ever since i was a young girl i always looked up to the bondi lifeguards. the fact that they got to work on the beach and save lives amazed me and i always wanted to become one.
my father bruce hopkins was the head lifeguard at bondi beach. he would always bring me to the beach and let me sit up in the tower and scan the waters. watching hundreds of people either swimming, surfing, tanning or playing around was more fun than playing with dolls.
my dad was a single parent and it was hard getting people to look after me so most days he would bring me to the tower. it was difficult at first because i was so young and wanted to wonder off onto the beach but as i grew up i knew to behave. i made sure not to distract the boys up in the tower because they had to keep their eyes on the beach.
the boys in blue treated me like their daughter and i looked up to them as a father figure. they tried to make life easier on me and my dad as much as they could and we are so thankful for them. they would let me help out on quiet days and even look after me when they weren't working. as i grew older they let me scan the beach and help point out people who were in trouble. many times i caught people who were stuck in rips and struggled to swim so whenever my dad was working i was working as well.
my dad started training me at the age of fourteen on how to use the big surfboards so when i reached the age of 16 it wouldn't be a hassle. i was already into surfing and swimming since i was 3 so my skills really helped me learn faster. i was named one of the best youth surfers and swimmers in australia. my dad said my skills are better than some of the boys.
now at the age of sixteen, i am finally able to start my traineeship at becoming a lifeguard.
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little intro for you. i'm in love with bondi rescue so i decided to make a book about it! let me know what you think and remember to vote!