Cottage by the Sea Charity Surf DayPoint Lonsdale, Victoria (Wednesday 9th December, 2006).
Today Cottage by the Sea received over $21,000 in donations and a whole lot more kinship. A great beach day was had by all who attended The Charity Surf Day at Point Lonsdale Back Beach. Surf was in the two to three foot range with some great conditions for the professional surfers and celebrities and also for the kids to learn in.
The group of 21 underprivileged kids from all over Victoria were treated to a two hour surf lesson, lunch and then a tag team surf contest with celebrities including Olympic gold medal sprinter Cathy Freeman, Melbourne football captain David Neitz, Geelong Footballers Cameron Ling and Joel Corey, ex-world champion surfer Martin Potter and WQS surfers Nick Muscroft and Jack Perry and current Victorian Champion Jade Oglive. Everyone was a winner!
Cottage by the Sea General Manager Tony Fetherston was ecstatic, “A wonderful day for all involved, never before have we had so many ‘high profile’ celebrities bring so much joy to our kids at one time.”
Cathy Freeman stated “I’ve had a fantastic time and have been really inspired by the competitive spirit of the kids and celebrities. The people created the event and the sponsors of the event have done a fabulous job. After taking part today, I am very proud to be patron of Cottage by the Sea and very proud to be Australian!”
Point Lonsdale Surf School owner and coach Mark Phipps was a little sun burnt at the end of the day, but was blown away by the speed at which the 21 underprivileged kids between the ages of 8 and 12 learnt to surf. “We couldn’t get them out of the water and it gave me a smile on my face when I saw how much the kids were smiling and laughing.
During the year Cottage by the Sea hosts around 850 disadvantaged kids who have varying family difficulties, including emotional trauma sudden death of a parent, social and economic disadvantages and cultural or refugee difficulties. The Cottage provides a holiday for the children and while giving adult family members a break to sort out their own issues. They are reliant on donations to continue this work. Today donations were given by the Cottage by Woods Action Repairs, Coastalwatch and a member of the Point Lonsdale Boardriders Club.
There were many supporters of the event including the Ionization Marketing Agency, Point Lonsdale Surf School, Quiksilver, Coastalwatch, Point Lonsdale Boardriders Club, Coastal Stikas, Bellbrae Estate Longboard wines and Precision Printing. The day was webcast live on Coastalwatch.com via the Point Lonsdale camera.
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Hard at Work
This week we caught up with Chelsea Hedges again at the Bells comp. Chels was knocked out in the quarters so we sat around watching Jason (Chelsea's husband)and Mia (her dog) having some fun in the waves at Winki.
Tony and David with Cottage children
The General Manager of Cottage by the Sea, Tony Featherston along with his surfing partner David Smith, are embarking on a ‘personal and voluntary' fundraising and profile raising surf campaign in aid of the Cottage. The aim is to surf 100 hundred locations over a minimum of 100 weekends raising enough money to fund a holiday of a lifetime for an additional 100 needy children from around Australia. With ongoing publicity reports and updates in the media and on the internet.
Robe S.A trip
Weekend of May 4th to 6th we traveled to beautiful Robe in South Australia in search of waves. Robe itself didn't produce any ridable waves so we ventured around the coast to place called beachport - and there were waves, not perfect but ridable.
Ironically back on the surf coast there was a 6 to 8 foot swell running.
Tony Featherston
Hard at Work
About Me
- Tony Featherston
- Tony is General Manager of Cottage by the Sea. He lives in Geelong and works between the administration office in Camberwell and the Cottage by the Sea site in Queenscliff. Tony has a Masters degree in Business Management and his interests include surfing, music (mainly Neil Young!), keeping fit, football and Cottage by the Sea events. Before joining Cottage by the Sea five years ago, Tony spent 17 years with the YMCA with key roles in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Victoria. Personal Mission Tony believes that if you have a love for your job you can achieve anything. His view is that managers should do what has to be done, when it has to be done, as best as it can be done, and that it should be this way all the time. His aim is to make a positive difference in the communities in which he works and in the lives of the people he meets both in and outside the workplace. And to make things a little better in the workplace every day.
Easter at Bells Beach
This week we caught up with Chelsea Hedges again at the Bells comp. Chels was knocked out in the quarters so we sat around watching Jason (Chelsea's husband)and Mia (her dog) having some fun in the waves at Winki.
Queensland trip - March 2007
This week David and I set off to sunny Queensland to surf the Gold Coast and spread the word about Cottage by the Sea and our Surf for Kids campaign and what a week it was!
It didn't start so well as we were not able to take our boards on the plane out of Melbourne due to height limitations, once we arrived on the Gold Coast we searched high and low trying to hire some boards. Don't if you've had to do this recently cause it's not easy, maybe we just don't look trustworthy enough. Eventually we found a guy who took pity on us and allowed us to hire a couple of boards but not before grabbing our credit card and saying 'you guys are too big and old for these boards'- l think not mate!
Surf for kids
Tony and David with Cottage children
Tony's links
Quick Links
A message from Cathy Freeman
Dear Potential Supporter
It's Cathy Freeman and
We do not receive any Government funding and rely heavily on community generosity and support to ensure this valuable service continues. The Surf for Kid’s Campaign - in essence we are aiming to enhance awareness of our charity and raise sufficient funds to enable an additional 100 needy children from around
The General Manager of Cottage by the Sea, Tony Featherston along with his surfing partner David Smith are embarking on a fund raising and profile raising surf campaign in aid of the Cottage, participation is on a totally voluntary basis in their own time. The campaign will run for 100 weeks or more because it’s all happening on weekends and during annual leave periods. To successfully complete the task, the boys will need to surf the location for a minimum of one hundred minutes catching at least ten waves in the process. Over 100 locations have been identified from surfing locations around
As Patron of Cottage by the Sea I would like to thank you ‘in advance’ for your much valued support, we certainly appreciate your consideration in regard to this worthy cause.