Splashing and Dashing – Andrew Reid

By Dan Hutton & Madeleine Gray on November 1, 2016 in People

Where are you originally from?
I’m originally from Vaucluse. I lived in Bondi for six or seven years and I got fed up with not being able to park my car, so I got out and now I’m living up in Vaucluse again. It’s so good up there because you’re away from the madness, but still close to the beach.

What do you love about the Eastern Suburbs?
I think the Eastern Suburbs is a good mix of people from a lot of different cultures. I’ve been to a lot of places in the world and it’s probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. Everything you need is only ever 20 minutes away, and our beaches are second to none.

What gets your goat about the Eastern Suburbs?
Nothing really, I love this place. Although I do feel we’re a bit too governed by rules. It seems everywhere you go there’s a big sign with a whole bunch of rules on it. I feel we’ve replaced common sense with rules.

Do you have any favourite local haunts?
I love Skinny Dip Café. The brekkie wraps there are unbelievable. Big Reuben there serves them up. I’m not much of a coffee drinker, though – I’ve got enough energy as it is without caffeine. For a beer, North Bondi RSL is hands down one of the best. There’s nothing better than a beer overlooking the beach at sunset. Oh, and my dentist: Striking Smile at Rose Bay. Most people hate the dentist, but not me. Our teeth are our greatest asset and something we really need to look after. Melissa is just a legend and it’s always a good experience.

You’ve talked in the past about how you were an overweight kid; were you bullied as a young bloke, and what made you decide to get fit and healthy?
I think the word ‘bully’ is thrown around pretty loosely these days. I think there’s a fine line between ‘bullied’ and ‘given a hard time’. Sometimes we need to be told the things that we don’t want to hear to help us; there’s nothing like being told that you can’t do something to make you do it. Kids can be really cruel, but they are being completely honest usually. By the time I was 19 I got fed up with hearing all that stuff about my weight and realising every time I looked in the mirror that it wasn’t a pretty sight, so I decided to go out and get fit and healthy. To be honest, I look back now and I wouldn’t be the person I am today who loves setting goals and achieving new things if I hadn’t been that chubby kid.

You’ve worked as a garbage collector and as a lifeguard. Both jobs are about community service, but one definitely gets more kudos than the other; what do you think about the hero worship that surrounds lifeguards?
It’s fortunate for us that our job involves saving people’s lives, and that’s why we get the hero status. I definitely wasn’t called a hero when I was a garbage man, but I tell you what, getting up at four o’clock every morning and running behind a garbage truck for five hours, I’d say that was more heroic than anything else. In the end, the garbage needs to be taken away too.

How can we teach people that the less glamorous jobs are equally important?
I don’t know; give the garbos a TV show, maybe? There are some fit looking boys in there and they do a fantastic job. I was a garbo for 12 years and I loved every day of it. It is bloody tough work though. You fill two 26 tonne trucks a day, and you’re picking up from 1,200 houses a day. People don’t realise how fit you have to be.

You were a lifeguard well before the Bondi Rescue television series existed; how has the show impacted what you guys do as lifeguards?
If anything it’s probably made us a little bit more professional, because we’re in the spotlight now. Every time you’re on the beach, especially at Bondi, probably 80 per cent of the people that come to the beach now are tourists and they’re probably looking for someone in a blue shirt. So it’s gotten a little bit harder, but it’s so good for people’s beach safety knowledge. I mean, the program is shown in 180 countries, which is a lot. Our rescues are down a lot, too. I remember coming to work 15 years ago and we did 235 rescues in one day. Now if we break 150 it’s a big day, so that’s a good thing. And in terms of what it’s done for our personal lives? Fame, fortune, beautiful women… none of them! Unless you’re Harries (Anthony Carroll), of course.

Can you tell us about some of your most memorable lifeguarding moments?
I remember working one day down at the south corner and I was literally running from rip to rip doing rescues, going in and out of the water. There is a thrill in spotting someone in trouble, paddling out and getting them. Finishing a day like that where no one’s drowned is so rewarding. Then you’ve got the added reward of knowing that everyone that you’ve saved has gone home to his or her family.

