Bondi Blues | Bondi Rescue

Part 19

As everyone who was competing for Australia in Beijing got off of the plane, and we were thrilled to be back in our country. We had all been on the same flight, and lucky for me, Reidy, Whippet, Troy and Deano were on the same flight as well. 

All of the athletes got our bags, and we took one final group picture before we all went our separate ways. Some swimmers and divers were flying to other destinations across Australia, like the Gold Coast, Darwin, Melbourne, and Adelaide to get home. A majority of us, however, lived and trained in the area surrounding Sydney, so we were done with planes for the day.

I walked out of the airport with the boys, where Harries was waiting to pick us all up. We hopped in his car, and before I could ask who we were dropping off first, he said, "Before you go anywhere, we're heading to the Tower." Before I could open my mouth to inevitably complain about being on a plane for close to 12 hours and the jet lag that went with it, Harries turned down the main drag on Bondi Road and continued on to Campbell Parade.

Instead of heading to my street up in North Bondi, he pulled in to the parking spots that we used for work and I groaned, whining, "Harries, I'm so exhausted..." He pleaded, "Charlie, the boys really want to see you..." I finally gave in, and we got out of the car and went around the corner toward the Tower.

I was not prepared to see what I saw next.

The entire beach concentrated toward the middle was filled with people wearing Australian garb, whether it be some boys who had painted themselves to make the Australian flag as a group, or some girls who were wearing bikinis with the flag, all I saw was blue, red, and white across the entire beach. I also saw a few touches of green and yellow, and I realized that some of my teammates had come down to be a part of the welcoming committee.

The light blue and navy long sleeve shirts stood and the front - all of the boys were there, smiling and waving Australian flags. I covered my mouth in shock as tears stung at my eyes. I held them back for the time being, and I was escorted down to the beach with Troy, Deano, Reidy, Whippet, and Harries by my side.

When the front of the Tower came in to view, I saw a huge banner that was hung across the railing that said, 'Congrats Charlie - 10m Platform World Champion'. I was in disbelief. "Oh my god..." I whispered in shock, and Deano put his arm around me and joked, "You didn't think we'd do any less, did ya?" I laughed, still trying to grasp the gravity of this situation.

Some camera crews from Bondi and from Sydney had come down for the occasion, and I knew that I would have some interviews to do. Luckily, the reporters let me have my moment. I turned to the rest of the lifeguards, smiling widely as I stood there, speechless. "I'm at a complete loss for words, boys... Wow..." Hoppo replied, "Congratulations, Charlie. We're all so proud of you and over the moon... World Champion."

I hugged each of the boys individually and thanked them as they congratulated me. I addressed the crowd and thanked them for supporting me, and they cheered me on. Reidy and Chappo lifted me up and carried me around on their shoulders, parading me around Bondi. After a little while of signing autographs, taking pictures and thanking the people who came out, the crowd dispersed to leave the lifeguards and the media.

I went over for some interviews with some of the news stations and some local newspapers, and soon enough, I was on the beach with the boys who I considered to be family. After checking with me, Reidy invited the boys back to our house to hang out, eat, and catch up.

We all sat around my living room and kitchen as Box offered to cook us up some food. I gladly obliged, still tired and jet lagged from the flight that wasn't even a day ago. Breaking the ice, Maxi said, "I think we all want to hear how Beijing was and what the World Championships were like!" I blushed and replied, "No, I doubt it..."