Donna and Grant Walsh

Donna and Grant Walsh

Seventeen years ago Donna and Grant moved from Bondi, where they had been living for twenty years, to Culburra on the south coast.

They are back in Bondi to celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary.

We noticed Grant’s Burra Bergs T Shirt and wondered how life differed for them since they moved.

Burra Bergs not an official swim club but meet all year round at 7:30 to have a swim. They catch waves but our recent ‘membership’ has introduced ocean swimming. We have 2 now who want to get some ‘lessons’ from Grant ie confidence swimming beyond the breakers.

Went to Sean’s [Ed: for the anniversary] as this was where we went for all our significant dates. It didn’t disappoint, but we were secretly hoping to see Sean again. Sadly we missed him by an hour or so. Pretty sure he’d remember us as I used to request his rice pudding be on the menu for that booking.

Has Bondi changed? Yes and no. It’s more multicultural now, has a tattoo parlour and heaps of knockdown rebuilds.

Interesting there’s still deteriorating flat windows due to old strata bylaws but company titles tend to be knocked down now.

The demographic when we moved here in 1990, was Māoris, poms, South Africans, Russians, Hungarians and ‘old Bondi’ ie SLSA clubbies and tradies.

Now we are ‘old Bondi’!

Grant is still a member of the NBSLSC and he still patrols down in Culburra.

The Burra Bergs. Photo supplied.