As part of our learning journey, we had to consider what we needed. Rick arrived with a board 'Ando' and he also had a steamer. Mark and I were completely unprepared for the experience but a couple of trips to Ulladulla had us outfitted with spring suits. Even though we couldn't surf, we at least looked the part. Ironically the brand of suit chosen was 'Adrenalin'.

The other challenge was learning the lingo, the correct language or jargon to use as surfers.

After one of our first dalliances with the surf, walking exhaustedly back to the camping ground along the bush track, a couple of young local surfers questioned of Mark "What's it like?" He was a little aghast at the question, not quite knowing how to respond.

Should he say "Really good man!" or was there some other saying that would communicate to this fellow surfer how the conditions were that afternoon.

Arriving back, we realised we had arrived, as these obviously experienced surfers asked us that question, even though we didn't have a clue how to answer, without ruining the illusion.

We have since discovered that 'Gnarly' and 'Etch' are two surfing terms to describe fabulous surf and of course we quickly added those terms to our vocabulary as over the next two days we continued the quest to stand on the board.

Learning to Surf

It is quite fun that when one takes on the position of being a learner, you receive all sorts of advice. Some of our peers who actually ride a board were very generous with their time and gave us a lot of assistance.

We quickly discovered a few things about surfing though.

1. It is very tiring and takes a lot of energy, especially when the surf is reasonably big.

2. Getting on the right spot on the board is very important. Each of us managed to be too far forward and nosedives and then wipeouts were the order of the day and quite spectacular.

3. Board riding is a lot more fun with a few blokes than being alone. Having encouragement and support from others helps.

4. It is very different to body-boarding or bodysurfing. In those exploits riding down the wave is the first step. In surfing, once on a wave, one has to jump up rather than focus on riding down the unbroken wave.

5. Riding a board is a skill that is very slow to learn. It took a couple of days before any of us started to look like actually standing.

These lessons were good to learn - though our progress was slow at first due to having just the one board and three aspiring riders.

More was ahead of us.

Some Thoughts from Rick

Anyone who has progressed past primary school maths will be confused by this equation – three men and was that, one surfboard? Divided into three, who gets the rear end with the natty fin sticking out, who scores the pointy bit at the other end and what about the fat useless bit in the middle? It was clear to us that we would have to revert to first principles, to an earlier time, when we were kids and we actually used to ‘share’ stuff all the time. Maybe this would give us some clues.

I remember a certain ‘billy cart’ that I built with my dad (one of the few good memories about him, but that’s another story). It had heavy-duty wheels pinched off a railway porter’s trolley and body work made from a hardwood fruit box full of splinters - it used to go like a scalded cat! Everyone in the neighbourhood had a great time with that cart. We raced each other in it, crashed into stuff (especially other flimsier billy carts) fell out of it when cornering hard and got appalling gravel rash and skilfully dodged the occasional car that dared enter our ‘territory’. We were bloody happy – literally!

One summer an outdoor inflatable above ground plastic pool arrived in the more well-to-do house in my neighbourhood. In the middle of a sweltering western suburbs heat wave it was guaranteed to be an instant kid magnet. We shared that pool and probably a fair bit of our urine until some nong put a hole in it and that was the end of that.

Eventually, we reduced the amount of gravel rash and scabs on knees to a minimum and began to turn our attentions to other things. They weren’t as tough as us but they had long hair that shone in the sun and smelled of flowers and they seemed to cry more than us, about anything and nothing! They wore dresses and stuff which were totally unsuitable for playing cowboys and itchybums and for some reason we weren’t supposed to look up their dresses at their underpants, which is impossible not to do when they are riding in your billy cart! Some things never change.

Gradually we realised that these annoying creatures with their stupid dresses and their nice hair were fun to be around (sometimes) and they made us feel, well, different. We used to share everything else so it only seemed natural that we share them around as well. A fairly grown up attitude – when you’re nine years old! O.K., so perhaps girlfriends are not such a good example for sharing.

So, with such experiences of sharing in our past (and lots of others) it was no surprise that three blokes playing around with a longboard in the surf would be a howling success. At least on a par with billy carts and plastic swimming pools and almost as fun as the girlfriends, especially the ones we married! I have wanted to learn to surf for a few years and wondered if I would ever get the chance while I was living in Canada. Now that I’m back in Oz I have two mates who are sharing the adventure. I’m blessed. All we have to do now is find the time to steal away from the charms of our wives – to go surf’n!

The beginning

From Dave

Like Mark I had avoided surfboards for many years. I was the oldest of three very competitive boys and as a kid, with two very competent board-riding brothers, there was no way I was going to settle on being the third best of the riders in the family. I was a goodbody surfer so was happy to ride the waves that way. Mind you, there were not many good waves around Tamworth where I grew up (200 km from nearest surf!!!) though as I started working I was within a hour of the beach. However, apart from a few short-lived and vain attempts, I had shied away from trying to learn to ride the waves on a board.

After over 10 years of surfing at Point North-East over January, the opportunity to learn on a Mal was something that was totally unexpected but it added a new dimension to the holiday and gave me a challenge: to learn to surf before I turned 50!

What follows is the story of two weeks near Burrill Lake as Mark, Rick and I tried to learn to ride a board, with some help from some of mates!

The Surfing Odyssey

By Mark

As I awaited Rick & Janine’s arrival for the first time at “The Pines” on the last Sunday of 2009, I was somewhat hesitant as to how well they might fit in. Little did I realise how unnecessary my concerns were. As their Toyota came into view, there it was, the piece of fibreglass that was about to change not just this holiday, but possibly even the future for 3 “not so young” men.

With my eyes fixated & slightly wider than usual, I had to pinch myself to make sure I warmly greeted our guests, ... (what are their names?) Rick & Janine. After being as courteous as I could, I could stand it no longer. I had to ask Rick, “What are you doing with a surfboard on the roof of your car?” As Rick, slowly undid the straps that were tenderly holding the board in place, he carefully introduced Dave and I to .... “Ando”, his 9’3” Anderson Malibu. Ando, as he became affectionately known, was a recent acquisition of Rick’s. Although not a surfer in his youth, Rick’s sudden decision to purchase Ando & bring him to The Pines immediately connected with both Dave Smith’s & my repressed dreams of “making it out the back” on a board. Sure we had been out there on body boards as well as body surfing, but when it came to “walking the plank”, Dave & I had been mere onlookers for the last 10 years as our wives applauded the skill & finesse of “the others” who had mastered the art of catching the “left handers” off the point “out the back”. Up until this point, all Dave & I could do was politely applaud & go back to reading our books.

But all that was about to change.

Although Rick didn’t realise it, he was about to catapult the 3 of us into uncharted waters – literally, as we began our journey to “make it out the back” & to have our wives, as well as the other “surfie chicks” that we holidayed with, “ooh & aah” at us as we “ripped” & “cut back” down the “face” of a “gnarlied left-hander”.

What follows is a compilation of stories & photos that depict the unfinished journey of “3 Men – Making it out the Back”. Sit back & enjoy the ride. It may just inspire you to do something “big” in your life.

Mark 'Etched' Young, Dave 'Gnarly' Smith, Rick 'Cut-Back' Allen-Jordan