Torquay surfers’ raffle to help their Mallacoota mates

THE Torquay Boardriders Club and Surfing Victoria are teaming up for a fundraising raffle for the benefit of the Mallacoota community.

More than 70 houses were burnt to the ground on New Year’s Eve in Mallacoota, including the worldly possessions of many of the members of the Mallacoota Boardriders Club.

Surfing Victoria says the goal of the raffle is to supply the affected surfers and children with basic equipment to get them back in the water as soon as possible.

Another goal in the short to medium term will be to provide the club and community with introduction-to-surf days and structured social surf events to draw members together.

“As surfers, we do not need to explain how returning bushfire victims to the water will be instrumental in the healing process,” Surfing Victoria wrote in a post on its website.

“It will restore a semblance of normalcy, create a calming distraction from the tragedy (especially for the children), and strengthen the mental health support within a tightly knit surfing community.”

To help get the Mallacoota surfing community back on their feet, Torquay Boardriders Club and Surfing Victoria are raffling off an official signed Kelly Slater rash vest from the 2019 Rip Curl Pro.

All proceeds of the raffle will be donated to the Mallacoota Boardriders Club to be distributed to members who have been directly affected by the fires.

One raffle ticket equals one entry into the draw – head to surfingaustralia.com/SurfingVictoria/event/MallacootaBoardridersClubBushfireRaffle. Anyone wishing to purchase more than 10 tickets or having issues purchasing, phone the Surfing Victoria office on 5261 2907.

The raffle will be drawn at the Torquay Boardriders Club annual single fin event on Sunday, January 26 at Jan Juc. Winners will be notified via email the following week.

Surfing Victoria is also calling for donations of boards to distribute to those who lost all of their surfing equipment in the fires. Phone Surfing Victoria on 5261 2907 to register your interest in donating.