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James Norton

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Reach My Goal

Raised

$657

My Goal

$500

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Hometown: YOWIE BAY

@norton9631

Do good, feel good…

Each day in February I’m getting on board for SurFebruary and raising funds for Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. Your donations support services and programs for people with cancer. They drive innovation in research, improve care, and provide equal access to all our services for everyone.

It only takes a minute and anything you can give (no matter how large or small) will go a long way to helping me reach my target. Thank you, I really appreciate your support.

See you in the water!

My Updates

Day 28 - Secret Harbour WA

Sunday 28th Feb
Today we surfed at Secret Harbour near Mandurah and it was our last day of SurFebruary. It feels amazing to have finished and to have raised $2,230 between Ella and I for Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. We had many cold mornings, wet mornings and times getting up in the dark. We hired a board from the surf school today at SecretHarbour. It was a green 6 foot 6 soft top with hard fins and sharp rails. It felt awesome to try some cutbacks. The board was responsive. The conditions were fairly flat with a nice green wave rolling in from a long way out. I have loved SurFebruary but I think I am going to have a break from surfing for a little bit.

Day 27 - Trigg Beach WA

Saturday 27th Feb
Today we surfed at Trigg Beach in Western Australia with my friend Josh. The water was so clear. I was on a soft-top board which was a bit shorter than mine and the waves felt different so it took me a little while to get used to the conditions. We went to the beach at 8am which was really like 11am in Sydney. I was wide awake at 5:30am. We spent two hours at the beach. Only one more day of SurFebruary to go. It's been awesome but I am looking forward to the break from early mornings. 

Day 26 - Magical at Elouera

Friday 26th Feb

Today we are going to Perth. We woke up extra early because we are on a tight schedule. It’s a shame we couldn’t stay at the beach for longer because it was magical. I said to Dad can we stay for the whole day but we had to get to the airport. The green waves were an awesome size. They were really easy to catch. This was one of my favourite days. If we were not going to Perth I would have skipped school for these awesome conditions. We will borrow and hire boards in Perth to finish SurFebruary. 

Day 25 - The Wall Again

Thursday 25th Feb
I took both boards down today and went out on the short board first. It was high tide which meant there was a tricky shore break. I jumped in the rip and then paddled off when some decent white water came through. I came off a few times and did a 360 under water. I went and got my long board and was able to stand up better. I cut across one wave which is hard on my long board. It was a bit cold today so I didn't stay in for long. I can't believe how many donations our team has received over the last two days. We have nearly raised $2000 (my sister and I) on our team page Jamsie and the Chicken. I have raised $490 for cancer and I need $10 to hit $500 which is my goal (and I get a SurFebruary back pack.)

Day 24 - Afternoon At South Cronulla

Wednesday 24th Feb
Today was one of my favourite days of SurFebruary. It was raining so hard this morning and it was dark so we decided to have the morning off and hope the weather improved. We went to South Cronulla after school and the sun started shining as soon as we got there. We were the only people in the water at the start and by the time we left there were over 100 people at the beach. I saw some of my friends on boards from PSSA school AFL. We caught waves together. I did not want to go home. We surfed for two hours.

Day 23 - South Cronulla

Tuesday 23rd Feb
Every morning seems so much darker than the last and that makes it harder to wake up! Today it was gloomy and windy when we headed to the beach so we went straight to South Cronulla. There were still plenty of swimmers in the water and the waves weren't too dumpy today - lately they dump whenever we go to South Cronulla. I went back to my seven foot board (rather than the short board) and it felt so each after riding the short board the last few times. I caught some good waves for half and hour and then went and helped my sister catch a wave because Dad didn't want to get in this morning.

Day 22 - Elouera - Summer Has Returned

Monday 22nd Feb
It was a beautiful morning at the beach. We went to Elouera because there is lots of space. We were talking about going to South Cronulla but there are lots of swimmers there on a small beach and I am taking the short board out. Because I am getting used to the fibreglass board and it's a little harder to control, Dad was worried I might hit one of the swimmers with my sharp fins. I caught two good waves on my fibreglass board where I stood up. I found it easier to paddle out in the rip and then paddle across  once I was out to catch a broken wave back to the beach. I didn't want to go out the back like yesterday because I was by myself. The short board is smaller and lighter but much harder to balance.

