My parents built a shack out of rocks an odd thirty years ago and lived their breeding little surf rats such as Owen and Cameron (my Brothers). Finally in October 1993 I was born and when I was 48 hours old my parents brought me home from hospital to wedge. That night I was’ christened’ my a huge welcoming keg at big birds shack where for the first time I met my family and friends. I then grew up in shack 69 on the beach where my brothers taught me how to surf,swim and enjoy the oceans gifts. My older two brothers, Myself and my oldies lived there until us kids had to go to school in Lancelin so mum and dad decided to build a house In Lancelin. Dad Stayed at wedge to crayfish and mum worked in Lancelin as a nurse but every weekend we were all keen to hit the track to go home and see Dad. In the morning we would wake up to the sound of the waves crashing or the 5 crayboats heading out to sea. During the day we would go hunting for waves as my whole family went out surfing either north or near the bombing range. I either played in the shallows or sat on the beach eager to get out the back where my brothers and parents were.

My cruel brothers were mean to me most of the time. They used to put me in the basket of the motorbike and drive really fast in the sand dunes while I screamed and cried until someone finally dobbed my brothers in to Dad. He he he he. They used to make me sweep their shacks and make me walk to the ice shed to get a bag of ice then walk al the way back with frozen arms. Some days we would go out to my uncles farm or the rabbit patch where dad would teach us kids how to shoot at a target. We then would get some kangeroos and rabbits for dinner and Dad would make his famous roo tail stew.It sounds yuk but its actually the most amazing thing ever! Dad and mum also loved taking us kids out behind the island to fish, Pull Dads occy pots and even snorkel on some shipwrecks. Whatever we did each night I would be sunburnt and salty hahaha I was in the ocean enough to become a mermaid.

I loved playing with my cousin Sam who lived in the shack behind us. We used to get up to so much mischief! Christmas would come every year and I loved it because lots of people came to wedge and when Sam and I were swimming at the point I could meet so many other kids! I especially loved when Santa came at the gunclub and His elf and him handed out presents to us kids. As I grew I finally turned 11 when mum bought me my first bomb as a car. It was a red holden barina. I thought my drawing flowers all over it mite make it pretty, I was wrong! I then learnt to drive and I loved going through puddles and even driving it along the beach until one day it died. I remember very clearly this sad day as dad dragged the car out into the car tip, I was so so sad,it was like losing a friend.

Either way I still was kept busy by the ocean either swimming, scurfing or surfing. I knew that my friends and I were the luckiest kids alive to live in such a beautiful place. My childhood memories as a feral little wedge kid are all awesome and positive. I never wore shoes, I wore bathers or my brothers hand me downs and my hair ALWAYS had seaweed stuck in forming little dreadlocks, yeah I was quite feral. When I was 14 I moved out to the shack next door ( shack 70) which only has a few beads but it’s a great little shack where my friends and I love to sleep.

I then hit high school and with no high school in either wedge or lano so my parents were forced they sent me to an all girls catholic boarding school where I could become a “young lady” HA!.. Imagine growing up in a small fishing village then having to move to the huge scary city and be put in an orphanage! I missed wedge like crazy!!

I missed the freedom of wedge and my family. . I compared my tiny box dorm I slept in to the open shack with my family. I missed surfing like crazy; I missed the sea breeze smell,the animals,the environment and the atmosphere. I now come home to wedge every second weekend and I still miss my family,friends and shack. Im 16 and love bringing my friends to wedge to share and cherish the experience. I love seeing the astonished look on their faces when I show them around the place.

Recently when I had my friends up I begged mum if I could take my friends for a drive and show them around. She said “Yeah okay only under one condition,don’t drive to the dam otherwise your grounded”. I told her I wouldn’t. What did I do? I knew that the dam was snake infested but being cheeky me and my friends drove off to the dam to check it out. After showing them the koonax (yabby) traps we jumped back in the bugy and started it up. But it didn’t start. After trying multiple times it still would not work. My three friends and I even tried pushing it but it wouldn’t budge. All four of us then walked the long trip home brainstorming excuses so mum wouldn’t ground me. We were finally there and as I walked through the door mum said “Where’s the car?” and I freaked out and told her the whole story and then she hit the roof and grounded me.

I think growing up in Wedge has shaped my whole life. I still love surfing and Im now competing at a high level in longboarding and love travlling over east to compete but no matter where I have surfed Wedge beach breaks will always be my favourite surf break. Whether it’s the crystal clear water or how the waves gently roll over, I love all of it. I love the freedom of waking up in the morning,grabbing some food and heading straight down the beach for a surf. Then at night sitting around bonfires in the dunes with friends. There is no other paradise place with freedom like it.

I love watching all the new flock of many little wedge kids such as Sally,the taylors and the little grommets. I like to see them having fun with their sunburnt faces smiling when their down the beach. Wedge is a village like no other which has been many peoples homes including mine. It is paradise with amazing beaches,shacks and kind people and its full of many memories. Each wedge kid in this book are so lucky to have enjoyed the gifts of wedge that I experienced as a young feral kid.

Wedge Story by: Rachael Dawe