Mateship.
It’s when one Australian surfer sees another being attacked by a shark and paddles straight over, saying: “I couldn’t get there fast enough.”
Hat’s off you, Julian Wilson.
For those who haven’t seen the clip, Australian surfing champion Mick Fanning was attacked by a shark during the final of a surfing tournament in South Africa overnight.
Julian – a young lad raised in Coolum, Queensland, who often rides a pink board in honour of his Mum, a breast cancer survivor – was also in the water in the time.
Julian’s first instinct – to paddle frantically toward the shark to try to save Mick Fanning’s life – qualifies him as true Australian hero.
He headed straight for the stricken champion, determined to do what he could.
Horrified spectators gasped as a fin that seemed taller than Mick himself sliced through the water.
The two-time world champion started punching the shark with his fist. He was separated from his board, but – with hearts pounding – he survived.
In an interview on the beach afterwards, young Julian – who is one of the best-loved lads on the world tour- said: “It came up and he was wrestling it. I saw him get knocked off his board and then a little wave popped up and I thought ‘he’s gone, he’s gone under. I felt like I couldn’t get there quick enough. I’m just happy he’s alive.”
Mick could hardly believe it, saying: “What a legend, coming after me.”
Julian, 26, is a National Breast Cancer Foundation ambassador, who learnt to surf at age three. He recently took a year off to make a film called Scratching the Surface, about a boy who learns to surf at the same time as learning to walk.
The final of yesterday’s event was cancelled in the wake of the shark attack. Mick and Wilson will split the prize money and competition points for first place – and they will surely be friends for life.
Both men are super-close to their Mums. Mick is managed by his Mum, Liz, who is often on tour with him.
His brother, Sean, died when they were in their teens. They had been at a party, and while Mick elected to walk home, Sean got a lift and died when the young driver crashed.
Mick often says that Sean looks over him in the water. In the moments after surviving yesterday’s attack, he could be seen kneeling on his board, in a prayerful pose. In the adrenalin-charged aftermath, he cried, as did Julian.
But all is okay. Mick, Julian, and Australian mateship are alive and well.