Day 21 - Elouera - First Time On A Fibreglass Board

Sunday 21st Feb
Today we went surfing in the afternoon because I spent the morning at Taronga Zoo. We messaged Max to meet us at Elouera but didn't hear from him. We made it to the beach at 3:30pm. The water was greeny blue with nice fluffy waves coming through on the inshore. Out the back there were some seven footers coming through. I was out on my board for ages but was struggling to paddle out all the time in the strong current which was dragging me towards North Cronulla. I got really frustrated with the drag and even told Dad "surfing sucks." Just as we were about to leave, Max and his Dad turned up at the beach with a fibreglass board for me to try. It was amazing. It was much shorter than my board and I could duck-dive under waves for the first time. The big waves kept pushing me back and Max got out the back. I kept paddling and paddling. I finally found a rip which took me out the back without having to paddle so hard. Max and I and the big boys were sitting out the back on our boards, chatting when the biggest set I have ever seen came through. My heart was pumping and Max and I both swore when we saw what was coming. It broke before it got to us and pushed me under. I quickly got back on my board and the next wave came through which was almost as big. I held on for dear life. Once it broke, I was able to get up for the first time on a fibreglass board. The board was very tippy and but I could feel how easy it moved with the waves. It felt awesome. I let out a big yell of relief and excitement when I hit the sand. My Dad and Mick Hawkins met me at the water's edge to talk about my wave. It felt so awesome. Mick said I was welcome to take the fibreglass board home if I looked after it and returned it in a few weeks. It was so much fun.

Day 20 - South Cronulla

Saturday 20th Feb
We were up a bit earlier this morning because of cricket and then Dad suggested surfing this afternoon instead of this morning so I could have a sleep-in. There was just one problem: Ella has another birthday this afternoon. So we had to go this morning to make our wave-a-day. I really wanted to sleep in. When we got to the beach there was no wind. It was really nice, even though it was cloudy. Max said I can borrow his fibreglass board. I am looking forward to trying this out when we have some more time. Max also won a backpack for raising more than $500 for SurFeb which is pretty cool. I am happy to make 20 says in a row of surfing. Not long to go.

Day 19 - Arvo Session at Elouera

Friday 19th Feb
This afternoon was awesome. It was our second surf for the day. Late next week we will miss a few days of surfing when we go to Perth so the second session today is to make up for the end of next week. Today I went surfing with my friend Max. We all met at Max's kombi parked behind Elouera beach. The waves were huge and I was a little bit scared at first but once I started catching a few waves with Max it became so much fun. I stayed in the water from 5:30pm until 7pm. It was a sunny afternoon finally. After surfing we went back to Max's place and had pizza because it is his Mum's birthday. We had freshly made donuts instead of birthday cake.

Day 19 - The Wall

Friday 19th Feb

Today we went to Elouera. We checked the surf from the car park and it looked a bit choppy with the whole bay looking white with broken waves. The waves were breaking a long way out to sea so we decided to surf in front of the wall between North Cronulla and Elouera. I found it difficult to stand up at first but I went up and waxed my board and it was so much easier to stand up. El and Dad came out for a long time, the water was warm and I had so much fun today. I can't believe it's been 19 days in a row of surfing! That is a lot.

Day 18 - South Cronulla

Thursday 18th Feb
Another choppy day but at least it wasn't raining today. The waves were a bit dumpy and my board felt a bit slippery so I had trouble standing up at first but after a while I caught some better waves. Yesterday our video we made to raise money for SurFebruary made the SurFebruary insta page which was cool. I hope we get some sunny days again soon!!!

Day 17 - Elouera - Rain Again

Wednesday 17th Feb
We have not been lucky with the weather. We have had lots of rainy days through SurFebruary. It was pouring when we first arrived at the beach. The waves were too big out the back so I stayed fairly close to the shore and stood up on some white-water. There are lots of currents and rips which is actually quite fun when I am standing on my board because I am on the wave and then I hit a piece of water which is sucking out to sea and it launches me up in the air. I had some fun dismounts today when this happened. I am very grateful for people donating to my page. We hit our target early but have re-adjusted and I hope Ella and I can now raise $500 each for Chris O'Brien Lifehouse which is for cancer.

Day 16 - Elouera - Big Waves

Tuesday 16th Feb
We are now more than half way through SurFebruary. We have only had a few nice mornings and it is supposed to be summer. This morning was raining again and when we got down to the beach, the waves were HUGE out the back. I paddled out to the white-water and caught these waves back to the beach. I stayed in the water for half an hour. It is hard to go to the beach every day, especially on days when it is raining or I am playing other sports but I have been out every day for 16 days and I am enjoying the challenge.

