Joel Parkinson was filmed by TikTok users @patonandsteeze. Photo / TikTok
Joel Parkinson was filmed by TikTok users @patonandsteeze. Photo / TikTok
Aussie surfing cult hero Joel Parkinson has been filmed confronting several men over what he believes was a "disrespectful" stunt in the middle of the country's floods crisis.
The former world champion is seen in a video posted to social media telling a group of men to stop sliding down a mud hill for fun on the Gold Coast.
His apparent anger towards the pair comes just days after he was involved in a series of jet-ski rescues in the Northern Rivers region of NSW, which included him pulling people to safety and carrying them on the back of his jet-ski in the town of Murwillumbah.
He has now been involved in a heated verbal exchange with two people who had been filming content of them sliding down a closed-off muddy area on the Gold Coast.
A video posted on the filmers' YouTube channel shows Parkinson walked up to the group and said: "That's enough. Hey you f***ing idiots. Get the f*** off. People have lost their houses.
"You should be more responsible you f***wits. You know people lost everything in these floods."
The video shows one of the other men responded: "Oh settle down, mate. Don't bring that (the floods) into it. This is not someone losing their house in the floods bro, so don't do that."
When asked by Parkinson "where the f*** do you live", another man responded: "We know c**** who have lost their houses in the floods. What are you talking about?"
The video shows a brief physical altercation occurred.
The video shows the camera being used to film the incident was knocked out of the hands of the cameraman.
"Have some respect," Parkinson said as he moved to de-escalate the situation.
Parkinson has since told The Courier-Mail, the camera used "ended up in the mud".
Images of former pro surfer Joel Parkinson's confrontation with some young men over a mudslide at Kirra Beach on the Gold Coast. Picture / Supplied
"They weren't hurting anyone but I just thought it was disrespectful with everything the community was going through with the floods.
"I'd put up a slip 'n' slide up for the kids on the first day of the rain but these guys were adults, we'd had two days of sun, the hill reeked of mud and they'd climbed over a fence the council had put up."
Parkinson had been involved in an incredible aid mission involving fellow surfing world champion Mick Fanning and billionaire Elon Musk.
Mick Fanning donned the wetsuit for a very different reason. Photo / Facebook
As Queensland and NSW get battered by huge amounts of rainfall causing floods that have resulted in death and widespread property destruction, Fanning reached out to Musk on Twitter.
"@elonmusk We need help with the flood disaster in NSW, Australia. The people have no means of communication and really need your help!" he wrote.
"Can you help us with Starlink? How can we make it happen? Please share."
Following Fanning's plea, NBN News reporter Josephine Shannon revealed on Twitter some of the worst-hit areas of the NSW Northern Rivers have received more than 10 Starlink Rapid Deployment Kits to help with emergency communications.
Shannon said each kit is worth about $10,000 and will help people contact loved ones and first responders.
After Mick Fanning put the call out to Elon Musk, telecommunications provider Netvault donated over 10 Starlink Rapid Deployment Kits (worth $10K) enabling some of the worst flood affected parts of the Northern Rivers to now contact family, friends and first responders! @nbnnewspic.twitter.com/Og8lSP30Vz
Starlink is a satellite internet service by Musk's company SpaceX, which allows people to use a dish and router to connect to the internet by linking to the low-orbit satellites shot up into space by the billionaire entrepreneur.
Last year Starlink partnered with telecommunications provider NetVault, who was on the ground delivering the technology to flood-affected areas.
We’ve donated 10 Starlink kits to assist with flood recovery efforts, arriving in Byron Bay this morning. These kits will have the new Starlink roaming feature enabled. This means the service is portable, & the Starlink units can be moved to other flood ravaged locations easily. pic.twitter.com/3wps5e02JM
Special thanks to Jean Renouf from Resilient Byron Group. Jean reached out to us to get emergency SpaceX Starlink terminals for the Byron region, which were delivered today. We're in talks with SpaceX to get more Starlink terminals for people in Lismore & Byron areas. #Starlinkpic.twitter.com/ih5dzIEGM5
Last week Fanning and Parkinson surprised residents on the NSW North Coast with a selfless act amid the ongoing flood disaster.
Pharmacist Skye Swift put a call out on social media for a ride from Tweed to Murwillumbah to make sure residents could access essential medication, The Age reported. To her surprise, none other than the three-time world surfing champion rocked up on a jet ski offering to give her a ride.
Joel Parkinson was filmed by TikTok users @patonandsteeze. Photo / TikTok
Southeast Queensland and northern NSW have been smashed by torrential rain over the past fortnight, while flood levels in parts of Sydney are expected to reach new highs not seen since March 1978.
Surfing legend Joel Parkinson also joined the rescue effort. Photo / Supplied
Thousands of residents across NSW were forced to leave their homes overnight and thousands more are preparing for the worst as dangerous flooding impacts a large area of the state.
More heavy rain fell across the Hunter, Central Coast, Sydney, Illawarra and South Coast in mere hours. Authorities say homes, businesses and roads have been flooded while some rivers are still rising. More than 60 evacuation areas were in place overnight.
