Don’t let shady people steal your sunshine.

To be honest, I don’t know who in this western world still has a positive or even neutral impression of insurance companies but Gold Coast local, Andrew Grantham is decidedly not one of them.

The Coolangatta draftsman went surfing with his wife, recently, one fine pre-lockdown morning and when he returned, his 2018 Toyota Hiace was gone even though he stashed his keys in a Surf Lock device. One promoted by the police in fact.

His insurance company blamed his negligence on the affair and refused to cover the loss.

“When you make a claim you’re just treated like dirt. I felt like I was treated like the criminal. Like it was my fault the car got stolen. And for that I hate the insurance company more than the actual scumbags who stole my car,” he told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

Vague wording in his policy states that car theft is deserved when the keys are left “within the vicinity of the vehicle.”

His van was, he claimed, “his pride and joy” with he and his wife’s wedding rings inside and hopes and dreams of a vanlife future shining bright on the horizon. Traveling about the Lucky Country etc.

Grantham has fought, and fought hard, sending his insurance company police missives praising the Surf Lock li’l dangler with inspiring phrases such as “Don’t let shady people steal your sunshine. Consider using a surf lock attached to your car.”

His insurance company responded that they would not be buying Grantham a new vanlife because their client breached his conditions of cover.

“We make sure our claims process aligns with regulatory guidelines. This is in addition to our decision criteria that we use to ensure consistency and alignment with what is fair and reasonable.”

But back to insurance companies.

Are you a remaining fan?

Happy for the service provided?

Or are you a sunshine stealing shady person?

Also, where do you hide your keys when you surf?

Car shocks?

Under towel on beach?

In ignition?

A surf art if there ever was one.

She's number 1!

The Ultimate Surfer will air its final episode tonight on ABC television and Zeke Lau will win and one of the remaining female contestants will also win but we all know, and they all know too, that “Ultimate” means “Lightly Above Average” in their case.

No, The Ultimate Surfer is Carissa Moore and not even 11x World Champ Kelly Slater has had a more successful season than her.

First, the Honolulu-born Moore won the first-ever Olympic gold medal in surfing.

Then, she won the first-ever World Surf League Finals Day, snagging her own fifth World Title along the way.

Now, she is becoming enshrined on Huntington Beach’s very august surfing “Walk of Fame.”

John Etheridge, Surfing Walk of Fame Chairman of the Board, said, “After 18 months of world-wide closures and uncertainty, this year’s class of Surfing Walk of Fame inductees is incredible. Our goal to celebrate surfing, surfers, surf culture and its history has never been more completely represented than it is in this class. In a year where we’ve lost so many inductees like Greg Noll, Ben Aipa and Rick ‘Rockin Fig’ Fignetti, we’re so proud to honor this year’s group of honorees.”

Moore is entering the Walk as “Woman of the Year” alongside Damien Hardman, enshrined as “surf champion,” Mike Tabeling, a “Surf Pioneer” Cecil Lear and Hoppy Starts, “Surf Culture” and others.

A major honor, in any case, and there is virtually nothing that great shade painter Kelly Slater could say or write to diminish at all.

No way he could pour her glass half empty.

Could he?

Moore as the story develops.