Day 15 - South Cronulla

Monday 15th Feb
I didn't want to go in today, it was freezing and the waves weren't that great. I caught a few waves and stood up. I was out in the water for half an hour. I turned the heater on in the car on the way home. We listen to our favourite songs in the car on the trip to and from the beach and also Kyle and Jackie O. Right now I love Kid Laroi. Ella likes the drivers license song which I don't like. When I got home I had Weet Bix and a hot shower and I felt much better.

Day 14 - Greenhills Beach

Sunday 14th Feb
We had a good sleep-in and went surfing around midday. We parked as close as we could to Greenhills Beach but it is still nearly 1km of scooting and walk over the sand tracks to get to the beach. It looked windy and choppy when we got there but the waves were pretty good, breaking from the top and a long way out. This means I could have a long ride back to the beach. We stayed out there for a couple of hours. I took some mangos and made ham and cheese sandwiches for my sister and I. We had a picnic out there at half time of surfing. It was fun.

Day 13 - South Cronulla Another Rainy Saturday

Saturday 13th Feb
It was raining the whole way down in the car. I suggested we go to South Cronulla because I always prefer here when it's raining. I went straight out and a wave broke over the nose of my board and drenched me. I was freezing. I didn't wear my wet suit because it hurts my neck. So I stood up on a few waves and then came in. We were rushing to hop back in the car but my cricket was cancelled due to the rain so I came home and had a hot shower and a bowl of Weet Bix and honey.

Day 12 - The Wall

Friday 12th Feb
We notice it getting darker in the morning since we first started SurFebruary. The sunrises have been pretty. The waves were bigger than yesterday so I caught mostly broken waves. It was fun but not quite as warm as yesterday so I didn’t stay in for long. Tomorrow we will have to go surfing super early because I have cricket, soccer grading and my sisters birthday party. A very busy day. Thanks to all my sponsors!

Day 11 - Elouera - Best Day So Far

Thursday 11th Feb
Today down at Elouera Beach was AMAZING. It is my favourite day of all time because there was no wind and the conditions were perfect. I caught heaps of waves and then a teenager paddled out the back with me and was helping me get onto waves. She was really nice. I did not want to get out of the water today and we are definitely surfing at Elouera tomorrow if the conditions are like this again. Yesterday I received another donation which I am very thankful for. My sister and I have now raised $750 which is awesome.

Day 10 - North Cronulla - Keeping The Streak Alive

Wednesday 10th Feb
Today is the 10th day of SurFebruary and today was about keeping our wave-a-day streak alive. It was cold and choppy and the water was dark grey. It looked a bit sharky. I did not feel like going in but I did. The waves were really hard to get onto. They would peak up but then they would roll underneath me before dumping on the shore. I had to paddle out a bit further to where the bigger waves were breaking so I could catch a broken wave back to the beach. I like using Dad's phone with voice recognition to record my daily notes for my blog.

Day 9 - My Sister's Birthday

Tuesday 9th Feb
Today it is Ella's birthday. It was cold and dark when we arrived. I did not feel like going out at first. I was thinking of putting my board in the water and catching one broken wave to keep the wave-a-day streak alive. But once I got in, I ended up catching a few more waves because it was fun. Ella wanted to go and have breakfast at a cafe for her birthday so we didn't stay in for long. 

Day 8 - South Cronulla

Monday 8th Feb
Today we left home at 5:45am. We went to South Cronulla. There was a strong current but there was still quite a few people in the water from the surf club. First we went swimming and then a bit later I took my board out to make sure I caught a wave for the day. We didn't stay out long, the water wasn't nice. Our pattern at the moment is one sunny day and then the next is a gloomy day. 

Week 1 of SurFebruary Done

Sunday 7th Feb
Today we went on a road trip down the South Coast because it is Sunday and we have time. We packed up the car and drove to North Wollongong. It was such a nice day and everyone else has the same idea to go to the beach. We couldn't find a car park so after half an hour of driving around Wollongong, we drove back up the coast to find another beach. We found a car park at Thirroul where I have never been before. Thirroul was very pretty.
The conditions were fine but a bit dumpy out the back. I surfed next to a pipe and stood up a few times and also got crunched a few times.
The first week of SurFebruary has been so much fun because I get to be in the water every day and cooling off. This is the first time I have done something like this - surfing every day for a whole month.

Rainy Saturday Afternoon

Saturday 6th Feb
Yesterday I had three donations to my SurFebruary page. These donations meant that I have gone over my target of $250 which is great. I wasn't expecting this. I am very thankful for my donations. Today I didn't surf so early because I had cricket (we won.) So we went surfing at about 2:30pm. It was a bit choppy and rainy and there was tons of seaweed so we didn't stay in for long. We had the whole beach to ourselves and while we were there we made some friends with the Cronulla beach patrol and we played beach cricket with them. Then we hopped back in the water but it was still rainy and choppy, so we left.

