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Amber is wearing a shirt with blue overalls at the shore of the ocean. she is holding a large beige yellow surfboard

Amber is looking out to the ocean on a cloudy day. She is wearing blue overalls, a black tee and a cream coloured hat
Amber is standing at the same beach her father brought her to the day she was born.(ABC News: John Gunn)

Amber is a toddler sitting in the arms of her dad Eric. He is shirtless and wearing shorts
Amber as a baby with her father Eric Mercy.(Supplied: Amber Hamer)

James is wearing a purple tee with the words 'Naru Surf Gathering'. Amber is standing next to him by the cliffside
Amber and James discussed the next steps after cancelling the surf competition.(ABC News: John Gunn)

Three boys are standing at the back of a ute with the window open. They have three surboards next to them leaning on the car
Kids were excited to reconnect with friends and family.(ABC News: John Gunn)
A young girl is wearing a wetsuit with the Aboriginal flag in the middle with the words NARU. She is next to a surfboard
Young surfers couldn't wait to carve up some waves at Saltwater National Park.(ABC News: John Gunn)

Eric is standing in front of the the beach holding a white surfboard. He is wearing a wetshirt and shorts
Eric Mercy spent a lot of time surfing on Bundjalung country in Coffs Harbour.(Supplied)
Eric is standing in front of a house holding up a surfboard. On the ground in front of him is 7 surfboards he made.
Eric started shaping surfboards out of a shed in 1989 under his label 'Naru'.(Supplied)
Eric is carving up a wave in a black and blue wetsuit and white long surfboard
Eric competed in surfing competitions across Australia and overseas.(supplied)

The graphic includes three polaroid photos of Eric Mercy with big groups of First Nations children
Eric Mercy made surfing an accessible sport through surf camps he ran for local kids.(ABC News Graphics: Lindsay)

Eric Mercy captained one of the country's first all-Aboriginal surfing teams: 'The Originals'(supplied)
The image is a black and white montage of four newspaper clippings from the 90s about Indigenous surfers.
 Eric Mercy was part of a growing cohort of talented First Nations surfers in Australia(ABC News Graphics: Lindsay)

The end of a white surfboard with beige border and small Aboriginal flag
The ocean was a special bonding place for Amber and her Dad.(ABC News: John Gunn)

Amber is looking out into the ocean while holding her surfboard. She is wearing a beige hat with stripey overalls
This is same beach that Amber's dad brought her to the day she was born(ABC News: John Gunn)

Amber is a young child standing next to her little brother and their dad is standing to their left. They are all smiling
Amber and her brother James with their dad, Eric Mercy(Supplied: Amber Hamer)
Amber is wearing a white acket standing next to her brother James who is wearing a purple shirt that says Naru
Amber and her brother James have been navigating hurdles together since they were young. (ABC News: John Gunn)

James Mercy is standing next to his mum and his sister Amber. They are all smiling at the camera a fig tree in the background
James and Amber with their mother Val Saunders (middle).(ABC News: John Gunn)

Aunty Veronica is sitting on a white outdoor chair. She is wearing a rainbow coloured tie dye dress
Aunty Veronica Saunders is a strong matriarch because of the battles she has defeated.(ABC News: John Gunn)

Side profile photo of Aunty Veronica Saunders. She is wearing her hair in a ponytail and is wearing drop earrings
Aunty Veronica Saunders reflects on the toughest chapters of her life and how she overcame them( ABC News: John Gunn)

Aunty Veronica is wearing a tie dye dress. She is standing at the beach with children playing in the background
Spending time on Country is how Aunty Veronica looks after her mental health(ABC News: John Gunn)

Five young children are sititng in a row looking straight ahead. One child is looking to camera smiling
Children gathered around the campgrounds to listen to Elders share stories.(ABC News: John Gunn)

An aerial view of Saltwater National Park
Saltwater National Park is on Biripi Country, a few kilometres south of Taree, NSW.(ABC News: John Gunn)

A group of children are climbing an old tree on the edge of a lagoon. There is splashes from the water sprinkling over the kids
The giggles of children could be heard across the campground as they played by the lagoon.(ABC News: John Gunn)

Preston Campbell is running with a football in his arm dodging a Melbourne Storm player
Preston Campbell during a Cronulla Sharks vs Melbourne Storm in 2001.(Supplied: AAP)

Preston is sitting on a chair with a NRL football beside his face. He is wearing a black tee with a feather in the Aboriginal
Preston reflects on the journey he took to improve his mental health(ABC News: John Gunn)

Preston is standing in the background while two boys are playing football. Preston is wearing a black tee shirt and khaki shorts
From kids to adults, everyone joined in on the fun while reflecting on their mental health (ABC News: John Gunn)
A young boy is about to catch a football. He is looking with immense concentration in his eyes. He is wearing a purple tee
The game 'Tongue Toss' was a lesson in talking about your struggles and letting go of mistakes(ABC News: John Gunn)

Preston is facing the crowd and is wearing a black shirt that says 'live above the line'
The crowd listened quietly as Preston talked about the power of communicating with loved ones.(ABC News: John Gunn)

Warner is wearing a Rabbitohs jersey and a hat with the Aboriginal flag on it. He has black hair and brown eyes
Warner Saunders says spending time out on country with his friends is one way he looks after his mental health.(ABC News: John Gunn)

Four Aboriginal teenagers standing in a row. The second last child is holding a footy with the words 'state of mind' on it
Some of the teens that participated in the state of mind mental health workshop(ABC News: John Gunn)

Sam is holding a surfborad under his left arm as he walks into the ocean for a surf. He is wearing a tee with boardshorts
Sam says the signs his friend was struggling with his mental health were hidden.(ABC News: John Gunn)

Sam is looking out to the ocean reflecting on his friendship with his mate. He is holding a surfboard under his arm
Surfing helped Sam deal with the grief of losing his friend and a tool he uses to get through the tough days(ABC News: John Gunn)

Group of Aboriginal surfers of all ages are standing and sitting with their colourful surfboards
As the sun shined brightly, First Nations surfers gathered on the beach ready to embark on a group paddle.(ABC News: John Gunn)
A man and a young girl are walking into the ocean with their surboards. The man is wearing a wetsuit
First Nations surfers travelled from different corners of the country to attend the Naru Surf Gathering event(ABC News: John Gunn)
Four girls are paddling on their surfboards in the depth of the ocean while the sun beams in the background
Amber is leading a group of young girls on the paddle around the saltwater national park(ABC News: John Gunn)

The sun is beaming over the ocean with the edge of the national park cliff face at the forfront
Some of the surfers said the paddle around the cliff face gave them a 'different perspective' on life.(ABC News: John Gunn)

Two Aboriginal surfers are riding a small wave
Two surfers managed to ride a few small waves (ABC News: John Gunn)
A man is riding a wave. His surfboard has crashed through the wave but he has maintained balance. He is wearing a black wetsuit
Some managed to carve out decent waves as they paddle around the bend(ABC News: John Gunn)
 Bundjalung pro surfer Melissa Combo riding a wave.(ABC News: John Gunn)
A young girl is jumping in the air at the end of the beach shore. She is wearing a pink swimsuit
Everyone felt the joy of the being in the ocean and the special memories that were made(ABC News: John Gunn)

Amber is wearing a black wetsuit and cap with 'Naru' written on it. She is a hugging a young girl
This year's Naru Surf Gathering was a little different to those in the past but it's one everyone won't forget. (ABC News: John Gunn)

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