she doesn’t yet understand. The novel comprises a number of different strands of narrative that intersect at Lucky’s - a cafe franchise founded by the main character of the novel.
When I was a child and I visited my extended family, I was visiting their cafes. These cafes had homes adjoining: you stayed in rooms behind the kitchen. I remember extraordinary Greek feasts at closing time, or Sunday lunch. I remember the stories they told. I remember the enormous olive tree in the yard of my uncle’s cafe. I spent hours dreaming and scheming while I sat up in that tree. I remember the old potato peeling machine: the way pearly white potatoes tumbled out into a bucket.
The Greek-Australian cafes were established in the first half of the 20th century by Greek migrants. In their heyday you could find one in almost every town in New South Wales and Queensland, and on the main streets of suburbs in the major cities. The cafes were social hubs. They were radically different from pubs and other types of mid-century eateries. They were a mix of Greek and American and Anglo influences. They had beautiful Californian art deco design, booths, jukeboxes, soda fountains. Once upon a time they were like a set of a television show.
The cafes were set up in a time when it was not commercially viable for migrants to serve Greek food in their cafes. That cuisine was considered radically foreign in the first half of the 20th century in Australia, even in Melbourne and Sydney. Until the late 1970s the government policy was one of ‘assimilation’: that migrants adopt a monocultural ‘Australian way of life’. Whatever that is. In the past 50 years there’s been a move towards a more complex multiculture. Even so it remained unusual for cafes in the 70s and 80s to introduce Greek items onto their menus. My relatives were always cooking Greek food but it was served only to family members.
Another thing is that these cafes were open seven days a week. They usually opened at seven or eight o'clock in the morning and they closed at nine o'clock at night. They were brutally long hours. Part of their popularity was that you could always go to the cafe and get a meal, but I saw how it took a toll on my family members, working that hard. So it's not nostalgia, this novel; I saw the sacrifices they made and the problems that they encountered.
There’s probably one or two left in country towns, but it's changed so drastically from the way they used to be. In the 90s the cafes started rapidly disappearing. They’re almost completely gone now.
I identify as Australian, but my Greek heritage is a part of who I am. My community as a child was a Greek-Australian community. And that has been important to me in many ways, including my interest in Greek mythology and my love of literature generally. The Pippos family is from Ithaca and reading The Odyssey is a rite of passage, for example.
My mother is from Derry in Northern Ireland. She came to Australia in the 70s because she was fed up with the violence in Northern Ireland. She met my father and they got married and they were going to live in Athens, but because the Greek government didn't recognise my father as Australian - they recognised him as Greek - they wanted him to do national service. Instead they went to Beirut and then moved to Seoul in Korea, which is where I was born. I spent the early years of my life in Seoul and then we came back to Australia.
That one's really easy to answer: my grandmother, my Yiayia. When you walk in the door of my apartment, there's a big framed photo of her - that's my shrine to her. She's been dead for 25 years and I still love her as much as I ever did and think about her all the time. She taught me a lot about kindness and about love and about persistence and about family. And I think that I'm drawn to people who have some of her qualities. She's had an enormous influence on me.
My dad was a very different person from me. I was interested in books and music, and he was interested in sports. He often said that he had never read a book in his entire life, and he would say it in the way that people might say, "I've never had a speeding fine in my life." But we were close. I knew that he loved me. We found things to talk about, whether it was sport or food or just trivial things.
I was living in London when I heard that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given three months to live. I left my job and went back to Australia because I wanted to be with him, to spend as much time with him as I could. He ended up living for six more years and we had some many unforgettable times together. Even though he was sick, he really made such an effort to do as much as he could. We had a lot of fun.
After he died, I found out that I had a half brother, whom I now call simply my brother. He got in touch a few months after the funeral. And honestly, the surprise, the shock will last me for the rest of my life. He looks so much like my father — more than I do. And they share a lot of characteristics as well. So spending time with him is very strange, but also quite beautiful. We’re close now. It's sad to me that my father and brother never met in this life. But it's some consolation that they share so much. I will write about them in my next book.
"My grandmother, my Yiayia...taught me a lot about kindness and about love and about persistence and about family...She's had an enormous influence on me."
There are so many. Food was central, especially for the cafe Greeks, because they were in these cafes for 12 hours a day, seven days a week. So they didn't go to church a lot, they didn't hang out at the Greek community clubs. They couldn’t sell Greek food to their customers. So cooking it for family and eating together was really important. And it was prepared to absolute perfection.
