At just past 8am on a Saturday morning at Nobbys Beach Surf Club on Queensland’s Gold Coast, something very special is about to happen. Dozens of mums and dads loaded up like packhorses trudge across blistering hot sand to get as close to the water’s edge as possible. They are the proud parents of the pint-sized heroes we know as nippers who, every weekend between September and March, eagerly take to our beaches to learn about surf safety.
To the northern end of the flags, one gutsy group of youngsters has gathered. Smeared in sunscreen and decked out in brilliant orange rashies, the flock of 30 young warriors takes off in full formation. This is the magnificent Albatross Nippers, a select group of youngsters who participate in a unique program that gives children with special needs an opportunity to be included in mainstream surf lifesaving.
In the pack there’s one young man who can’t help but stand out. He’s 13-year-old Marcus Hay and he has Down syndrome, but that’s not up for discussion. The pint-sized teen with a smile that would knock the socks off the most hardened of souls has his eyes firmly fixed on the ocean where he knows he can find his happy place.
“See out there where there’s a break – that’s where I feel like Superman! I’m more confident than some of the other kids so I like to help them get better every week so they keep coming back for more,” Marcus tells The Weekly crew spending the morning with this special group of youngsters.
“I’ve been an Albatross for nearly five years and when I grow up I want to become one of the volunteers.
This story is from the February 2020 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 2020 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes - could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
Take me to the river
With a slew of new schedules and excursions to explore, the latest river cruises promise to give you experiences and sights you won’t see on the ocean.
The last act
When family patriarch Tom Edwards passes away, his children must come together to build his coffin in four days, otherwise they will lose their inheritance. Can they put their sibling rivalry aside?
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Jenny Liddle-Bob.Lucy McDonald.Sasha Green - Why don't you know their names?
Indigenous women are being murdered at frightening rates, their deaths often left uninvestigated and widely unreported. Here The Weekly meets families who are battling grief and desperate for solutions.
Growing happiness
Through drought flood and heartbreak, Jenny Jennr's sunflowers bloom with hope, sunshine and joy
"Thank God we make each other laugh"
A shared sense of humour has seen Aussie comedy couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall conquer the world. But what does life look like when the cameras go down:
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of Australian apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the midwinter blues away.
Budget dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of low-cost recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
