The Pier on a calm day, only a few days before it was closed to the public. 

Latest news from the Davey's Bay public meeting is that the Yacht Club will attempt to raise some funds to save the jetty, though it is currently closed to the public. Apparently bits of the pier were breaking off as the public meeting took place last weekend. Here's the report from the yacht club website:

About 130 people attended the meeting regarding the repair/renewal of the jetty held at the Clubhouse on Saturday 19th June, including Alistair Harkness the local MP, Robin Cooper the Mornington State Member, local fishermen, residents as well as members which was a tremendous turnout by any standards, but when you consider the abysmal weather conditions it was outstanding.

The Commodore started the meeting saying that the club had been lobbying the State Government for funds for several years and earlier this year they allocated $3000 on a dollar for dollar basis to repair the finger, however, the engineer said we would be wasting our money as the whole Jetty had deteriorated over the last couple of years to such an extent that there was no point in just repairing the finger. The Commodore then introduced Mike Behnke of the Department of Sustainability & Environment.

Mike stated that in essence he does not have the funds available to re-construct the Jetty, which is estimated at $60,000 for repairs (giving about a 20 year life) or $120,000 for a complete new one. His preferred option is to demolish the the Jetty as it removes a potential liability claim, however, he recognises that there is community consideration and if we want to keep the jetty the local community would have to find a proportion of the cost. He also said that his budget is extremely limited and tends to be allocated to removal rather than new construction. He gave a list of about 6 other Governement Agencies that can be approached who have funds for building and maitaining infrastructure, and it will be up to us to approach those organisations directly.

Councillor Reade Smith who represents Mt Eliza on the Mornington Peninsula Shire also added his support to the retention of this community asset - in fact he personally hand delivered about 250 leaflets - thank you Reade.

Tracey Limpens from the Shire also said that the Shire could assist in making application to the various departments mentioned by Mike Behnke - she said that is where the Shire gets much of its funding for similar projects. There could also be other ways the Shire could assist and we will have some discussions with her and Reade in the near future.

The jetty was closed for public access on 24 June, 2004.

News this week that this scene may never be repeated. Walking out on Davey's Bay Pier to jump in for a bay surf. Despite a protest meeting scheduled for tomorrow, it's likely that the pier will be condemned and pulled down. 

Got an email this week from a guy seeking permission to use the aerial shots of Point Leo on the hoax coast page for his research paper into the lines of swell around Point Leo, particularly how and why Pines breaks like it does. Hopefully he can solve the problem of where First Reef went at the same time!

cold water stories: walking back from a cold surf after a big swell, and a big high tide and lots of strands of sea-weed crusted rope along the shore from the mussel floats offshore. The water is somehow sandy, messed up, discoloured looking green but really glassy too. A milky kind of seaweed texture like those pictures of early Ranch with the Californian kelp beds, but the seaweed here is tiny, dark particles we call 'tea leaves'.

warm water stories: we're out in the morning and a flock of birds diving and scrambling for fish are offshore and slowly moving closer in. Suddenly, the water is full of silvery fish and fins, and tiny inch long dark fish, then actual hand-sized silver fish are jumping out of the warm water and the birds are diving into the sea all around us.

warm water stories: three days of surfing fun beach breaks in May in boardshorts. All the waves are rights basically, maybe the swell is coming from down south a little and angling across the banks, but whatever, it's fun even if two of us are goofies, and the right had a quick and makeable end section that has been good every morning.

But it's day three, our last surf up there, and JC says 'I wouldn't mind a left'; as we've had NONE in three days, not one, just surfing these fun rights.

A minute later, maybe 90 seconds, from out of nowhere, a wave peaks up from beyond the bank in deep water, the first left we've seen for three days. I'm inside suddenly, but I don't even turn on it, he called for it, and somehow it came!

'Surfing is the spiritual aesthetic of the liberated self. I've picked out the surfer as my symbol, a surfer right at that point moving along constantly right at the edge of the tube, that position is the metaphor of life to me'

Timothy Leary (quoted in ASL 190 - July 2004)

The new issue of ASL is the best one I've seen for a while (July 2004) It's a SOUL issue and there's some good quotes and some good writing by Nick Carroll on just what soul might be, if anything, nowadays. I'll add some quotes as I skip through it, but it sure connected with me more than any of the big-wave tow-in stuff that most magazines have been piling on lately.

Surfing Life

Walking around to a little point this afternoon a couple of white-faced herons foraging in the tea leaf seaweed washed up in the big swells and the big tides in the last couple of days.

I walk up to them and at some indefinable stage they take fright and fly ahead; maybe fifty metres or so, then waiting again, and watching as I approach, then flying ahead again.

At some stage, they decide to fly behind me, back to their feeding ground maybe, and I walk round to the point alone.

White Faced Heron Fact Sheet

From the HarperCollins site:

MP: The Life Of Michael Peterson
Author: Sean Doherty
Book Format: Trade Paperback
No. of Pages: 304 pages
Number of illustrations:
Running Time:
Height & Width: 23.5cm x 15.7cm
ISBN: 0732276098
Price (Aust RRP): $29.95
Publication Date: 5 March 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The untold story of Australian surfing's cult hero...

Michael Peterson, or MP as he is commonly known, ruled the surfing scene throughout the early to mid-1970s.

Despite Michael’s brilliant success he was, unbeknownst to all, facing a tougher opponent than anything he'd ever encounter in the surf. What many dismissed as introverted weirdness was, in fact, the early signs of paranoid schizophrenia, and Michael’s battle with this disease would ultimately put an end to his flourishing career.

As completely as he had dominated, MP disappeared from the surfing landscape, and now, after so many years of obscurity, he tells what is truly Australian surfing's great untold story.

MP: The Life of Michael Peterson covers everything from Peterson's early life with an abusive stepfather, to his celebrated victories in numerous surfing competitions, to his descent into the drug scene, his imprisonment and subsequent institutionalisation.

With a foreword written by former surfing world champion and MP's lifelong friend Peter Townend, and tributes written by surfing legends Kelly Slater, Rabbit Bartholomew, Nat Young and Barton Lynch among others, this is the only authorised biography of MP, as told to Tracks magazine's editor, Sean Doherty.

Just finished reading Sean Doherty's book 'MP', a biography of the great surfer Michael Peterson and his rise to fame and subsequent illness. It's a great story; sad and sobering. If someone had of asked me in 1972 who my hero was, I would have had no doubt that it was MP

I remember that early TRACKS cover of Michael in his new Rip Curl steamer after winning the Australian Titles. He was cool. I recommend this book highly.

Michael Peterson - from Surfline.com

Michael Peterson - from the surfline site. 

Gold Coast Beach Breaks this week; you could probably surf fast and loose in board shorts on a day like this!