Some of the best meals of my life were after closing time with my uncles and aunts and parents and my grandmother around a table on the cafe floor. Some of the dishes were common Greek dishes, others were specific to Ithaca. The dishes that come to mind are things like savoro, which is a fish dish with currents and vinegar, boutridia, which is a roast vegetable dish with grated tomato on top, avgolemono, which is the famous egg and lemon chicken soup, and kleftiko, which is baked lamb.
When 60-year-old Tommy Hughes ran a marathon in the 1992 Olympics at the age of 32, he thought he had reached the pinnacle of his athletic career. But it wasn’t until he began running with his son, Eoin, 35, that he discovered the joy of being part of a team when they broke the father-son world record together.
]]>Interview by Rin Hamburgh.
TOMMY: I started running in 1981. I was 21 and playing for the local football team so at first it was about fitness, but it turned out I was better at running than I was at football! The first marathon I ran I didn’t train that hard. At 16 miles I hit a wall and I had to walk and run, walk and run, all the way to the end. But I still ran it in 3 hours 1 minute. I thought if I trained a bit harder I can get it under 3 hours. The next year I ran it in 2 hours 35 and I thought, there might be something in this.
In 1984 I got my big break, winning the Derry marathon. The following year I won again, setting a course record at 2 hours 19 minutes. They stopped it for 30 odd years after that but in 2013, when I was 53, they held it again. I ran and I won - so that’s three in a row!
Going to the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 was amazing. I’d got a stress fracture in my foot and the doctor said that it wouldn’t heal in time but I was determined, I just wanted to be there. I came 72nd out of 144 but to finish in the packed Olympic stadium - that was an amazing feeling.
After that I took a bit of a break from running. I’m a self-employed electrician, so I was often working seven days a week, sometimes working away. I was also drinking quite heavily. I’m the type of character who is either totally on it or not at all, I have to work really hard to be obsessive.
None of my four children ever really took to running until Eoin started later in life. Seeing him progress was really inspiring. When he came up with this idea of going for the father and son world record I thought, “Why not?” He organised it all. That was his first real attempt at a fast marathon.
I remember coming into the last 3 or 4 miles, I knew he was struggling and I thought, what do I do? I decided I’d better run even harder. So I crossed the line before him. When he got there, I asked, “Did we do it?” because he was the one who was working out the times. And he said, “Yes, we did, we got it.” It was an amazing feeling.
I’ve haven’t had a drink in nearly a year and a half and that’s a real achievement. I’m focused on running again and this year Eoin and I are planning to do the London marathon. I’ve just turned 60 so if I manage it in less than 2 hours 30 I’ll be the first 60-year-old to do that and I’ll have run that time every decade for five decades.
Running has definitely brought Eoin and I closer. We’ve always enjoyed a game of pool but this is something else. Having that father and son world record, it’s made my life complete. I thought all my athletics achievements were over but that father and son one, that was the pinnacle. It wasn’t an individual achievement, it was a team effort and that’s what makes it special.
"Having that father and son record, it's made my life complete...it was a team effort and that's what makes it special." - Tommy
EOIN: I was 7 years old when my dad ran in the Olympics. I knew he was good but I had no idea how good until I started running myself and started comparing my times to his. I’m still a minute or so off him! I remember going to watch the Belfast marathon in 1998 when he won it. There were so many people watching it, it was the biggest marathon in Northern Ireland, so having him win and having so much attention around it, that was something else.
But I started smoking quite young and that took me away from the sporty side of things myself. It wasn’t until about 5 years ago that I decided to give it a try. I was drinking and smoking quite a bit and I was unfit, so I wanted to change that. The first race I did was a local 10k. I ran it in 41 minutes which, for somebody who didn’t run much, wasn’t a bad time. So I kept going.
My dad wasn’t running at the time - he struggled with alcoholism for a few years - but I always had him to call on. I asked him about training and I’d call him up and say, “My legs are sore, should they be this sore?”
Then two years ago he got back into it after about 9 years. I remember seeing him running through the town and he was so slow but I thought, “Fair play to him.” We did our first race together on Boxing Day 2018; I wasn’t great at that time but I still beat him, which was a proud moment for me. But now he’s flying!
