In memory of Ryan ‘Abdul’ Abdy…

Described by his brother as “a humble man who did and achieved so much but never boasted about anything,” Ryan Abdy was today given a special place to honour his memory.

Ryan ‘Abdul’ Abdy was a local Maroochydore surfer, lifeguard, environmental advocate and volunteer for the Disabled Surfers Association who sadly passed away in February 2014 at the age of 40 following a battle with brain cancer.

Sunshine Coast Council today honoured his memory by officially naming the beach access where he was based as a professional lifeguard as Ryan ‘Abdul’ Abdy’s Beach Access 150.

When asked what the naming meant to him, Ryan’s brother, Drew Abdy said it meant an incredible amount and was hard to put into words.

“Ryan was always down at that beach, even before he became a lifeguard,” Mr Abdy said.

“As young kids, we’d spend a lot of our time at that particular walkway, surfing, swimming and hanging out.

“Ryan was constantly looking after the area – picking up any rubbish left about and keeping it tidy.

“And I know that his passing was felt far and wide – the local community, the local boardriders and surf lifesaving clubs all felt the loss.

“We have all come together at different times over the past 11 months to celebrate and remember my brother and I know they will all appreciate having this special spot dedicated to his memory.”

Division 8 Councillor Jason OPray – who lodged the name proposal application – said the tribute was a deserved one and honoured the memory of the man known as a champion surfer and surf lifesaver, environmentalist, good friend and all round great guy.

“Ryan worked tirelessly as a volunteer for dunal vegetation projects along Maroochydore to Alexandra Headlands beaches and worked as a volunteer children’s surf coach,” he said.

“He was a lifetime member of North Shore Boardriders Club and was also a former national Surf Lifesaving champion for the Maroochydore Surf Life Saving Club.

“It is a fitting tribute for this location to be named after him after him to acknowledge and commemorate his contribution to the community.

“As well as being the location where Ryan was appointed to cover as a lifeguard over the busy summer period, Beach Access 150 was designed to ensure there would be no steep drop off should the beach erode and to provide a quick and easy access point for surf lifesavers to gather important rescue gear from the nearby shed where it is stored.

“The five metre wide concrete access point was also chosen by Disabled Surfing Association for their first event on the Coast this year and they are planning for more.”