RSL Active teamed up with Operation Soul Surf to give a group of veterans a month of surf lessons at Point Leo Beach.

When Carolyn West emerged from riding a wave she felt a sense of calm settle over her.

“I really enjoyed the peace at the end after the crashing of the wave… and then you’re just floating.”

It’s a world away from the hustle and bustle for the mother-of-three, who also works full time.

“It’s good to see the ocean, hear the waves crashing, see the horizon of the ocean, just the whole environment.”

Lured to the RSL Active event as an annual goal she sets herself to learn something new. Now, it’s opened her eyes and steered her to a new-found passion - a love of paddle boarding.

“I’m planning to buy a stand-up paddle board. I thoroughly enjoyed that [as part of the surf lessons], which I would never have known otherwise.”

Clearly though, Carolyn has a penchant for water having served with the navy for 12 and a half years.

She even roped in a friend she met during her service years to join her at the RSL Active surf lessons.

“The best thing to come out of the services is that you form lifelong friendships.”

Of course, RSL Active is also an opportunity to forge new friendships, by connecting with people with shared experiences.

For Carolyn, reintegrating back into social activities was also a priority for her coming out of lockdowns.

Now, she’s quite literally soaking it all in, making the most of RSL Active’s kayaking activity on the Yarra, to most recently trying her hand at surfing.

“It was good to feel accomplished at the end, I could stand up and catch a wave, which I never thought I could do!”