Getting the world record for the fastest combined father and son marathon in Frankfurt was amazing. My dad actually beat me that day. I should have been five minutes in front of him but I blew up at around 20 miles. Dad passed me with 2 miles to go and he said, “Go on, you can do it.” When I got to the end he was waiting for me. That was a great day.
If you’d have said five years ago that I’d be running marathons and breaking world records, I’d have said no chance. For years my only exercise was kicking a football around every now and then. Now I’m out doing 100 miles a week.
But my dad, he’s sometimes doing 130 miles a week. Last year he broke records in his age category for the marathon, half marathon, 10k and 5k. He turned 60 in January and in his first race he broke the 5k world record for over 60s.
He’s absolutely an inspiration to me. I’m always looking at his time and thinking I’d love to do that. My dad went through a difficult time but for him to come through it and to be breaking records, it’s something else.
Interview by Rin Hamburgh.
LUKE: My wild swimming journey started thanks to my wife, Dominique. When I met her, one of the things on her bucket list was that she wanted to swim in the Pier to Pub in Lorne, which is one of Australia’s most popular open water ocean races. A lot of the sea swimming we do here is in bays but this is a true open water event with the risk of unfriendly fish and big currents - it’s high stakes stuff. Naturally Dominique was quite nervous about it so I said, “I'll swim with you.”
We did a trial event together and I have to say, I felt like I was going to die the whole time. My ego was crushed because I thought I was a lot better than I was. It turns out that middle-aged men are incredibly competitive as far as swimmers go! But I just came out of this water thinking, “That was the best thing ever!”
That’s when I decided that I wanted to swim what’s known as the Rip, which is a stretch across the heads of the Port Phillip Bay. In my previous life as an extremely accomplished liar, I used to tell people I’d swum it so as part of the process of forgiving myself I decided I wanted to do it for real.
When I first started the journey of recovery from drugs and alcohol, aged 38 years old, I knew I had a long journey ahead of me to work out who Luke Richards really was. I had to come to terms with the consequences of the life I had been living and to make peace with the fact that I had missed out on so much.
My problems started young. My parents split up when I was two and when my dad remarried and had a second family, my sister and I became second best. I didn’t fit in well at school and was brutally bullied for most of my early secondary school days. At the age of around 11 or 12, I’d had enough of this planet. That was the first time I tried to take my own life.
Luckily my sister just happened to come home from school at the right time. And that's actually been the story of my lack of success in that area. Like somehow the universe has just intervened at the perfect time and moment for me. Despite my best efforts I'm here.
My first addiction was drugs. I'd met and fallen in love with a girl in my late teens but when we eventually broke up in my mid-20s, I was lost. My identity was formed around her so when you detached me from that I was gone. I’d always refused drugs from my friends at parties but after the break up I thought, why not? They’d always been ok. The problem was that for me the drugs immediately erased all the pain I’d felt all my life. And that was it.
For the next seven years I was under the influence of drugs pretty much 24 hours a day, seven days a week with very few clean days in between. Then I met someone who didn’t want to be involved with a druggie so incredibly I put it down. We ended up getting married but when that marriage dissolved in a blaze of glory, I was back where I started.
I decided that I would go to the bottle shop and drink so much that I die from alcohol poisoning. And I almost achieved that goal. Except one of my best mates, Matt, found me and stayed with me until I was somewhat straight.
The problem was that it didn’t stop there. The drinking got progressively worse from that point. I couldn’t regulate my drinking at all and that’s really the difference between dependence and addiction. You lose your ability to say no. In the end I was drinking a litre of bourbon a day.
"Swimming has become this way to manage my mental health but it’s also a platform for me to show people that recovery is possible no matter how far you fall." - Luke
Throughout my life, no one ever really knew what was going on with me, not since my sister walked in on me when I was 11. My friend Matt was the only one who had an idea. But after trying to take my life again in my late 30s, I was in hospital with a lot of time to think. And I decided that I didn’t want to die.
That was the start of the recovery process. But it took another eight months of destruction for things to really change. Another important step was realising I was close to losing my job. I’d been “sick” and disappeared one too many times. So I took a week off to try and get sober, just sipping a small amount of gin each day to ease the withdrawal. It didn’t work. I woke up three days later on my bed and realised that I couldn't do it by myself.
In the big book of AA there’s this passage that says if you follow our path you won’t fail - but you have to be honest. And I realised I’d been lying this whole time to myself and everyone.