In my fifth season at the beach I was unlucky enough to watch a guy drown and die at Bondi, and that was a really tough time for me. I saw him go under and couldn’t get to him in time. It made me grow up about 10 years in that one moment, I reckon. The guy was an amazing Mongolian doctor who had come to our country to change lives. I remember watching him walk out and he was wearing a pair of budgie smugglers, which I thought was weird. We don’t like to stereotype people, but obviously we watch certain cultures more than we watch others. I knew that he was an Asian gentleman, but because he was wearing the budgie smugglers I thought maybe he’d be okay and that he knew what he was doing. We had 40,000 on the beach that day, and we couldn’t get everyone in between the flags, as much as we tried. I remember watching him walk out on the sand bank and then he just slipped off the back of it. I remember watching him put one arm up and I radioed the jet-ski, but the jet-ski couldn’t hear me because it was going to another rescue. I radioed the tower and said I was going in, then I paddled straight out there. I bounced about four waves on the way out and when I got to where I’d seen him he was gone. He was around a whole bunch of surfers and in any other situation like that a surfer would’ve grabbed him, but because he couldn’t swim a stroke he literally went straight to the bottom. He didn’t scream. He didn’t make noises. He just sank. Unfortunately his whole family was there as it was his birthday. He had three kids. We didn’t find him until two hours later. That was probably one of the worst days of my life. I look back on it and I always wonder, could I have done something differently?

One of the real turning points for me afterwards was talking to my mum. She’s pretty old school, so she looked at me and said, “If he couldn’t swim, what was he doing swimming?” That didn’t make it all better for me, but it helped a little bit. It made me remember that as much as we can do as lifeguards, in the end you literally can’t control everyone.

You mentioned that there is a kind of cultural stereotyping that is part of your risk analysis; can you tell us more about that?
Yeah, it’s just something you do; your brain processes things a certain way. You just have to be aware that some people from other non-beach cultures are probably not going to be as strong swimmers, so you’ve got pay special attention to them.

After that unfortunate experience, did you question your ability as a lifeguard?
Yeah, I was quite shattered after that, and for about two weeks I was a pretty down in the dumps. I definitely thought about whether I was still up to the task. But then I’ll never forget, I was walking back from North Bondi along the promenade and while watching the water there was a girl swimming around a learn-to-surf group, and suddenly she slipped off the bank. I looked at the tower and no one had spotted her, neither had the learn-to-surfers. She was climbing the ladder and going under fast. I literally sprinted along the prom, ran down to the water, got to where she was and pulled her off the bottom of the ocean by her hair. She coughed up a whole bunch of water, spewed a few times, then I threw her on the rescue board and paddled her in. I had this moment where I knew I still had what it takes, because for a while I was really questioning whether I should’ve be doing this as a job.

You guys in the lifeguard tower obviously have really good camaraderie; who are your closest mates in the lifeguard service?
I get along with everyone, pretty much. The guys I probably get drawn towards more are the guys that I share common interests with and like to train lots, like Deano, Corey, Hoppo and Ben Quigley. I love all the guys and girls who I work with, though. I’m lucky enough to work with a couple of really cool girls now, too. There’s Jules, one of the new recruits, who is a lot of fun and she loves triathlon and ocean paddling. And then Nicola Atherton, a former world junior surfing champion, has been working down at the beach for a few seasons now too.

Who’s the biggest pest in the lifeguard tower?
The biggest pest would have to be Jake Nolan. He’s an absolute pain in the arse. I wish he would join the Manly lifeguards; he’s from the Northern Beaches so I don’t know why he drives an hour every day to come to work. If the Manly lifeguards are reading this, boys you can have him.

What are the biggest problems you face as a lifeguard?
I think the hardest part about our job is watching the water. That’s what I try to focus on when I’m teaching the young guys. It was one of the things that Harries really drummed into me when I first became a lifeguard, He’s one of the best when it comes to watching the water. If you think about it, you shouldn’t drive a car longer than two hours without having a break, and we’re doing nine-hour days down there sometimes. I think you need to manage your breaks and keep that concentration, because at a place like Bondi if you’re not concentrating, as soon as you blink someone will go under.

What’s the biggest misconception that people have about lifeguards?
It used to be that we sat around and did nothing; we just checked out chicks. I think now probably the biggest misconception is that it’s an easy job; it’s not an easy job. Some long, hot days on Bondi are probably the hardest days I’ve ever worked. You’re on the beach, it’s 40-degrees, you’re staring at breaking waves, and the reflection of the white water burns through your retinas. You’re also looking through crowds, and you’ve almost got to predict what people are going to do before they do it. Then throw in the fact that you’ve got to be exceptionally fit. It’s hard.

