Each month for the past eight years, Gold Coast Titans players and staff have swapped their training and work attire for rashies and boardies, and taken time out to treat a group of very excited young people to a day in the sun, sand and surf as part of the “Disabled Surfing Australia" program.
Complete with a specially designed and created disabled surfboard, paid for through the Club’s recent Community Kick-In fundraiser, Titans NRL players Tyrone Roberts and Kallum Watkins, along with train-and-trial squad member Alex Gerrard, spent the day at Currumbin Beach conducting the final Disabled Surf session of the year.
While the smiles and squeals of delight were testament to the participants’ enjoyment, Roberts says the time spent on the beach assisting some of the Club’s most passionate supporters provided great balance and perspective for the playing group.
“You see the smiles on their faces and they love it, no matter how cold the water is, it cheers them up and makes us excited to do what we do,” Roberts said.
The surf session was also a real eye-opener for the Titans’ English duo, with Watkins still coming to terms with his new backyard.
“I honestly drove to and from the beach pinching myself that I have the opportunity to live here on the Gold Coast and take part in incredible community programs like surfing with the disabled with the Titans,” he said.
“It was just fantastic to see the kids having such a great time and to be fair, they could probably tell I was loving it as much as they were.”
The Titans look forward to continuing their Disabled Surfing Australia program partnership in 2020.
