Ed Earl
THE Gold Coast surfing gods can breathe a sigh of relief — the next wave of Coolie kids has been unearthed.
After moving from Lismore 10 years ago, the Pereira-Ryan brothers, Sol and Ice, are getting ready for their next journey — to continue on when surf legends Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson retire.
The journey is not an easy one for the Snapper Rocks based surfers.
The teens aim to compete in the Occy Grom competition in Bali in early August and will have to work and fundraise to get more than $8000 needed for travel and accommodation by mid-July.
“Hopefully we’ll be getting some good waves in Bali,” said 16-year-old Ice.
Tourism operator Worldtourism will match every dollar raised.
“Some people just go in, get a contract and then they fly straight off all over the world. It’s a bit hard for us and we are struggling,” said Ice, a part-time labourer, who works with his dad.
“We can only do Gold Coast comps because we can’t travel to many other places,” added Ice’s 15-year-old brother, Sol.
Ice, whose nickname is the Iceman, said he moved from bodyboarding to board riding six years ago and had always loved the water.
He said he had dragged Sol into surfing about four years ago.
“I got him into it and he’s better than me. He’s been surfing nearly half the time as me,” said Ice.
“That’s why half the time, I don’t let him get waves, I don’t want him getting better than me. I just try to pull him off and make him get the little ones,” he joked.
Sol, a Palm Beach Currumbin High School student, placed first at the Queensland School Surfing Titles.
Ice recently won the Surf to Save Kirra competition and placed in the Rip Curl Grom Search.
Sol and Ice have four sisters and one brother.
All family members have three letters in their names, as do their Samoan-born mum and their Aussie dad.
Sol said it was a challenge warming up to some of the fierce local surfers.
“People don’t really like us and some don’t really like the outsiders around here — they are really competitive here,” said Ice.
“A lot of the guys don’t like it because we’re from a different background. They don’t really like it but we tell them to get lost and they are just going to have to accept us.
“We don’t let other people bring us down.”
Source: http://www.goldcoast.com.au/
June 20th, 2008
Environment advocacy group Greenpeace and various stakeholders on Thursday converged at Boracay Island to launch an initiative to make the island - one of the country’s top tourist drawers - a “climate-friendly” destination.
The “Save the Climate, Save Boracay” project was launched in the island, as part of an ongoing Greenpeace initiative to enlist top island destinations in Southeast Asia to decrease their carbon footprint and promote awareness of climate change and solutions that could be implemented in the tourism industry.
“Boracay can become a model of a climate-friendly destination for many other tourist destinations in Asia and around the world. We are pleased that many resorts here are already implementing various energy saving measures which with a little more assistance and encouragement could be heavily replicated in all the establishments in Boracay,” Greenpeace Southeast Asia Executive Director Von Hernandez said in a statement.
Hernandez and other members of the organization sailed into the resort island onboard the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior.
“Climate change poses real and huge risks to the tourism industry and the people who depend on the viability of this sector for their livelihood,” he added.
“Save the Climate, Save Boracay” project is a partnership between Greenpeace, the municipality of Malay, Aklan (where Boracay belongs), Department of Tourism, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Boracay Foundation Inc., Boracay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Mother Earth Foundation.
“The project is based on a five-point manifesto signed by all stakeholders and which will require the inclusion of energy efficiency measures and promotion of renewable energy use as part of the environmental management plans for the island especially in the construction or expansion of establishments; the provision of regular energy audits, skillshares and workshops amongst establishments to ensure the continuation and replication of successful practices in the areas of energy and water conservation, as well as ecological waste management,” the Greenpeace statement said.
“The project will also endeavor to promote the island as a climate-friendly destination through the provision of energy efficiency workshops for tourists and visitors,” the statement added.
“It is not too late to act and turn the tide against climate change. Tourists and resorts in Boracay, with strong support from the government can help lead the way in addressing the gravest threat that we are all facing right now. It is our hope that other travel destinations will follow the positive examples set by Boracay and Bali,” Hernandez added.
In December 2007, Greenpeace and Bali Hotels Association also announced the “Energy Efficient Bali” project to turn the island into a climate friendly tourist destination. The largest hotels and resorts in Bali, one of Indonesia’s top tourist destinations, signed up to use energy efficient and renewable energy systems.
Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior is in the country to spearhead the “Quit Coal Tour” in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, which aims to promote solutions to climate change.
The ship’s first port of call in the country was Legazpi City, where the province was declared a coal-free zone. It then sailed to Pagbilao, Quezon, to protest the operation of a coal plant there, and then proceeded to Manila and Iloilo before sailing to Boracay.
Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
June 20th, 2008