So I started calling all the people I’d been lying to and told them exactly what was going on. I went to a meeting and really liked it. From the first time I attended that meeting, I haven't had a drink and in fact, I haven't even pined after one, so powerful was the experience.
Like I said, recovery meant having to face up to the fact that I might have missed out on things like the chance to be happy with someone and start a family. But literally a couple of months later the universe dropped Domonique into my lap. I would never have believed that I would end up being a husband and a father - my sons are 5 and 3 now.
I love swimming with my family. I'm acutely aware that my kids have to find their own way - to do whatever sport they choose to play. But we are still down the beach as much as humanly possible. My eldest son was two weeks old the first time I had him in the water. Once they’re old enough, I'll take them surfing too. I’m glad that their earliest memories of swimming will be of their dad teaching them to swim.
There's a writer called Johann Hari who says in his TED talk that the opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it's connection. I don't go to AA anymore because it wasn't the medicine I needed for the future. But open water swimming and the community and the people around has very much replaced it. They have my life in their hands when we go in the water. And I have theirs. I don't know what the right term is, I’m going to call it a brotherhood, a unity that we all share.
Connection to people and the environment itself is what's incredibly powerful. There's just nothing like being in the middle of the bay, in the middle of this open water, being permanently humbled by nature and realising that you have to be really careful all the time.
So swimming has become this way to manage my mental health but it’s also a platform for me to show people that recovery is possible no matter how far you fall. That you can come back and do anything you like.
And it’s a good analogy for my life too. I can't get in the water and swim for 10 hours by myself. I need people. I need someone to guide me through the course because I can't see 25 kilometers in a straight line - I'll just swim around in circles - I need people on a boat to be there in case I get into trouble. And that's exactly what recovery is, you know?
PETER: When I first met Luke, at the Bay Open Water Swimmers group, I had no idea we would be such good friends or that he would end up very likely saving my life.
At first I thought of him as the gadget man because he always had the latest tech gadgets, like a camera perched on an inflatable that he would take swimming with him. He got some amazing photos with that, which was a real talking point for us.
Over time we got to know each other better - we’d swim together and get a coffee or a bite to eat with other people from the group afterwards. We’ve also done road trips together, going to swimming events and taking part in duo swimming competitions.
Luke is a real straight shooter. He’s always been very open about his past and although I was a little shocked at first, I was also very proud that he felt able to share it with me and the rest of the swimming group.
Over the years we’ve known each other, he’s shared different stories with me and I guess that’s allowed me to be more open about myself too.
Luke is also incredibly kind, thoughtful and caring of others. He always wants to help people. And last winter, he proved it when he risked his own safety to rescue me. We were doing our regular early morning swim. When we arrived down at the beach there was a thick layer of heavy fog. None of us had swum in the fog before so we just prepared for the swim and went down to the water’s edge as usual, even though we couldn’t see more than 5 meters ahead of us.
I remember saying, “Well, this is a first.” And everyone just sort of nodded and started swimming out to our usual start point. I put my head down and did about 6 strokes - and when I looked up to take a breath, everyone had gone. I couldn’t see anyone. I called out but no one returned my calls so I started swimming in the direction I thought they’d gone. Then I realised it would probably be safer to get back to shore so I turned what I thought was 180 degrees and carried on.
Except I wasn’t swimming back to shore. I realised later, when I looked at the data from my Garmin watch, that I’d been swimming parallel to the shore. At one point I heard a dog barking but the sound echoed all around me and completely disoriented me. I had been in the water for almost an hour - in temperatures of 10 degrees with no wetsuit - when out of the fog I saw Luke paddling on a surf ski. There was more anxiety on his face than I imagine there was on mine!
He’d rallied a group of people to try and find me, many of which told me that they were concerned about going too far in case they got lost too. But Luke, he was so desperate to find me he didn’t even think about it, he just got on his surf ski and started paddling.
That was definitely a bonding experience for us. For someone to take that chance on himself, that’s a pretty amazing thing to do. Luke and I have a lot more years of swimming together ahead. Next year we’re planning to swim the English Channel. It’s important to have a great buddy with a common vision and dream to train with.
For information on Luke and his journey, be sure to visit his page: https://www.swim4recovery.com.au/
KEVIN: Adventuring is something I’ve always done, although I wouldn’t always have called it that. I grew up in North Wales, so weekends as a teenager were spent hiking and climbing in Snowdonia. I gradually increased the scope of my adventures and then, when I was 40, I climbed to Everest base camp.
