2011_SLSNZ_SurfRescueMag

48
HUEY GOD OF SURF:
Huey interviews Horse
Huey God of Surf
Straight
from the
Horse’s
mouth
A man swaggers into the
St Helliers café with a
confident cowboy strut,
head held high and
looking like he is looking
for someone (which he
is). He’s got the sort of
physical look you expect
to see standing at the
door, turning away underage
patrons and enjoying
it. He scans the café, goes
straight past the water
cooler and gives me the
raised-eyebrows salute.
Aaarggh.... so it’s true.
You can lead a horse to
water but you can’t make
him drink.
HSG: “Horse, nice to meet you. But why the
long face?” I thrust out my hand and prepare for
the Piha boatie death grip. He looks about as
comfortable at this café as Mike Tindall will be at
the next family Christmas gathering.
H: Nice to meet you too. [Clearly he misses my joke
and blurts out.] Just worried about my crews some
of them aren’t as fit as I would like them to be at
this time of year. [Wow, that’s up there with global
warming - no wonder he looks worried.]
HSG: “Right then let’s get down to this interview.
Who would you most like to meet?”
H: Vladimir Klitschko. [What a way to kill a
conversation. Best I move on, and quickly… I am not
going to even ask why. I may wake up with a horse
head in my bed.]
HSG: “What do you do to relax - let’s call it
horsing around?”
H: Sometimes I play the guitar! Oh yeah, and I like
a vino! [Nice. Thinking as a musician he would be a
cross between ZZ Top and Jack Johnson on uppers.]
HSG: “If you were reincarnated as any part of the
surf boat, what would it be and why?
H: The sweep oar. It’s the most important part of the
equipment, without it the crew and boat go nowhere!
HSG: “Who do you most admire in surf
lifesaving? Why?”
H: Pete Brown, the president of Piha SLSC, my
rowers and my fellow sweeps at Piha. Have to
mention Knoxy & Brooster, rowed 20 years for Piha.
They are all part of ‘the Family’. [He actually said