Woody’s Send-Off
Woody! Woodo, Woodsy, Graham “Woody” Woods was a real character, always that cheeky smile and laugh at everything attitude that endeared Woody to almost everyone he met. If you ask any of his friends about Woody they all have a similar experience and say he was really a bundle of laughs but also a mentor! His opinion mattered and if you listened he would always advise you of a flaw in your style or even just standing on the hill looking at the surf he would something like. I say we go out on that right-hander and paddle out in the rip over there take off stay high and then drop as quickly as you can and bottom turn around that fast section. If you followed his advise you could guarantee a good surf. I don’t know of anyone else who had done this as most would keep it to themselves? That was the Woody I knew. Woody moved North and I moved South and it was nearly 30 years we lost contact,
I am just thankful I caught up with him a couple of months prior to his passing and I would urge all you old salties to get in touch with your old surfing buddies, as we have all lost friends and haven’t heard about it until months or sometimes years later. Seek them out and just say hello, have a chat and see how they are, we are all getting older and just that contact with Woody made his passing a little easier whereas if I hadn’t caught up with him I would have been devastated.
I first met Woody out in the water at Soldiers Beach when I was about 16 years, Woody was about one year older but his surfing was already lightyears ahead of everyone else in the water, but when he saw me get a lucky barrel he was hooting and we started talking, and a friendship began. I am a little bit of a loner but I always had time for Woody.
His surfing was his life as with most of us but his competition results while exceptional to the public I feel he never reached the tier he deserved. Woody really didn’t take it too seriously it was sort of have fun first and then if he won it was all good. My opinion anyway. As Rabbit said to me, he was an exceptional surfer and his speed was amazing. Every maneuver was done at lightning speed. RIP Woody and thanks for all the Goodtimes!!!!!
One of the pieces of advice I received growing up was to leave a mark wherever you go and then you will never be forgotten. Well, Woody left a mark on so many places he lived and a testament to this was the number of friends that attended not only this event but at Norah Head as well.
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