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Thursday, 14 January 2010
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For Tom...
This blog has been set-up as a tribute to Tom, for everyone who ever had the privilidge to meet him, to share stories and photo's.
The main site fot "Catch a Wave" will follow shortly, with the ability to post stories, photos and donate online to the fund.
If you want to contribute any stories or pics, leave a comment and we'll get back to you.
The main site fot "Catch a Wave" will follow shortly, with the ability to post stories, photos and donate online to the fund.
If you want to contribute any stories or pics, leave a comment and we'll get back to you.
Catch a wave for Tom Fund
CATCH A WAVE is the name of the fund which has been set up in Tom's memory. Its aim is to provide surfing equipment for youngsters in Java, kids who are extremely poor, but like Tom hear the call of the surf.
Lots of them have real talent, skills they develop on old, wrecked, broken and discarded boards.To provide new ones would be a fulfilment of their dreams.
This would be something very close to Tom's heart.
Please help us to make his legend live on by making a small donation to this worthy cause, for like Tom we too can make a difference.
Payments can be made to J Clinton at Santander Bank (Abbey)a/c 44623294 s/c 090127
Lots of them have real talent, skills they develop on old, wrecked, broken and discarded boards.To provide new ones would be a fulfilment of their dreams.
This would be something very close to Tom's heart.
Please help us to make his legend live on by making a small donation to this worthy cause, for like Tom we too can make a difference.
Payments can be made to J Clinton at Santander Bank (Abbey)a/c 44623294 s/c 090127
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Excerpts from a letter written to Tom’s Dad, a guy Tom met on his travels, in Bali. It speaks for itself.
Hi Richard,
Just going through photos brought back so many memories of Tom. Like that trip we did where we surfed those monster waves. I think that the best memories are when everything goes wrong and you make it work. Some people would simply give up, get angry and then it would become a bad experience. Not Tom, every time something went wrong he would just laugh, we would make a joke about it and enjoy the moment. That's what life is about. Enjoying the good times and the bad times just as much. We started that trip in Cimaja, a small surf village built around the main road with sprawling rice paddies and a good surf break. After a lot of bartering we managed to secure ourselves two functioning scooters for Rp50,000 per day. Functioning meant they managed to get us 10km up the road before the first one broke down.
We decided to go onto Ombak Tujuh, Indonesia's 'big wave' which is through the jungle. We were told it was dangerous and we'd be robbed or even killed by the locals if we stayed over night there.But we set off, our bikes loaded with water and a few packets of instant noodles, coffee, condensed milk and a pot, planning on sleeping in our board bags under the stars. As we arrived on the beach, after the grueling 2 hour trip through the jungle, I realized that I had a puncture. Probably the worst place to have one as menacing clouds were moving in. We spotted some fishermen and with our combined indo and hand signs managed to ask them for help. They invited us to stay with them under their shelter and not a moment to soon as it started bucketing down. As it turned out the shelters weren't very sheltering and we were kept awake by the mozzies and the guys drinking coffee all night and smoking the strongest clove cigarettes.
But we survived and woke up to barrel paradise. The wave we saw breaking we’d never seen anyone surf before and it was giving us a first class performance. It appeared to break too close to a reef shelf that stood above the water line. Obviously Tom was the first out to catch a wave. He took off steep, made the bottom turn, pulled into the barrel for a second or two and then got swallowed up. It looked knarly but when he came up laughing, it was on.
We started taking more and more chances, taking off deeper and getting longer barrel rides but not making it out of any as the wave was too fast. I saw Tom pulled into this monster barrel and for a second it would have been a surf magazine cover shot. Another second later the wave swallowed him up and I just saw board and limbs flying all over the place. He came up, a bit shell shocked and with the board broken.
He then had to watch me get the wave of the day, pulling into a beautiful barrel and finally making it out. We didn't know what the wave was called but we claimed it as Ours. Three days of having this wave to ourselves we got fed-up with the mozzies.Our hosts, had become like our family, cooking for us and cheering us on while we surfed. They wouldn't accept any payment for taking care of us. So we gave them a torch, batteries, a hat, condensed milk, things that are worthless to us but things they would have to save up to buy. With photos taken together and a few laughs we said our goodbyes, promising to come back again one day.
Tom was an amazing kid and we became so close, so quickly, knowing what the other thinks before saying it.
Tom's death has made me realize how valuable our time is with those that love us.
We need to appreciate our time together before we go on our own way.
I'll never forget Tom
All my love Frans
Hi Richard,
Just going through photos brought back so many memories of Tom. Like that trip we did where we surfed those monster waves. I think that the best memories are when everything goes wrong and you make it work. Some people would simply give up, get angry and then it would become a bad experience. Not Tom, every time something went wrong he would just laugh, we would make a joke about it and enjoy the moment. That's what life is about. Enjoying the good times and the bad times just as much. We started that trip in Cimaja, a small surf village built around the main road with sprawling rice paddies and a good surf break. After a lot of bartering we managed to secure ourselves two functioning scooters for Rp50,000 per day. Functioning meant they managed to get us 10km up the road before the first one broke down.
We decided to go onto Ombak Tujuh, Indonesia's 'big wave' which is through the jungle. We were told it was dangerous and we'd be robbed or even killed by the locals if we stayed over night there.But we set off, our bikes loaded with water and a few packets of instant noodles, coffee, condensed milk and a pot, planning on sleeping in our board bags under the stars. As we arrived on the beach, after the grueling 2 hour trip through the jungle, I realized that I had a puncture. Probably the worst place to have one as menacing clouds were moving in. We spotted some fishermen and with our combined indo and hand signs managed to ask them for help. They invited us to stay with them under their shelter and not a moment to soon as it started bucketing down. As it turned out the shelters weren't very sheltering and we were kept awake by the mozzies and the guys drinking coffee all night and smoking the strongest clove cigarettes.
But we survived and woke up to barrel paradise. The wave we saw breaking we’d never seen anyone surf before and it was giving us a first class performance. It appeared to break too close to a reef shelf that stood above the water line. Obviously Tom was the first out to catch a wave. He took off steep, made the bottom turn, pulled into the barrel for a second or two and then got swallowed up. It looked knarly but when he came up laughing, it was on.
We started taking more and more chances, taking off deeper and getting longer barrel rides but not making it out of any as the wave was too fast. I saw Tom pulled into this monster barrel and for a second it would have been a surf magazine cover shot. Another second later the wave swallowed him up and I just saw board and limbs flying all over the place. He came up, a bit shell shocked and with the board broken.
He then had to watch me get the wave of the day, pulling into a beautiful barrel and finally making it out. We didn't know what the wave was called but we claimed it as Ours. Three days of having this wave to ourselves we got fed-up with the mozzies.Our hosts, had become like our family, cooking for us and cheering us on while we surfed. They wouldn't accept any payment for taking care of us. So we gave them a torch, batteries, a hat, condensed milk, things that are worthless to us but things they would have to save up to buy. With photos taken together and a few laughs we said our goodbyes, promising to come back again one day.
Tom was an amazing kid and we became so close, so quickly, knowing what the other thinks before saying it.
Tom's death has made me realize how valuable our time is with those that love us.
We need to appreciate our time together before we go on our own way.
I'll never forget Tom
All my love Frans
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