Falling in love with the region, 67-year-old Wayne Rolph has come out of retirement to start Woodgate SUP and Kayak Hire that will take float on Australia Day.
The new venture will have locals and tourists to Woodgate Beach gliding across the beautiful waters of Theodolite Creek during the busy holiday periods.
With a combination of 10 kayaks and stand-up paddle boards, Wayne said he was looking forward to sharing his love for the ocean and water sport with the community.
“I’m going to kick off on Australia Day and have a four-day trial to get the feel for the interest from the people,” Wayne said.
“I actually live in Woodgate, so it’s going to be a flexible business, dependant on the school and public holidays.”
Wayne said he’d moved to Woodgate Beach after falling in love with the region when passing through while travelling north two years ago.
He said after consulting with several Woodgate businesses he received a lot of support for his small business proposal.
“I bought a house and started walking my dog each morning, and I had always thought this place would be ideal for stand-up paddle boarding,” he said.
“So, after contacting the NRMA here, and then reaching out to a lady who used to have a similar business here years ago, we thought it would be fantastic for the community and visitors.
“I’ve always been a very active surf club member – I’ve actually been on water all my life.
“It just made sense to me and what better way to come out of retirement!”
Wayne applied to Council, and he was approved for Woodgate SUP and Kayak Hire to operate at Theodolite Creek Drive Reserve to conduct a board and kayak hire business from within.
Woodgate SUP and Kayak Hire will have watercraft to cater for beginners, children and adults.
“I posted about starting up on Facebook and I couldn’t believe the response,” he said.
“There was over 200 likes of support in the first few hours.
“People commented to say, ‘we have needed this here for a really long time’ and I am really excited about that.”
To find out more about Woodgate SUP and Kayak Hire click here.
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