A few momths back I started a looking back series and then got distracted. It continues here…

I was 26 when I started in youth ministry at Scarborough Baptist Church, my home church, a place where I stayed another 5 years.

In the second year of youth min I also took up a job teaching at Scarborough High School, which meant that on Friday afternoon I taught 30 year nine boys Health Ed and the on Friday night I had them attend youth group. The connection did get tenuous at times!

One of the best things to come of my time as a teacher at Scarb were the surfing camps that I ran during the school holidays. We ran them thru the church, but I’d usually have 5 or 6 of my school students come along to join in.

The old Nissan E20 van went everywhere!

It was rugged old bus with moss growing in the window sills and a motor that was notoriously unpredictable. If it wouldn’t start I would flip the passenger seat to expose it – whip off the air filter and spray a continuous stream of ‘Aerostart’ down the carby until it kicked into action. One day the spray actually caught alight – kinda scary!

When I look back now the thought of taking 10 year 9 boys away on a surfing camp sounds like sheer lunacy. to do anything with 10 year 9 boys s madness, but to go surfing in some of the most dangerous waves in the world was verging on foolishness.

There were times when I drove out of the carpark saying ‘thank you God’ as we managed to put 10 boys in the water and take 10 boys out of the water. That infamous surf at Moses Rock when it was bloody huge was a case in point. What was I thinking to paddle out there myself let alone take those kids with me?! ONe sat out the back nearly the whole time while another got washed in about 1 km up the shore… Funny thing is, 2 of the boys are now top surfers and you see their name in competition schedules around the place.

Perhaps the most memorable experience were the 3 days we had at Windmills, a swell magnet out near the lighthouse. It was 4-5ft and perfect for 3 days straight and we had it to ourselves. (Hey who wants to hang out with 10 young boys!)

Occasionally I think I’d like to do it all again around here, but I’m not sure I am quite as patient or as surf crazy to make it a goer!buried alive divx online