The accommodation was, let's just say, basic - I mean, a tent would have been luxury! But it was the first time I'd seen mountains of that scale. You’d come out in the morning and look at these wonderful mountains. It was incredible. I decided I wanted to do more adventuring, and because I work for myself I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to take the time off between projects to do just that.
In 2004 my sister Jayne died, and I decided I would do another big trip to raise money for the Cancer Treatment Center in North Wales that had cared for her. I wasn’t sure what the trip should be. I was chatting to Vendee Globe sailor Pete Goss, who is a friend of mine. Pete said that he had a plan to sail to the North Pole on a land yacht but wanted to walk there first to check out the terrain. He said, "We need some crazy people. Do you want to come?" And I said, "Yeah, I'd love to." Alan Chambers MBE, the polar explorer, was the guide for the team.
Of course, if you walk to the North Pole, you don’t get back and say, "Well, that's it. All done." So when Alan said, "Why don't we go to the South Pole as well?" I thought, “Why not?” And that’s when Matt, who must have been about 15 when we started planning the trip said, "Well, you're not going without me this time."
By the time we got the expedition together he was 17. I admit I was worried about whether he'd have the stamina. To be honest, I was worried whether I'd have the stamina! But in the end he was the strongest of all of us. I remember around day 10, we got to the end of the day and were completely knackered, and he was outside the tent building a snowman - in minus 40C! After that trip we went back to the North Pole together, so that he could see the difference in the geography, and we’ve been adventuring together ever since.
Matt and I went to Everest together a few years ago as members of the support team for Alan Chambers MBE and his Extreme Classrooms initiative. The programme supports children with special educational needs and challenges and develops their confidence beyond the classroom. Alan created ‘the coldest classroom on earth’, which took kids on an expedition to Svalbard, an island between Norway and the North Pole, ‘the hottest classroom on earth’, in the Rift Valley. And then ‘the highest classroom on earth’ to Everest base camp.
Probably the most enjoyable adventure together has been our most recent trip, rowing across the Atlantic and breaking the world record. I found it incredibly challenging. We were a team of 5 guys - I was 60 years old and the rest of the crew were in their late 20s. In terms of the fitness required it was incredibly tough. We were rowing 2 hours on, 2 hours off 24/7, for 36 days. Also, when you're enclosed in a 20 foot rowing boat for six weeks, there's nowhere to go. You can't get off or even take a break. Everyone's so tired and people can get grumpy. Being with people who you know you can get along with is really important.
Most of the time Matt and I get on very well but we’re actually quite different. I'm the emotional one. Something will cheese me off and I'll go off with a big bang but 10 minutes later I've forgotten what I was annoyed about. He's far more logical than me. He thinks situations through and stays calm. There were many challenges on the Atlantic crossing - including capsizing the boat mid ocean - but ultimately the team finished the race a) with a world record, b) winning our class, and c) as great friends.
It's such a joy to have had all of these adventures with my son. I’m lucky to have a son and a daughter. My daughter doesn’t enjoy expeditions but we do skydive together. I always hoped that my son would come with me and share my interests. But I’ve never had to drag him. We enjoyed two trips where we walked and canoed across Scotland, one when he was 15, the second for his 18th birthday. I said to him, "What do you want for your 18th birthday?" And he said, "I'd like to do another trip across Scotland. This time I will plan it and lead it." And I said, "That's not a gift to you, that's a gift to me because I get to spend a week with you on another adventure."
I'm incredibly proud of Matt. I think he's a fantastic guy. He's one of the brightest blokes I've ever met. His IQ is off the scale. And honestly, he can achieve whatever he wants to do. So yeah, I’m completely proud of him and I enjoy his company hugely. He's phenomenal. He really is. But don’t tell him I said that!
"It was on that trip that I started to realise that he wasn’t just my dad, he was a man, with strengths and weaknesses, just like me." - Matthew
MATTHEW: If Kev hadn’t done the things he’d done, I’m not sure that I would ever have started adventuring. It's a lot easier to go and ask to be a part of a polar expedition than it is to set it up yourself, especially as a 16 or 17 year old.
I don’t think I ever saw him as an adventurer though, really. He was a businessman. He worked in an office. I know he went off into the mountains and then Everest base camp when I was about 10 and I remember that was a big trip. But it wasn't until he did the North Pole that I saw that there was something to this, something I wanted to get involved in.
