2000s

Joey Schlueter Yallingup

Joanna ‘Joey’ Schlueter is a descendant of the pioneer Schlueter family living on Yallingup hill. Joey grew up at Yallingup and surfing is in her blood.

Her fiancée Kieran Rogers is also a keen surfer.

 

This is Joey’s short story: –

 

My grandparents bought ‘the Cottage’ at 4 Hammond Road Yallingup in 1963, so my dad has had the connection there since he was age 12. Dad used to get a pail of milk every day from the Hammond’s at Surfside Store on the Yallingup beach front.

Mum and Dad moved permanently to Hammond Road Yallingup in 1991 when I was six weeks old. I had the idyllic childhood of being raised on the hill with mornings at the beach and afternoons roaming the bush and finding caves. I have a theory that Mum cemented my connection to the place when she was filled with Catholic guilt because she hadn’t had me baptised and went down to the lagoon and anointed me with its water when I was a newborn.

My absolute favourite thing is a glass off surfing session out at Cove with friends and family. As corny as it sounds, Kieran and I fell in love 10 years ago on Christmas day down at Rabbits surf break. He proposed to me down by the rock pools a couple of months ago, so the place is special to us both.

Kieran and I are currently living in Cottesloe. I am working as a Registered Nurse working in Emergency at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.

I have attached some gorgeous photos Bruce King has taken of us over the years (we were skinnier back then) and a couple from when I was Kid, when I was age five. The ugly kid in them is my brother David.

 

Photo: 1993 Joey age 2 her brother David playing in Yalls lagoon. Joey pic.

 

 

Photo: 1996 Joey age 5 and her brother David playing in a rubber tube Yallingup lagoon. Joey pic.

In 2001 Dunsborough Primary School students wrote about their ‘dreams for Dunsborough’ for the Cape of Contrasts ‘Stories of Cape Naturaliste WA’ book published by the Dunsborough Writers Group.  This piece was written by Joey Schlueter, Year 5.

I want Dunsborough to smell like it does now,

With the fresh air and the ocean beside you.

Take a step out of your house,

And you get a feeling that is like magic.

 

The point is I don’t want this town to turn into a city!

I don’t want to step out of my house and feel the magic sink down,

Or walk to school and know the town is full of gross pollution.

 

Instead of seeing dolphins ride the waves,

We could see garbage ride the waves.

 

So let’s keep our town small and tidy,

And we can all look forward to the future.

 

Photo: 2013 Joey longboarding Yalls. Bruce King pic.

 

Photo: 2015 Joey and friend Kelsey Sweeney longboarding Yalls. Bruce King pic

 

Photo: 2015 Kieran and Joey surfing Yalls. Bruce King pic.

 

Photo: 2015 Kieran nose riding longboard at Yalls. Bruce King pic.

 

Photo: 2015 Kieran longboarding Yalls. Bruce King pic.

 

Photo:  2017 Kieran and Joey short boarding Yalls. Bruce King pic

 

Editor: Joey is a caring person and a talented artist. She gave me this hand drawn card for my birthday in 2015. It features me standing on the reef at Yallingup beach with Yallingup cliffs and Sugarloaf Rock in the background.

Thanks Joey for sharing your story and pics.

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