Shaun Brooks' Tribute

Words: Tim Hawken

Photos: Steve Ryan

 RIP Brooko. Footage of Shaun Brooks at his surfing peak.

“Shaun was a cat with nine lives, who got away with some of the most hysterical and sometimes frightening moments that could not possibly be scripted. He wasn’t wired to pull back, and was only on his back foot when he surfed. A fighter that never relented, with a heart like Phar Lap, jet powered paddling power and charisma that people envied.”

These words were spoken by one of Shaun Brooks’ best mates, Shaun O’Callaghan, in salute to the surfing genius, whose time was cut short last month at age 36. I couldn’t sum up Shaun better.

Growing up, Shaun was one of my surfing heroes. He would take me surfing down the coast before I had a license, and was the first to buy me a Jack Daniels and Coke at Bird Rock Café on a Thursday night. In his prime, Shaun was World Pro Junior Champion, and still to this day the best big wave surfer I’ve ever seen live. The guy never held back, ever. I vividly recall one Easter at Bells, before the Rip Curl Pro when the swell was solid 8-10ft. All of the pros were in the water practising. I was watching on the cliffs with Shaun’s dad, Rod. Al Hunt came up to Rod and said “Geez, Slater is making everyone look stupid on that bigger board out there.” Rod turned one eye to Al as ‘Slater’ took off on another set. “Oh, that’s Shaun.” Rod said, as his son blasted the wave to pieces. Nothing more needs to be said in praise for Brooko’s surfing when he was on song.

Shaun Brooks, Billabong Pro Junior, Bells, circa 1992. Photo: joliphotos.com

One of my fondest memories of Shaun was when I was around 16, him the ripe age of 21. I was surfing down near the Twelve Apostles, on a grinding left sandbank. All morning, everyone had been pulling off the waves before a deadly end-section. These weren’t faint-hearted surfers either; guys like Shaun’s younger brother Troy were out there, as well as some of the better Victorian chargers. I was coming in when Shaun arrived. “Watch out for that end bit,” I told him, “it goes dry on the sets. You don’t want any part of it.” He nodded his thanks and paddled out. A few minutes later, the wave of the morning rolled in. Shaun was on it. After a few big turns, he raced toward the end section and launched a massive lip-line floater over a mutant slab, freefalling to the bottom and landing it in a few inches of water. As he straightened out in front of the explosion of whitewash, he looked up to the beach to make sure I was still watching. It was a silent statement of will, which spoke louder than anything he could have said with words.

Shaun’s desire to go full throttle no matter what, meant he was unstoppable at times. He was ten foot tall and bullet proof to anyone watching from the outside in. The same desire to push the limits didn’t stop in the surf. Driving, partying, you name it; Shaun went harder and faster than anyone else. It was this trait that made him so great, but was also part of his downfall. I’m not sure when the cracks very first started to appear around the edges. Even after week-long benders, Shaun still seemed to hold it together when it mattered. Some of the hung-over heats he surfed are the stuff of legend. During a Victorian Teams titles trip to Phillip Island, the Torquay Boardriders’ bus had to pick him up at a nightclub at 5am. By the time we got to Woolamai beach, Shaun was comatose on the back seat. He literally had to be carried down to the sand before the event started, much to the delight of our competitors. He woke up a few minutes before he was due to go out as our team’s ‘double whammy’. Shaun struggled to his knees, spewed in the sand (to cheers from the other teams), then grabbed his board and made his way into the line-up. Our own team members were starting to think we were crazy letting Shaun surf at all, let alone putting him in as our lynchpin surfer. After doubling a 9.5 and backing it up with another high 8 point ride (all within 5 minutes), he came back up the beach, tagged the next guy and then fell asleep on the sand again. The other teams stayed silent after that.

Unfortunately, this relentless pace couldn’t be kept up forever. Incidents started to occur where Shaun began acting out of character. At first most people passed it off as just more wild Brooko antics. However as time went on, it became apparent there was a serious problem. Shaun became prone to violent outbursts when drunk. He had run-ins with people, the law and even friends. One of the final straws came when Shaun drove right through the front window of Bird Rock Café after they’d refused to serve him anymore. He did it after closing time, and was living just a few hundred meters from ‘The Rock’ at the time, so thankfully no one was hurt. The publican, Gaz Brown, was cleaning out the back when the incident occurred. He came out and told Brooko to scram before the police showed up, but Shaun sat on the bonnet of his car, opened a beer that he had gotten from home and waited for The Fuzz to arrive. He never backed down, even when it hurt him.