We were always an outdoorsy family doing activities like scuba diving or skiing - holiday style hobbies. But certainly we weren't breaking rock climbing records when I was 10 years old. Nothing like that.
Our first adventure together was a camping hike across the Brecon Beacons when I was about 12. The first longer trip I remember us doing together, before the South Pole, was the canoe trip across Scotland when I was about 15. I think that definitely started a change in my relationship with Kev. I think everyone has a moment as they’re growing up where they see that their parents aren't superheroes anymore, they’re real people. It was on that trip that I started to realise that he wasn’t just my dad, he was a man, with strengths and weaknesses, just like me. Once you realise that, I think maybe you have a different kind of relationship.
I was 17 when we went to the South Pole but I certainly didn’t feel as though I was too young to be in the team. I felt extremely lucky to have been given the opportunity. But beyond that, I was just part of the group. And Kev has always allowed me to be one of the team. Sometimes other team members don't immediately realise that we’re related. It’s hard to say how I found the trip because I didn’t really have a frame of reference. It was just an incredible experience.
I’m definitely a person that likes to do things for a purpose. Where I think Kev is more focused on the memories or experiences, I like to be able to take something tangible away from a trip. That’s why for me the race across the Atlantic was probably my favourite trip, because of the fact that we set the world record together.
Doing something like that with a close member of your family has advantages and disadvantages compared to doing it with strangers or even people you only know a little bit. When conflict, or a crisis, happens, you know how the other person is going to react. You know how they’ve reacted in the past. So you can deal with that in a different way. Sometimes that familiarity helps, but sometimes it can be tougher.
But you also know exactly what skills they have and what experience they’ve got. You know what they can do without, what they find tough, or how they will approach a specific challenge without you having to ask or raise the issue. And that’s a definite advantage on a long expedition.
I’m glad I’ve had this opportunity to experience so much with Kev. I’d love to make a career out of adventuring and leading expeditions. That’s what I’m working towards. I want to help other people to experience the amazing adventures that I have enjoyed. Adventuring will always be a big part of my life. And I’m sure we’ll continue to go on trips together - we’ve got a couple we’re planning at the moment. I’m definitely proud of him. But don’t tell him I said that!
It’s that time of year when Team Tom & Teddy springs into photo-shoot action. We start planning around three months in advance to ensure everything is in place and all our crew and models are booked in. This year was our most ambitious photography project yet as we co-ordinated multiple locations, a 10-strong crew, a team of 8 models and a whole lot of props, equipment and vehicles too. Here, for the first time, we’ve documented exactly what it takes to bring together all this talent and end up with a set of wonderful photos and video footage that truly captures the Australian spirit of Tom & Teddy.
Our 2022 Collection features a bold and colourful range of vintage motifs. All we had to do was track down some shoot locations to convey a good-old-days sense of fun. And of course, we needed to put together a storyline – what will our models be doing and how will they showcase our lovely new range? As a father and son brand, we wanted to celebrate the bond between son, father and grandfather
Our first location choice was Luna Park, a vintage-style amusement mecca and an iconic spot at Sydney’s North Shore that offers a perfect backdrop for our photoshoot story. From traditional carousel rides and wooden slides to pinball machines and candy floss stands, Luna Park has it all, and we were able to book a filming slot there.
Our next idea came in the form of a boat or, more specifically, a beautiful, highly polished vintage cruiser that, in our story, belongs to grandad! Sydney Harbour offers endless breath-taking backdrop opportunities and, by adding a trip across the water, we were able to see our story take shape.
Now, it’s all about permits and paperwork and model castings. For commercial photoshoots, having the right talent and the correct permissions is key. Our photographer Steve and his team of assistant, stylist and make-up artist were already booked, and we secured our videographer, a behind-the-scenes snapper and the right models for our family-oriented brand. It was also time to start scheduling the all-important location “recces” – when the photographer and videographer visit the locations and scope out what can be done, what can’t be done and any special requests they may have.
The nitty-gritty month. In the weeks leading up to shoot day, we’re firing on all cylinders. There’s briefs and storyboards to be developed, clothing lists to be made, props to be purchased and timetables to be written. Everything needs to be pulled together and our to-do lists grow by the day. There are a hundred and one things to organise whether that’s arranging with the stylist to steam the clothes the day before the shoot or liaising with the runner to receive props. From van and venue hire to schedules and call times, everything is nailed-down and locked-in to ensure the day runs as smoothly as possible.
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