Bruce ‘Hoppo’ Hopkins was a Sydney institution way before his handsome mug ended up on TV. As head lifeguard for Waverly Council which includes Bondi, one of Australia’s most popular beaches, Hoppo is now one of the stars of the insanely popular Bondi Rescue series, which is syndicated internationally and has given these local heroes a significantly larger profile. But for Hoppo, it’s just another day in the ocean, a challenge he’s relished since he was a young boy. We had a candid chat with the man about the influence of his father, overcoming a fear of big waves, the darker side of his job and how to influence the next generation to give back to the community.
When you get dumped in a wave, you're only as good as how you get back up, grab your board and paddle out to get the next wave.
I was young, probably about 8 years old, we used to down to the surf and it would be pretty big. I wouldn't want to go out there and my Dad, who's one of those blokes sort of born and bred in the country, [told me] that you don't show your fear or back down from anything.
He'd make sure I went out there all the time, even though I was petrified. And I think that really helped me in the career I'm doing now.
There was no way you couldn't go out there, it didn't matter how big it was. He'd come out with me, too.
Later on, I sort of got the confidence after having done it with him. From there on I'd keep pushing myself, because of what he instilled in me. Even though I thought, 'Oh, that looks a bit rough', I still had it in the back of my head to go and conquer my fears.
When we were growing up as teenagers, out there in Bronte everyone had the same mentality. A couple of good surfers were going out there and if you didn't, they'd bag you for the rest of the day.
I notice it's not the same these days; I think my era was probably the last that got pushed that hard. The kids of today are left to do whatever they want, if they don't want to do it, the parents say 'don't worry about it.'
Yeah, maybe we should run a school where we throw them all back in the water!
The really young guys, they tend to give up easier and don't want to put as much work in but they still want the same result. It's just a different era, I don't know where it got lost, it's probably my generation as parents, I suppose. We haven't been as tough on our kids as our parents were and it's just gradually worked its way down.
I think the older guys that were working as lifeguards when I first started, I just learned by experience from them.
I know that Al, he was probably in his forties, he used to instil in us that no matter what, you never let go of the rescue board.
No matter how big it is or what's happening, you always hold on until we bring deck. If you let it go, he used to give you a couple of quick zips to the head. We were petrified of him, so we made sure we held on. These days, the kids let 'em go as quick as looking at the waves.
I think that helped us for doing rescues, because you knew I wasn't going to let you out of the board, so that made sure that I wasn't going to let go of the patient either. You realise that it's a matter of life and death, it's a serious job.
You can't afford to make a mistake or show fear, because it means that person you're with, who's got no idea what's happening in the water, there's a good chance they may drown.
Growing up and training in the ocean, I definitely take that approach into my regular life. When I do talks I generally relate everything back to the ocean.
I also use a lot of football terminology to describe how a lifeguard should work. It's a similar thing.
A fullback in footy, he's reading the football game. Well, a lifeguard on the beach is basically reading the ocean as the day goes on.
A good lifeguard will be in position to do a rescue whereas a bad one won't be. They might be down the other end of the beach.
Many parents come to me and say 'Oh my child, he's a great swimmer, he can do this time' and all that sort of stuff, but a good lifeguard is not how fast you can swim and how quick you are on the board. If you're down the other end and haven't read the beach, no matter how fast you swim you're still not going to get to where the person in trouble is.
There's an element of risk, but it needs to be a calculated one. You don't want to be putting your life in extreme danger. It's the same with general life, try not to give up, stay positive and keep pushing.
I think [Bondi Rescue] is a fair approximation of our jobs. It does portray what we do. It probably doesn't show the feeling of a lot of lifeguards after a major rescue or a death.
We get a lot of body retrievals. We can't show that; you can't run suicides on TV.
We probably average one a week on body retrieval from suicide, we cover The Gap [notorious suicide spot in Sydney's East] from Bondi on jetskis.
You see some horrific sights, but most of that stuff, especially our time when we’re not on TV can’t be shown anyway. People miss out on that sort of stuff, but you probably don't want to see it.
People do need to know that that goes on. There's a massively high rate of suicide in Australia.
No, we were never trained to deal with that as lifeguards. That's just something you learn as you go along.
We're the quickest to get there, it takes the police half an hour to get there. Often we have to deal with the families and be involved in the grieving process, as they want to talk to the last people who saw the body.
I think the way I've gotten through it comes back to my Dad again; going out there, facing my fears and just dealing with whatever's in front of me.
I've been trying to put my own kids in the water, but I'm a bit more lenient than my Dad was. I push them as much as I can, but I can sort of see the difference now. I understand the fear they have, because I remember mine. He just kept me going, but with them I'm a bit more lenient.
Also, they're my girls so I probably get a bit soft on them.
At the end of the day, I know they probably won't go into becoming lifeguards as a career. As long as they can swim and look after themselves in the ocean, I'm I'll be happy. 14'28
It's something that you have for life, like [a dynasty.] You watch them grow up and see them come though and that's great because it makes the team work well. On the other hand, it's sometimes hard to manage friends you've known for so many years.
In a supervisor role it's sometimes quite hard; they push it as far as they can because they know they can get away with it.
A lot of people liken us to the TV show M*A*S*H. We're all joking around and bagging each other or whatever, and when the shit hits the fan and you need to be a professional outfit, we all know our roles and we just get into it.
I'm always learning, even now. We've got different people going to the beach from when I first started
There's a lot more tourists now, especially ones who've never even experienced ocean conditions. They're coming from countries where they're now so successful, and the prices of airfares are cheap enough.
We've definitely been pushing to try and get ocean guides into airlines so that tourists know how to deal with the beach. We've done some in-flight announcements, too, over the years.
The airlines are fine with it, but they have to do it in a way where they don't scare people! We don't want them to think that they'll come to Australia and drown.
But yeah, when I went to Europe, everywhere I went they thought around every corner they was a deadly animal waiting to attack you. That doesn't stop them coming!
Hoppo’s Mottoes:
Do swim between the flags, don’t swim in dangerous rips.
I’m all for education in the ocean
More awareness at the beach and be less cavalier.
source The Vine
