Rabbit Roast

Keri Algar

Rabbit

“What about the time when…,”says Paul Hallas (Hot Stuff Surfboards) to Rabbit, he trails off and cracks up laughing. “Yeah, yeah, but what about that time at Bells…remember when….,” replies a grinning Rabbit.

The Rabbit Roast, organised by ASL and held at Point Break Restaurant on Friday 27 May, was a time to celebrate the life and character of Australia’s most influential surfer, and the original Cooly kid, Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew.

Hosted by Phil Jarratt and with a selection of speakers including Nick Carroll and Simon Anderson the afternoon was about basting, roasting and picking apart the life of this much loved surfer.

The conversation was kick started by Phil Jarratt who described Rabbit as a “sloppy dressed, emotionally charged, attention seeker.” The roast was on. (Though after a few bevvies, Jarratt had declared Rabbit to be “wonderful, charmed and eloquent.”)

Nick Carroll reminded the crowd that during its earliest years when competitive surfing was a fledgling affair, it was Rabbit who stoked the fires with the spirit any surfer would recognise. “He rolled the dice on surfing without any evidence it could eventuate to anything…with nothing else but his gut instinct to guide him. As surfers, at some point, we’ve all done that,” said Carroll.

Carroll also had a couple of typically hilarious stories to tell from the vault. “If anyone knows a way out of the Pink Cadillac (nightclub) in the middle of the night with the cops behind us, Rabbit can. He’s a survivor,” said Carroll.

Simon Anderson made a few witty comments and summed up Rabbit’s character succinctly saying “he’s out-there, outgoing and upfront.”

The occasion inspired the recollection of many accomplishments. But the plucky surfer’s greatest achievement for the surfing community was best expressed by Shaun Thomson. “We wanted respect for surfers, and because of you, we got it,” said Thomson.