L&S Lif
estyle
RESPECT THE LOCAL By Steve Honneysett
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wonder if, in today’s world, people ever stop to think about the above, or is it just one of those old-fashioned, out of date things that no longer apply.
For years, the term local was something you had to earn by the amount of time you had lived in our town and it always enjoyed a measure of respect from new people moving in as well as day visitors to our fishing and surf spots. These days there seems to be less respect and patience from newcomers which invariably leads to conflict with the locals. As a surfer and water man I frequently see new faces on our beaches which I can put down to development and growth here which, as we know, we cannot stop. But as our surfing and fishing spots become more crowded, there seems to be a defiant lack of respect for locals, and I have witnessed some aggression erupting from time to time. I noticed this starting some time back when I used to make use of most surf spots along our stretch of coast. Every time I went back to my local spot at Salt Rock, there were new faces who didn’t know who the locals were. That’s why I now mostly surf at Salt Rock - and just about everybody who surfs there knows who Seaweed Steve is! This is by no means only a beach thing, as I have experienced it first-hand at the shops where you see fewer of the old school locals. What once was a quiet town now has no empty pieces of land left. Most people here now barely know their immediate neighbours. In the old days you knew the whole street! So where do we find that happy medium? Everyone these days considers themselves to be a local no matter how long they have lived here, so we must all accept the changes and be more tolerant of each other as respect works both ways. I have become more tolerant these days and try to moderate incidents that years ago would have had my blood boiling. Whether you are an oldie or a newbie, respect should be shown by both parties and a little communication goes a long way. If I go to Jeffries Bay or Richards Bay to surf, I always call on some of the locals to let them know that I am in town, which I feel in a way is asking permission to ride their spot. In this way I show respect and I enjoy the same in return. Whichever category you fall into, let’s not use aggression to resolve conflict as this just gives our town a bad name.Remember the old saying: What Goes Around, Comes Around.
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