Freddie Hazelton: Your Favourite Weekend at Timmy’s Teenage Dirtbag.
Words and interview by Shannon Farrugia
Photos by Luke Brown and Sienna Mayer
Freddie Hazelton, moments after almost dying at the friday night launch party at Nomads backpacker hostel.
Pic: Brown
My dad was never really interested in my love of skateboarding. He wanted me to play rugby league because he was obsessed with the Parramatta Eels, but I was too small. I preferred soccer anyway, so he was happy with that, supported me with it, and I did pretty well at it for a short while.
Then I saw a skateboard. Soccer was out. I was immediately cooked for life, blah blah blah… same old skateboarder story.
When I quit soccer, dad kind of checked out of supporting my interests altogether. I think he understood the passion, but he struggled to get it, or to see it as a pathway to anything significant in the material sense. Especially after I got knocked out cold on a vert ramp when I was 12 years old. He was totally over it after that, and understandably so. That would've been a pretty tense parenting moment.
To his credit, he never tried to stop me. In fact, he bought me my first skateboard, so props to him.
Conversely, imagine your dad skated. Better yet, imagine he not only skated but built a vert ramp in your backyard. Better again, imagine your dad skated, built a vert ramp in your backyard, then decided to throw a festival featuring some of the best skateboarders in the world, a bull riding rodeo, some of Australia's best bands, and a massive party that all your mates from high school could come to. Imagine that.
Well, that’s pretty much Freddie Hazelton’s life in a nutshell.
Freddie is the son of Timmy and Nat Hazelton and brother of Sammy; the legends behind the funnest, realest and most authentic skate jam/festival you'll ever experience: Weekend at Timmy's.
From the launch party at Nomads Backpackers Hostel on Friday night, right through to the final moments on Saturday, Freddie didn't stop charging. His brother Sammy did too, but Sammy rolled his ankle trying to kick flip off the tip-truck feature, which didn't seem to stop him from crowd-surfing during the DZ Death Rays set of course.
Curious to get Freddie’s unique perspective as the son of a skate dad, I shot him a few questions. Freddie was the Weekend at Timmy's ambassador who went the highest, skated the most, partied the hardest, and probably cemented legendary status among his high school mates by Monday morning.
Literally what teenage dirtbag dreams are made of.
Shan
Freddie gets frigid, moments before missing the transition altogether and landing straight onto the blue lounge cushion that you can see (bottom centre). Literally placed there minutes earlier by the maintenance guy. Wild times.
Pic: Brown
I feel like you almost died on the Friday night at Nomads when you did a 6 foot backside air, missed the ramp altogether when you were coming back in, and landed straight to the ground next to the ramp. Tell us that story. Insane.
Haha yeah I didn't actually realise how big the fall was until dad found a clip of it. I just remember realising that I was actually gonna fall of the ramp, which scared the shit out of me.
Local madman “Redman” from Mackay endeavoured to drop in on the makeshift roll-in on his snowboard - The perfect Swiss backpacker pick-up strategy. Well played sir, well played.
Pic: Brown
Sammy Hazelton wows the backpackers on the narrow 10 foot quarter pipe brain child of Lachie Abbott.
Pic: Brown
Your brother Sammy rolled his ankle trying to kickflip off the tip-truck feature, yet somehow still managed to crowd-surf during DZ Death Rays. Is that typical Sammy behaviour?
Sam is a beast. He doesn't feel pain. I always remember when we were younger, he would eat shit and I would go see if he was sweet, and he would just be laughing.
From left to right: Freddie, Sammy Hazelton and Josh Matwijiw. The boys charged all weekend, in every sense.
Pic: Brown
Lachie Abbott’s partner was due to have their first child on the day of the event, so Lachie decided to take it easy this year by only tail-dropping off the back of the tip truck. Phew.
Pic: Brown
Swellbows/Jorge Tichbon/leadsinger of Fast Johnny and the Slow Burners and Austin Bailey - Return of the Rad.
Pic: Brown
Lachie Abbott, Bobcat 50:50 backside 180 out.
Pic: Brown
There was some serious teenage shenanigans going on in your shipping container (bedroom) on Saturday night. Care to elaborate on what was happening in there? (Don’t worry, I won’t tell your dad).
Yeah I wasn't actually too sure what was going on in there, but I've heard some funny shit, but otherwise yeah, no comment haha.
Did Weekend at Timmy's suddenly make you the coolest kid at school, or are you going to deny that?
Haha. Nah, but everyone was stoked for sure.
Zane “Zinger” Hetherington, fronside over crooks the transformer tipper rail - The brain child of big Richie Norton.
Pic: Brown
Blake from the Gold Coast is very underrated. Frontside nose blunt slide.
Pic: Mayer
Freddie, padless and blasting huge airs all weekend for the crowd’s pleasure.
Pic: Brown
When I first seen this structure I thought maybe Tom Schaar could do something on this if he was here. Or, Lachie Abbott will probably jump off it after a dozen beers… however, neither of these things happened, Charlie Holland frontside nose-picked it and shut the shit down.
Pic: Brown
Describe the best moment of the whole weekend for you? Was it skating, the bands, the party, seeing your mates there, or something completely unexpected?
Everything was so good, however, skating with people I don't get to skate with every day was the best.
Gnarly Bull energy.
Pic: Brown
Brenton Hawkins and the crew from Shrine Skate shop in Mackay. They spread good vibes, they gave away cash for tricks, and to top it all off, they gave away 10 complete board set-ups to any kids or families that were keen to get into skating. Bunch of legends.
Pic: Brown
What did you think of the Bull riding on the weekend? Would you give it a crack if you had the chance?
It was so gnarly, I think it be so sick to try and ride a bull one day for sure.
Getting back on the “bull” that bucked her off: After a horrendous arm break slamming on this trick a while back, Aaliyah Wilson stomped her first 540 post-injury. It was more McTwisty than a straight-up 5, which somehow makes it even radder.
It was a special moment. The crowd loved it. I’m not crying, you’re crying.
Pic: Brown
3 words to describe the weekend?
“Loose. Mad. Perfect.”
Could we be calling it Weekend at Freddie's one day? Would you like that?
Maybe one day, I know dad would be keen to NOT hear his name being said all the time.
Josh Matwijiw, lien air. Josh knocked himself out just after this stomping a huge alley-oop heelflip indy. Josh rules.
Pic: Brown
What kind of life advice does your dad (Timmy) give you?
Dont be a shit c#%t haha.
You charged all weekend, so did Sammy. Is this something your dad has always emphasised as being important?
Dad would always say, go as hard as you can with anything you do, not just skateboarding. Anything. So I think I just try to put that philosophy into my skating.
Harvey Campbell won hearts with his grit, determination, and ability to catch huge Barramundi fish. Here, he spins a backside nose grab 540.
Pic: Brown
Aaliyah Wilson, frontside invert.
Pic: Brown
DZ Death Rays exceeded expectations. Top blokes too.
Pic: Brown
Do you have any shoutouts or thank yous?
Thanks heaps to Trevor the maintenance manager at Nomads for putting the mattress on the side of the ramp and probably saving my life. Lachie Abbott for letting me use his board on Saturday. And cheers mum and dad for be always being chill, and helping me out with everything.
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