28 May 2024
A week of heavy rain and high winds pummelled the south coast as Defence personnel battled for supremacy at the Interservice Surfing Championships.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the championships, held from May 5-10 in Ulladulla, NSW.
Navy Lieutenant Callum Heath narrowly won the opens men’s short board, beating Petty Officer Phillip Boston in the final minutes.
“I have been trying to get the win for a couple of years now but I only was able to win with the last wave,” Lieutenant Heath said.
“Beating Boston was a surprise to me, I thought for sure he would win.
“He is probably the best surfer in the contest.”
In the women’s division, Army Sergeant Melisa McDonald defended her title with a comfortable win in the finals, beating Petty Officer Zoey McQueen.
“I never expect to do well in contests. I just love the chance to surf with the girls I get away with every other weekend,” Sergeant McDonald said.
“Living in Canberra, it’s not like there is a beach [where] I can get in a morning surf every day.”
Air Force Sergeant Ben Wilkie took out the master’s division, performing incredible airs in testing conditions on the final day.
He was also presented with the best and fairest Matthew Carr Memorial Shield for his dedication in building camaraderie throughout the week.
Army started strongly in the teams challenge, while Air Force gained bonus points for tactics.
However, Navy’s consistency was too good and the team secured its 16th win.
“Just that at the end of the day, we're all paddling out to compete,” Lieutenant Heath said.
“But the part we love most is the whole camaraderie side of it.
“It's a great opportunity to kind of build a relationship between all three services; camaraderie that you form outweighs the competition of it all.”