Not long after this, Shaun was admitted into the Geelong psychiatric ward and diagnosed with bipolar. It was a shock to everybody except maybe a few of his closest circle. The startling news sent a ripple of rumours through the small surf community of Torquay. Our biggest star had fallen. Despite what anyone might have said to the side, it didn’t really matter. A diagnosis meant that Shaun could now receive treatment he so badly needed.

Those who have had any experience with mental illness will know there isn’t any easy fix, no miracle cure. Even with the support of family and friends it’s a tough fight. You can’t get away from it. The nature of mental illness means that no matter how much support you have from the outside, no one knows exactly what’s going on in your mind but you. Shaun’s case was no exception. He battled with his demons and his addictions, emerging at times as the savant he was, winning a surf event here or there, happy, giving, fun; the real Shaun shone though. But then he would relapse back into a terrible cycle of self-loathing and need for medication. It wasn’t until a few years later, when Shaun had moved to Sydney, that it was discovered he’d been misdiagnosed. Rather than having bipolar, Shaun was actually suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. This is an even more serious disorder, with a whole different set of treatments. It’s a testimony to Shaun’s underlying strength that he was able to survive and stay above the murky waters of the disease without proper treatment for so long. As many times as Shaun fell down, he kept getting back up, kept fighting with the spirit that had made him a champion.

The last time I saw Shaun he seemed really happy. He was living with his parents, Rod and Andrea on the Gold Coast. He was surfing, playing golf regularly, and was holding down a job. Things were looking up. However, since then the shadows crept in again, and Shaun wasn’t able to emerge from the darkness. He fell down, and this time he stayed down. On January 24^th 2012, Shaun took his own life, finally going over the edge that he had lived on for so long.

A sombre moment for family at friends at Shaun Brooks' service at Bird Rock.

Since his passing, the outpouring of emotion from the surf community at large has been nothing short of amazing. The unforgettable memory of Shaun burns strong in the minds of so many that he touched over his life. Stories have surfaced that seem unbelievable, if they weren’t about Shaun. There are simply to many to recount here, but needless to say, his spirit lives on.

Shaun’s ashes were brought back to his hometown of Torquay and spread out at one of his favourite breaks, Birdrock (he always said Bells was too fat). Over 150 surfers paddled out to lay him to rest, including his dad Rod and younger siblings Alana and Troy. Many more people stood on the cliffs to watch. He was farewelled by those who loved him through the good times and the bad.

So many surfers came to remember Shaun.

Troy gave a teary testimony to Shaun at the service. “Shaun was always stretching the rules and breaking the boundaries when I was growing up in Bells Blvd. Shaun was daring in nature and had a heart of gold. To follow behind him was easy, until his attention turned towards me one day. I was 13 years old and the Bells bowl was 6ft. Shaun was never scared of big waves, in fact he cherished them. He was pushing me to go out. After using every excuse not to go out, Shaun said he’d paddle out and lay down in front of the first set, to prove it was safe. Sure enough, the set of the day, 8ft breaks right in front of him and he lies in front of it on his board. Smashed, he pops up and starts waving for me to come out. No Chance! Which brings us to where we are now, upon the cliffs of the Surfcoast where we’ll lay Shaun down to rest in peace at Bird Rock. So, from today I know it will be safe. I love you mate!”

It’s often the case that the most brilliant flames burn out before their time. I count myself lucky to have been witness to Shaun at his brightest. I cherish the memories I have of being picked up at the bus stop across from my house in his Ford Laser, with 8 boards stacked on the roof. I smile when I think of the crazy times we had at Grand Final parties, or ping-pong matches at his house. I remain in awe at the ridiculous roundhouse cutbacks he could pull of with ease. Mostly, I will remember his giving nature, when nothing was too much trouble for a friend. It is something I will never, ever forget. RIP in peace Brooko. The world is a duller place without you.

People experiencing personal problems can call Lifeline on 131 114.

A life gone too soon.

But the paddle out was also a chance to remember the good times with Shaun.

The surfers in the water at Bird Rock as Shaun Brooks' ashes were scattered.

The tribute to Shaun Brooks at Bird Rock.

"Shaun Brooks Says Hello" on the cover of ASL 69 in June 1994. The caption for the photo read: "Victorian surfing hero Shaun Brooks inside the sort of tube that would make even the most dreary and uncomfortable of surftrips abroad seem like fun". Photo: Alexander.