At the age of 20, Charlie Thompson moved from the calm serenity of Byron Bay to Bondi Beach in Sydney. Though she's a professional diver for Australia, she much prefers getting on a surfboard and riding some waves. As she trains for the upcoming Wor...
After our stop at Bond and along the Gold Coast, we had one last stop before heading back to Bondi. With a lot of coaxing, the boys had convinced me to stop along at Byron Bay and show them my hometown before heading back to what felt more like home.
As we entered the town, the boys were gawking at the atmosphere and vibe the Bay gave off. It was a pretty relaxed coastal town and a lot of visitors have said it's like a hippie town. Chappo said, "This is such a calming vibe, hey?" I smirked and said, "Where I'm gonna take you... You have no idea."
It was still pretty early, and the sun had yet to come up. I parked the car at the edge of the hiking trail and told the boys to get their hiking shoes on, and we started the trek up to one of my favorite places in Byron Bay.
About an hour later, we found ourselves watching the sun peeking up over the horizon at the lighthouse pavilion. I smiled widely and remarked, "Welcome to the most easterly point of Australia, boys." Whippet smiled and replied, "This is beautiful, Charlie... Wow..."
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After hiking the rest of the trail, we headed into the town center, and I showed the boys my childhood home. It was the first time I'd been back since my mum had died, and it was a bit difficult as I remembered that day vividly. I saw my dad's car parked in the driveway, and I knew that I should go inside and say hello - but I just couldn't.
As if he read my mind, Reidy asked, "Char, you should drop by and say hello... Your dad would love to hear from you and see you." I took a deep breath and replied, "I know... But the last time I saw him was when my mum died..." Reidy took a breath, and looked as if he was debating what he wanted to ask.
"Does your dad surf?" I was bewildered by his question. "Yeah, he taught me and Liam how to surf..." I answered, and Reidy replied, "How about we head to the beach and surf for a bit?" I agreed but had no idea what Reidy had up his sleeve.
A while later, Reidy had gone to a store to pick something up for the lifeguard tower at Bondi, which left me, Chappo, and Whippet surfing at the beach. The swells weren't crazy that day, but it was great to get out with the boys and get back on our boards - and for me, it was sentimental to be back on the beach where I had learned my way in the water.
As we sat on our boards, Chappo asked, "Is it weird being back where it all started?" I chuckled, and replied, "Yeah, it's a bit crazy... This is where I learned to swim, surf, and first became a surf life saver... It all started at this beach." Whippet piped in and said, "And look at ya now - diving on the Australian national team and lifeguarding at Bondi."
I smiled lightly and thought out loud to the two boys, "This is actually my first time back on this beach since my national team selection, and since joining you boys at Bondi..." Whippet smiled, looked back at the wave behind us, and said, "Well, I think this wave is the perfect one to catch in to celebrate being back where it all started."
As we caught the wave back into the beach, I saw Reidy walking down the stairs with his board - along with the last person I expected to see. My dad.
