Suyin Cavanagh
Suyin Cavanagh
It was such a treat to meet Suyin. One of the funnest parts of doing Bondi Observer is approaching someone you haven’t previously met and striking up a conversation. There are so many lovely people out there. Suyin is a case in point. As it turned out we have connections so that was fun unravelling all of those links.
What is your Bondi story?
“I landed in Bondi at 2.5 years old as a Korean adoptee (not from the North!) and became part of the Cavanagh clan, with parents John and Margaret and 6 siblings including me – a mix of adopted and birth kids. There were hardly any Asians in Bondi back then and no Koreans I knew of, so I was quite a novelty. My big chubby cheeks were invariably being squeezed hard and often.”
I had a typical Australian upbringing to begin, “be home before the streetlights come on,” was the mantra, carport cricket, nippers (which turned into a teenage Life Saving stint at North Bondi SLSC).
Our Dad was a bit of a local legend at BRATs (Bondi Road and Triathlon Club). He was one of the original running members and then went on to be a Kona Ironman Triathlon Age Group Champion in his 50’s, before carbon shoes were a prototype, and was known fondly as ‘Jock’ Cavanagh. Jock has clocked up about 30 City To Surf races to boot.
I’ve seen so many phases and incarnations of Bondi. I lived here before small bar culture, cafes and rental price soars. Our first rental was on Lamrock Lane where we shared a dingy courtyard with Hugos Bondi Beach. Those days are a blur of Bondi Bermuda triangle life described so aptly by our dear mate, Sam DeBrito in his novel, The Lost Boys. Many nights were misspent at ‘The Bergs’, before the reno which made it feel like a bit like a P&O Cruise Liner and an era when Vibes on a Summers Day at the Pavillion was THE FESTIVAL.
It's the people that make Bondi much more than a suburb or even a neighbourhood. Living in Casa Pasadena – peach Spanish mission building on Edward Street for 11 years with all my friends in the building, was just wild and comforting during Covid. It’s a full circle moment to be back in the ‘hood so often Dog Sitting and now also teaching weekly YIN at Temple Yoga Bondi – the former Bondi Meditation spot.
The big blue body of water is what connects us all in ‘The Bubble’. The ocean is where my heart returns to always, and there’s no sunrise like those seen at South Bondi.”
How do you spend the first hour of your day?
“I wake up with the sun, so that means early in Summer and later in Winter. In Winter I do a YIN pose or 2 in bed under the covers, and then a morning meditation. When in Bondi and Dog Sitting, then it’s an ocean dip, morning walk and coffee at Gertrude & Alice, Birichina, Chapter One or The Shop.”
