Young Men from the Coffs Harbour District who have Recently Entered the Mission Field.

Tuesday, 30 November 2010

COFFS HARBOUR, NSW - What simply began as an idea to help some of the young men from this coastal surfing region prepare for their missions has now turned into a highly-anticipated annual event for the usually small branch of Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales Coast.

"We started out wanting to help some of our youth who were being tempted to enter surf competitions held on Sundays. Next year will be the 6th Annual Surfest, but by then all those youth who first prompted us to start this contest will be on their missions. The event has become such a popular weekend each year that we now feel the show must go on for the families and for the next round of youth," said Garth Mackie, one of the organisers and father of several young men in the Coffs Harbour branch.

The event began by word-of-mouth with no formal registration process. That first morning of surfing, ten to twelve were expected, but instead about 25 participants arrived along with their supporting families. Last year was the biggest event so far with over 50 participants and more than a hundred other spectators.

"What we didn't anticipate was how many spectators we would get, along with participants. We have multi-generational surfing families who have come for all of our years of competition. Our little branch's regular attendance of about 50 swelled to 266 on the Sunday – the biggest we have ever seen!" said Garth.

Many of the youth and young single adults have enjoyed the friendships made over these weekends and have felt the strength of others' testimonies and stories which has helped solidify their decisions to serve missions.

"There is always a great feeling at the contest. It's all about participating, not winning. Many local surfers who aren't members also hang out at the contest area and some even join in. They ask questions and we always have the missionaries around helping out, and they get introduced to them," said Richard Berends, another of the local organisers.

"Surfest has always been one of the highlights of my year. It's been good to see my mates go on their missions and to see some even come back and surf again in the comp' after their missions. It's my turn to go this year and I'm looking forward to it. I hope Surfest is still running when I get back because I will need a good surf after that," said Callum Mackie who has recently submitted his mission papers.

"As always, we had a great time. The fireside was a highlight. It was a good experience for my son Dayne before he leaves on his mission this week to South Africa," said Dick Byrnes.