the rundle episodes – equipment
I have a mate name of Dave Rundle, otherwise known as Deadly Dave, Disaster Dave or MX, the Missile. We spent a few hours together yesterday with Wayne the cattleman, Les the ex-Navy publican and Jim the Pom. Wives also in attendance, nattering away in the background.
Food and drinks on call, nobody in any need.
‘One thing about Dave,’ I said to the male side of the table, ‘he’s good with equipment, knows what’s what and when he’s working on one of his cars all the equipment is laid out on the bench top, nothing missing.’
I look over at Dave.
‘Right Dave?’
Dave smiles.
‘You bastard,’ he says.
I continue.
‘There was this day when Dave showed up a little late for the early at Mona Vale, we were all out, halfway through the before-work session. Lovely waves, mid summer, warm water and everybody happy out there, even the wave skis. This is what Dave had for his equipment being a goat-boater: a wave-ski.
It was stowed in the back of his car.
Dave does a quick change, grabs his equipment and heads to the water’s edge, dumps the ski into the water and then everything stops.
‘Les?’ I ask, looking over at him, ‘when you’re fixing a generator you know what equipment you need, right?’
Les nods. He’s the wise one.
‘A bloke has to know what he’s doing.’
Les has an old tattoo on his left upper-arm: the little brown bloke who inked it up for him in Hong Kong got it wrong and Les has been wearing HMAS Albatruss on his arm for over thirty years.
‘What happened next?’
This from Jim the Pom. Good value Jim, but born in the wrong hemisphere.
‘Dave’s standing in knee-deep water looking over his shoulder.’
‘What for?’
‘His paddle.’
‘Where was it?’
Dave mutters something unkind about the story-teller, his mate of forty years. His Best Man.
‘Back in his garage.’
1937
petebowes.com 
I can’t believe that. Walking down to the water with your ski on your shoulder and not carrying a paddle. It just wouldn’t feel right.
Carrying a wave-ski on your shoulder doesn’t seem right, Mike, those things were wrong from the start.
I ride a mal, Mick Dooley made it for me, he had an old template of a board he made for Kevin Brennan. It was so good I got another one.
Time to look beyond the bullshit, Stu, and give us another story like the great Lennox Head debacle.