SURFING -Disabled should also get chance to enjoy surf

Kaitaia's Mark Shanks believes the benefits of surfing for disabled people far outweigh the risks and he has taken the lead to help launch his ideas.
Shanks has worked with the disabled for four years as an instructor at the Disability Resource Centre. He has also taught surfing and saw the opportunity to combine the two activities in a constructive way.
"Really because I'm so into surfing and because water is such a therapeutic element for people with disabilities, the two go so naturally together.
"Through my work at the centre we had the chance to get some disabled people out [for a surf] I realised how wonderful it was for them to be in the water and I thought, `Well, we need to follow this up'," he said.
Shanks believed the idea should be introduced at a national level and started talking to Surfing New Zealand about helping to deliver it.
"We made further investigations and they said, `Well you've got to go to Australia to visit the guys from the Disabled Surfing Association because they've been doing it for years'."
After he contacted the association it invited him over for the biggest day of the year at Collaroy Beach, which attracts participants from all over Australia every year.
The Kiwi organiser was stunned at what he saw.
"There were over 75 people of mixed abilities out there on the water, most of them were pretty young but there were also some older adults as well."
The trip to Australia gave Shanks' idea substance and a structure to work with but it also gave him belief that the idea had value. In addition to that he had gained the full support of Australian body, which was established 23 years ago and is regarded as a world leader in the delivery of surfing to the disabled community.
"They're right behind us, they really want us to be able to deliver surfing to the disabled community," he said.
"It was incredible to see all those people on the beach and enjoying the whole beach scene and ... it made me realise it was all about inclusion, I mean we keep talking about inclusion and it's a big aim for people with disabilities but it isn't always in evidence; there's quite a bit of separatism and I think the beach is the place where inclusion can work in practice," Shanks said.
It now seems certain the disabled community in New Zealand will get the chance to go surfing this summer.
A recent gathering of interested people at Mt Maunganui saw a plan hatched. The idea is to hold two training days for volunteers at Mt Maunganui and Christchurch. The venues were picked because of the generally placid surf and because of the exposure the group can gain at the popular surfing centres over summer.
"Initially we're just going to launch it and then try and build up two centres, one in the north and one in the south, but from there the hope is that they will start to spread out into the regions," Shanks said.
"Because I'm one of the guys who have helped push this along, I want to see something happening in Northland pretty quickly too, so I'd be looking at getting something happening up here this summer as well."
• For more information, visit www.disabledsurfers.org or contact Mark Shanks on (09) 4094009.