Water slide at Ettalong

I can't believe I am doing this!

Perspiration is running down my face and chest in rivulets.

Heart rate is way up to 120 and blood pressure a dangerous 150/80.

Breathing is short and laboured and I really want to be anywhere but here.

The noise of fast running water almost drowns the screams and shouts from dozens of youngsters and if it wasn't for the sympathetic but impatient urging of the kids behind me, I would never have released my white knuckled grip on the safety rail and taken the plunge.

Yes, you guessed it.

I was on the very top of the waterslide at Ettalong at the invitation of the owners, Ray and Dawn Johansson.

Down I went, carried along with a massive rush of water pumped up from down below.

Legs and arms everywhere, with my poor body being buffeted from side to side like the Olympic Luge, gaining speed all the time until I was finally expelled with an almighty splash in a most undignified manner in a pool which seemed no bigger than a bathtub (in reality, it was the size of a backyard pool).

It was fabulous!

It was fantastic!

I had to try the other tube, pushing kids out of the way as I dashed up the stairs to have another go!

This was the opening day of the Happy Days waterside on the corner of Memorial Ave and The Esplanade, Ettalong, in the early 1980s.

With the disappearance of three cinemas, there was a dearth of entertainment for young people on the Peninsula and Ettalong Beach was considered to be the ideal site for a waterslide.

There was already a waterslide operating successfully at The Entrance, and with a large youthful population, the proposed development received an enthusiastic response.

However, not everyone was happy.

Several councillors were apoplectic in voicing their disapproval with the local progress association, with the Australian Democrats joining the protesters.

Noel Hewitt, the chief town planner, was obliged to remind council that revocation of consent would have had serious legal implications for council and, soon after, construction was well under way.

The waterslide comprised dual slides with a 14.5 metre tower and a kiosk.

It proved immensely popular with both locals and tourists alike.

Some 20 youngsters were employed at peak times and for many years the water slide provided lots of thrills and spills for those willing to live dangerously for a few hours.

Ray and Dawn Johansson were also the principals of Coastal Luxury Pools and Coastal Billiards.

They are now comfortably living in retirement on the Gold Coast.

Email, 26 Mar 2010 Fred Landman, Daley's Point