In 2014 you founded the Bondi Splash n’ Dash, which is an ocean swim and soft sand run event that raises money for Waverley Action for Youth Services (WAYS); can you tell us about the event?
The Bondi Splash n’ Dash came about because I don’t like to sit still. When I decided to quit being a garbo and chase a job in radio, I had a lot of spare time on my hands because in winter there’s not much work as a lifeguard. I thought, ‘I’ve always wanted to put on an event; how hard could that be?’ Famous last words. I also wanted to raise some money for the local youth centre, because the youth centre was good to me when I was an overweight kid. I used to go and hang out there.

There are a lot of ocean swims in the area – it’s a bit of a flooded market. I wanted to put on an event that had a little bit of multi-sport diversity, so you can catch up if you’re better at running than swimming, or vice versa. I went to David Gyngell, CEO of Channel 9 at the time, and asked for his support. Straight away he was all in. We just went from there, and from the first year it was already a massive success.

This year there are races for elites and for amateurs, and one of the races even involves running with an inflatable duck while wearing flippers. There’s also a ‘Dancing with the Stars’ twist this year. We’ll be holding the event on Saturday, November 19.

I believe you’re running free training sessions in the lead-up to the event?
Yes, I’m running free training sessions for anyone who wants in. I’ve been getting loads of people coming down every Tuesday and Thursday morning from six o’clock outside the North Bondi Surf Club. We do soft sand running on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and we do free ocean swim sessions with the great Spot Anderson from Bondi Fit too. One of the main drivers behind the Splash n’ Dash was to give people a goal to set, and I want to help people achieve their goals.

How important are youth service organisations like WAYS to the local community?
You couldn’t put a price on it. A lot of people don’t realise, but there are still a lot of struggling families around here. For example, there’s a girl who helped me out with Splash n’ Dash last year who attends the youth centre, and she lives in a halfway house on Bondi Road on her own. She’s 17 years old. The WAYS centre is a great place for kids to go. It used to be a drop-in centre only, but now it’s actually a school that caters for kids from Year Nine all the way to Year 12. For a lot of these kids, regular school just doesn’t fit for them. I’m stoked to be helping.

Something you probably don’t want to mention too much is sharks; do you fear them, particularly from an event organising perspective?
We know that they’re out there in the ocean, but the actual statistic is that no one’s ever been attacked in an ocean swim and it’s very rare that you will see someone get attacked in a group situation. We’ve got so much water safety in place, and they are all fitted with Sharkbanz for the event, so I’m not concerned about sharks.

What sort of training regime do you do yourself to get fit for these events?
I probably train twice a day, I love training – running, ocean swimming, swimming in the pool, board paddling, anything that involves the water. Running for me is my form of meditation. I believe that since hunting and gathering our own food factor has been removed from our lives it’s important to expel energy somehow. People think I’m a little bit crazy, but it’s true that we release endorphins that make us feel good when we exercise, and I like that feel-good feeling all the time.

Do you have any role models?
A role model for me would have to be Mick Fanning. That guy is one of the most grounded, down to earth guys I’ve ever met. I got lucky enough to meet him over in Bali when we filmed Bondi Rescue Bali. Something people don’t realise about him is that nine months before he won his first world title he tore his hamstring from the bone. Forget the shark story, coming back from a potentially career-ending injury like that that takes a lot of courage, as well as a never say die attitude. And my close friends are my role models, too. I like to keep my friends list short and I guess all my friends are my heroes.

Do you support any other charities other than WAYS?
Yeah, I’ve done a bit of stuff in the past for the McGrath Foundation, and recently I’ve been doing a lot of stuff with the Children’s Tumor Foundation. I always do the Cupid’s Undie Run with them. I love getting the kit off and running around in my undies on Valentine’s Day – it isn’t a bad day out.

Do you have any advice for aspiring lifeguards, or even just for young people trying to make a difference in the community?
Challenge yourself. If you don’t challenge yourself you will never grow. Set goals and promise yourself you will not quit until you achieve them. But whatever you do, give it 100 per cent and don’t be afraid to fail. Some of my greatest achievements came from failing a few times, but that’s what makes it so much sweeter when you succeed.

In an ideal world, what does the future hold for Andrew Reid?
I’m living in my ideal world. I love everything about my life right now. I live in the lucky country, I’ve got some really good friends, and I’m lucky enough to have my health. Ideally my hair wont fall out, and I’ll take on new challenges. I’ll do some work in radio, continue to be a lifeguard, have some kids, teach them how to swim, take them surfing and hang out at the beach with them.

The Bondi Splash n’ Dash will take place at Bondi Beach on Saturday, November 19. For more information and to enter, visit www.bondisplashndash.com.au.