Day 5 - Elouera Again

Friday 5th Feb
We have now done 5 days of SurFebruary and I love it. This morning I went out the back at Elouera. The waves were big but nice and fluffy, breaking from the top which makes it easier to surf. The last few days they've been dumping and swallowing me.  Tomorrow I will have to remember to bring the board wax because this will make it easier to surf. I haven't waxed my board in ages. Yesterday I had a new donation. I am getting closer to my target.

Day 4

Thursday 4th Feb
Today I woke up at 5:30am. Finally it was a nice day for surfing. We surfed at Elouera. The beach was full of thick seaweed which kept getting stuck on my board rope, it was so heavy and made it hard to stand up. My sister and I were catching big white-water waves which bounced us back to the beach. We had races. It was lots of fun.

Day 3

Wednesday 3rd Feb
Today I went to South Cronulla. It was cold and dark when we woke again today but the water is warm. The surf was huge out the back. I made some new friends who were surfing on their mini-malibu boards. The waves were dumping hard which made them hard to catch. At least I caught one wave for "a wave a day." We couldn't get a park behind the beach. It's always busy, even at 6 o'clock in the morning. We always find a park in front of Bob's place near the Cronulla train station. He is an older man who always says hi when he sees us park in front of his place. He has some good stories and his family is famous but sometimes he cuts into our surfing time.

It's Starting Today

Monday 1st Feb
Today is the first day of Feb. I am so excited. Today down at north Cronulla, it was a bit choppy so after a few face-plants out the back, I decided to come in and we walked to Cronulla where it was more calm.  There was so much seaweed but we caught a few waves. I loved it. 

AUSTRALIA DAY!!! I love surfing

Tuesday 26th Jan
Today I woke up at 6am because we wanted to beat everyone else to the beach on Australia Day. I went surfing with my  friend Kai in front of the wall between North Cronulla and Elouera.
It was really high tide and a little shorey. Kai took my long board. I went on my sisters board because it's shorter and I want to practise on a short board so I can surf on a fibreglass board. The surf calmed down from earlier in the week. It was so busy at the beach when we finished at 9am. I had so much fun. Thank you for my donations so far. I feel really good that I can make a difference by surfing.  

North Cronulla - 18/01/2021

Monday 18th Jan
Today I went down to North Cronulla and met my friend Maxwell. The surf was pumping. I haven't been out the back at the "The Alley" before. I caught a couple of big ones back to the beach. It was so much fun and I can't wait to do it again. We went out to Boat Harbour at the weekend with a large group of my school friends but it was a bit rippy and windy, so we didn't stay in for long. I have asked my friends to join me for SurFebruary too.

January 14th 2021

Thursday 14th Jan
I was excited to sign up for SurFeb last night. I decided to crack some waves down at North Cronulla this morning with my sister (The Chicken) and my friend Max, warming up for February.

Thank you to my Sponsors

$52.20

Grandad Adro

Good on you James. Keep up the good work and have fun!

$52.20

Fiona Prosser

Fantastic effort -well done

$52.20

Wendy Nash

Very proud if your effort in raising money for cancer support - and great surfing! Love Wendy and Ron

$50

Liam Donohue

Well done James. Enjoy the surfing!

$50

Jeff And Bev

Go for it

$50

Melinda J Di Vita

Awesome James! It's a great cause

$41.76

Lucy And Jack Muir Wilson

$26.10

Evie & Ari Pursell

$26.10

Nicole Hague

Well done James and Ella, you’re champions x

$26.10

Rory Gillespie

$26.10

Sam And Casey Norton

Brilliant work with your surfing, James!! A super effort for a great cause. Keep catching those big waves!

$26.10

Spencers

Champion effort - well done

$26.10

Nanny

Love you James.

$26.10

Stephanie Pasternak

Go James! And go Katie with your early mornings!

$26.10

Dad

Have fun Jim and good luck hitting your team fundraising goal.

$25

Tina

Great work!

$23

Ruth Bradley

Good luck reaching your goal James, am very proud of you xx

$20.88

Grant Campbell

Great Work James

$10.44

Sally And Glenn

$10.44

Feher Family

Wow you should be so proud of yourself. What commitment you have shown. Congratulations. Feher family

$10

Anonymous

Our Team