Members of the Merewether surfing community will be among those to celebrate the life of Janice Callinan (Sands), the mother of professional surfer Ryan Callinan, on Tuesday.
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A sunrise reflection will be held at Merewether Beach from 6.30am and a wake will start at The Beach Hotel from 4pm.
Callinan died suddenly on Mother’s Day from a medical condition. She had not been ill. She is survived by 24-year-old Ryan and twin daughters Maddi and Billie.
The tragedy came 15 months after the family lost husband and father, Garry Callinan, who died at age 58 following a year-long battle with leukemia.
World championship tour surfers Frederico Morais and Julian Wilson have been among those in Newcastle supporting Ryan and his family since the latest tragedy.
Ryan, who competed on the WCT last year, was due to surf in the Ichinomiya Chiba Open, a 6000-point qualifying series event in Japan, this week.
Merewether’s Jackson Baker, who is 55th on the QS, has made the trip to Japan and is due to meet countryman Cody Robinson, Hawaiian Imaikalani Devault and Mateia Hiquily (French Polynesia) in heat two of round one.
Clubmate Philippa Anderson is surfing in the 3000-point women’s contest at Chiba. Anderson, sixth on the QS after her win in the Siargao International Women's Surfing Cup, starts in heat three of round two against American Tia Blanco.
The Chiba Open contest window started on Sunday but no competition was held on days one and two.
