Very sadly, I received an SMS today advising me that my friend Dougy Manton had ended his life. There will be a funeral at Norfolk chapel in Karrakatta Cemetry at 10:30am on Wednesday. There will be a wake folloewing at the sea view golf club in Cottesloe.

Dougy was the eternal grommet who just wouldn't grow up. He lived for surfing and kiting and I'd love to listen to his tales of hollow glassy walls off lesser know islands in indo. Doug frothed on waves and the sea more than anyone I know. I sold him his first kite in 2009 and he took to kiting like the frothing grommet he was inside. His infectious enthusiasm for everything salty and wet was always enough to make me smile. His swims in, in the dark off pinnaroo at 9pm were a source of major concern for me, but he never once was even remotely concerned and wondered why I stressed and waited for him to come in.

An amazing fun loving guy, I'll never understand why it ended like this, and am very much saddened by his passing.

Rest in peace buddy, where the pits are deep and the rides long and glassy.

Darren