Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 2 March, 2007 : - - WHEN Dale Richards sees
rocks these days they are at the head of a point break somewhere along the
stretch of Gold Coast beaches, but 11 years ago they were missiles aimed at
him by other children. At the height of the race tensions fuelled by
controversial MP Pauline Hanson, Dale, the youngest of five children, and
his brother, Travis, were attacked in separate incidents at their Ipswich
school, west of Brisbane.

The incidents prompted mother, Rita, to make the heart-wrenching decision to
move with her three youngest - Dale, Travis and Simone, who were all adopted
- to Tweed Heads on the Queensland-NSW border. The older two, Manda and
Justin, remained in Ipswich.

"Splitting up the family was extremely tough, but Manda and
Justin had jobs and I just made a decision that I had to get the three
youngest away from there," Rita said. "Things were very fiery around Ipswich
at that time. It wasn't a great place for young black kids to grow up and I
decided that I had to get them away from it." More than a decade on and
Rita's courageous choice has been vindicated.

Simone is a qualified chef; Travis a cabinetmaker who has put down the
deposit on his first property, while Dale this week became the first
indigenous surfer to advance to the main round of a World Championship Tour
event when he won the Quiksilver Pro Trials at Snapper Rocks. Born in
Townsville, Dale was adopted by Rita and Peter at six months of age. He was
seven when he moved to the coast with his mother but didn't take up surfing
seriously until he suffered a knee injury playing rugby league in high
school.

He quickly fell in love with the ocean, spending every minute he could
honing his skills alongside Joel Parkinson, Mick Fanning and Dean Morrison,
with whom he has become close friends.

President and chief executive officer of the Association Surfing
Professionals, Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew, has monitored Richards' progress
through Australia's junior surf circuit and has no doubt about Dale's
potential, comparing his talent to world-title contender Parkinson.

"There are a lot of similarities in their styles," said Bartholomew, the
1978 world champion. "They are very smooth. They glide along the water and
make things that are really difficult look very easy. He is going through a
growth spurt so he doesn't have the power yet that the top guys have, but he
is so dedicated and passionate it is a matter of when it will come, not if."

After being edged out in the opening round by triple world champion Andy
Irons and world No.19 Greg Emslie, Richards needs to upset world No.1 Kelly
Slater to stay alive in the competition.