FEELING COUNTRY

July 21 2011 | Posted in Lifestyle,  Surfers, 

In an excerpt from Parko+Friends, Occy and J-Bay matriarch, Cheron Kraak talk about the early years of the contest here at J-Bay.

OCC

“Gordon [Merchant] first brought me here. He always talked so much about J-Bay cause he first came way back in the ‘70s when there were no houses here. He came here by ship. He said, “Occ, this place is unbelievable.” He’d already brought me up to the Goldy, and he said, “These right points are pretty good Occ, but I know another one I reckon is even better.” So he took me over and I met Cheron stayed at her house, the same place they’re still in today. I woke up on my first morning looked out the kitchen window and could not believe what I was seeing. It was smoking. It was cloudy, rainy and cold, and the waves were four-to-six feet and unbelievable with just a handful of guys out. Is this for real? I thought I was dreaming. I just fell in love with the place, the family and the house. I just loved staying there. The next year I had to go to Durban for the contest up there, the Gunston 500, and Cheron said to me, “Occ, if you don’t win that contest you can’t stay in the house.” That was all the incentive I needed. I won the contest and came straight back. I surfed extra hard in Durban and came back and stayed another two weeks. I remember I’d won the contest in Durban and come straight to J-Bay with my prizemoney. Thirteen thousand rand it was. There were no banks in J-Bay at the time and I remember Cheron’s husband, Ari told me we had to go to Humansdorp and put the money in the bank there. I came back the next year and went down to the bank to get my money out and it was closed down. I was freaking! I thought I’d lost all my money. I was pretty young and naïve in those days, and thought that if that branch had closed down my money was gone. Then someone told me they probably had another branch in Capetown and my money would be there.”

CHERON

“We were so in our own little world, our own little bubble, and I remember someone saying to me, “You know, you should have an international surf contest out here. Look at the waves.” So that was when we held the first Country Feeling Classic in ‘84. I mean, we didn’t advertise, it was so low-key the whole thing, and I remember someone said to me, “Is there going to be surf for your contest?” I said, “Of course there’s going to be surf!” I wasn’t sure about much else to do with it, but I knew there’d be waves. And it was held just over a weekend, there was no such thing as a waiting period in those days. I woke up the day of the contest and it was eight-foot.

Ari, the guy I was married to at the time, said to me Gordon Merchant from Billabong is here and he has this kid from Australia with him. I’d never heard of this kid before, he was just this little blond kid with a squeaky voice. But he paddled out there and just blazed, blew everyone out of the water. That kid was light years ahead of everyone, and he won the event. It was Occy, of course.

The following year was classic. Back in ’85, the following year, our event used to be held just before the Gunston in Durban. Occ had come over to South Africa early to stay with us, and he’d asked if he could come back and stay when he got back from Durban. I said, “If you win the Gunston you can come back and stay.” On the Sunday night I get this phone call. “Hey, Cheron, it’s Occ. I won the Gunston… can I come back and stay?” And that was it; I don’t think he’s missed a year since. When the kids were young he’d hang out and play with them and look after them and fight with them. I’d make him eat his vegetables because he was still so young and I’d say, “Don’t forget to brush your teeth, Occy.” It was like having another kid around.

But he was all time. Occ was so much fun. And even when he had his wobbly times he’d come back here and hang out for six weeks. He’d arrive here with a suitcase, and the suitcase would have no clothes in it. “Occ, where are your clothes?” “Oh, they were dirty so I left them at home.” Then he’s leaving to go to America and I go, “Occ, have you got any money?” and he pulls 10 rand out of his pocket.

Occ was the first guy to come and stay with us, and then the floodgates opened. He was the first of many. Most of the guys were young and didn’t have much of a clue about where they were, so this became their home while they were here. The town was way smaller and there was no restaurant here on the point back then, so all these guys would hang out and eat here. It sort of became the place to hang out for all those guys. Every year I see the guys who have stayed here and they’re still the same.

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Joel was just one of the wildcards the first year he came here in 1999. Joel arrived and he was going to stay on the corner at Crystal Cove. I’ve seen them before they’ve checked in and gone, “Why don’t you guys just stay up here?” We had the little room underneath the house, and so he came with Dean Morrison and Shagga. They were still like little kids, so young and very green. They needed feeding that’s for sure. They were pretty well behaved the first time they were here, or at least were pretty good at keeping it from me. They stayed here a few days and he was suppose to go back and stay down the point and Joel has gone, “I’m not going anywhere. Can’t I please stay here?” I couldn’t get rid of him. We became quite close quite quickly. This is a very family oriented house, so they bond to the house and I became the mother figure and they keep all the naughty things they do away from the mother just like they do at home.

I remember the excitement of it when Joel won the contest that first year. He kept winning heat after heat. He was part of the family up here. He was always so kind to my kids so he became part of the family, and to have one of the family winning the contest was huge for us. But the way he surfed was phenomenal. We talked about it for years. He just went out here and surfed and it was clear he wasn’t even that interested in the contest. It’s like the contest wasn’t even on, he was just out there surfing away by himself, flying along, having a ball just being Joel. There was no pressure on him and he was so relaxed, and he’s such a beautiful natural surfer.

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