Shane – “I live in Alstonville which is where I grew up. I grew up with Travis. He’d be playing tennis while I was riding my skateboard. Travis started the shop (36 Chambers) back in 1997. He was always the guy talking about the ideas and then he’d make them happen. He sponsored all of us because we were all pretty good at skateboarding. We all skated for Spot X previously and Travis had the idea of starting a shop, getting sponsors, making skate videos. He pushed us all and made us come together. He took us up the coast skating, all the young grommets, to all the best skating spots.
Travis Watson was working at the shop here on Molesworth St on a Wednesday, he drove home the back way, left the road and hit a tree. We don’t know the circumstances whether there was another car involved or what but he lost his life.
After we lost Travis his Mum Trish approached us to take over the business. We agreed because we wanted to keep his legacy going. He inspired us and kept us on track when we were kids. He was like the General. We all loved him and he had big plans and was very passionate about skateboarding.”
Sam – “I was born in Lismore and grew up here. I spent quite a few years overseas throughout my 30s. I actually started a skate shop just like this for kids in Cambodia. I did this because of what Travis role modelled for us. I left school to skate and thankfully it was at the time that Travis started this shop. He asked me to come with him from Spot X. We weren’t happy over there. Trav’s mantra was always ‘By skaters, for skaters’ That’s what this shop has been built on.
I spent the next 12 years skating for the shop and working with Travis as much as I could. I moved away to shoot photos and worked on the Cambodian skate scene, until it got to the point that it needed a shop like this to help the kids. When I left I left the keys to the manager and those kids are ripping and they’re still going strong which is awesome.
After what happened with Travis, I spoke at his funeral about the ripple effect that he had on my life and then those kids in Cambodia’s lives and then Trish asked us to take this on and carry Trav’s legacy. It’s a great honour to do it.”
Shane – “Just following on about Sam going to Cambodia and doing for those kids what Trav had done for us, by just leaving the keys and it’s still going strong there. Most people would say, that’s my business, I’m not gonna leave it but Sam was able to follow that legacy. Trav was a giver. He would help anyone out in the street if they needed it. He had a heart of gold and had time for everyone. He died just before his 50th.”
Sam – “It was just second nature because of what Trav had role modelled for me. What he did for Shayne and I, encouraging us, sponsoring us, mentoring us, he continued to do that for the next 25 years. Travis was a real pillar in our community.
So the new Lismore skatepark opens on August 16. The stakeholders and the people involved in the design are allowed to go and skate on the 29th as a treat which is kind of a bit weird as I think everyone should skate together.”
Shane – “This new park is Olympic games quality. You can actually qualify for the Olympic games. If we had enough kids who were at that level we could actually do that. Hopefully we can up the standard for the skaters here and get Lismore known. We have a lot for kids around with talent, they just need a bit of help. It’s hard for them to get sponsored by big companies right now.
There’s no real money in skateboarding at the moment so it’s hard of them to get out there and get sponsors but we’ll have guys come up from Sydney to review our new skatepark and it’s looking really good.”
Sam – “We continue to do what Trav would have wanted from us, mentoring and sponsoring kids who are putting in the effort. We take care of people who are doing it, skating all the time, improving and those who are hungry for it.
We also do skate lessons and we’ll be teaching a lot of etiquette in the park because we don’t want it to to turn into a lord of the flies kind of situation. We’ll be teaching kids how to use it properly and avoid injury and most of all, respect each other.”
Footnote – Many Lismore people know Penny the dog who is the skateboard shop mascot. I have included a little video in comments of Penny waiting for her skateboard to be ready.