Yes, basically all my life. There’s nothing better then going in for a surf.

I think it helps the mind and the body to sort of relax and chill out.

I love getting on a board. The funny thing is, the first time that I competed in a competition was when I was 49 years old and it was up at Noosa.

I reckon I was 13 years old when I got my first surfboard.

You’ve been heavily involved in various sports and community events during your life. Let’s go through a few. The first I would like to talk about is your footy career. Where did that begin?

I played junior footy with South Warrnambool in the under 14s and 16s before joining South Rovers because my uncle Norm Garner was coaching the seniors.

I stayed with Rovers for a few years before going out to Deakin.

One of my brothers was out there. I played a few years in the reserves.

I was not much good as a footballer, but I loved the social life out at Deakin.

It was just the best social life everyone was there for a good time.

I’ll never forget one year, the senior team at Deakin got beat in the grand final by Russells Creek.

The league officials always visited both clubs for after-game drinks.

Deakin’s function was under the old grandstand at the racecourse.

The league officials visited our function after going to Creek’s.

They were amazed how everyone was really enjoying themselves at our function, compared to Creek’s.

I think it just goes to show that winning is not the only thing in any sport.

Competing is the most important thing, but having a good time is another big factor. The friendships I made with people from the footy club at Deakin still continue today.

It was always tough for the club to survive, as players just came and went due to what courses they were studying.

My brother Trevor played in a reserves premiership with Deakin. It’s the only flag the club won.

I also played a lot of soccer.

How old were you when you played soccer?

I played in junior and senior soccer around Warrnambool.

We used to go to places like Hamilton and Portland in the winter months to play soccer. All my siblings played soccer.

I think it’s wonderful to see the direction that sport has taken over the last few years with women playing sport. Soccer, football and cricket used to be male dominated, but now women are playing them. It’s great to see women playing what every sport they chose to play in stand-alone competitions.

I think netball started the trend for more women to get involved in various sports.

Women’s netball was the lifesaver for country football competitions. I played junior cricket with Nestles for a few seasons, but I preferred to go surfing.

I also played junior and senior basketball for a few seasons.

I played for a side called the Comets.

My sporting career took a turn for the worst in my early 20s.

Brendan, can you please explain how your health took a turn for the worst?

When I was in primary school, I was often sick and they thought I had what is called a migraine stomach, which is similar to a migraine headache.

I left school when I was 14 years old.

I would often collapse for no particular reason, whether I played footy or cricket, and then one day I went to see a doctor in Melbourne with my mum when I was 20 years old. They ran some wires to my  head and my heart to sort out the issue, and after a lot of tests over a period of time they found I had needed a pacemaker.

I thought only old people needed a pacemaker to keep them going.

I have had  six pacemakers inserted in the last 33 years.

The last one was in November last year at St Vincent’s Hospital.

The last pacemaker I had inserted lasted 15 years.

I’m awake when they are doing the procedure. I just have a chat with the surgeon while they are doing the job.

It does not take long to have the pacemaker inserted; the last one, the operation started at 11.30am and I walked out of the hospital at 5.30pm.

I’ve got to stay near the hospital for a while to make sure everything is right.

I had been really busy as I was preparing for the St Brigid’s Blues and Roots Music Festival which was held on January 12 and 13.

The event will be an ongoing event after our second one was a success.

We’ll be doing a couple of minor changes, but overall the event has plenty of room to improve.

More and more people are getting involved in the smaller festivals.

I’ve been heavily involved at the Port Fairy Folk Festival for many years.

I think it’s a wonderful festival.

The band I play in, Hog Stomping Zydegators, has played at the festival for more than 13 years and I’ve taken tai chi for 10 years.

Tai chi is a great way to kick start the festival.

For years, familiar faces have turned up on Saturday and Sunday mornings of the festival to take part in the tai chi.

It’s just a wonderful way to relax the mind, the spirit and the body. It’s been found to deliver numerous health benefits.

There are many styles and forms of tai chi – each style has its own features, but all styles share the same essential principles.

The essential principles include experience mind integrated with the body, control of movements and breathing.