By ESTHER LAUAKI
Skate boarding and big dreams run in the Stone-Kelly family’s blood.
There are nine skaters in the family amateur skate team led by Tarneit father of eight, Meka Kelly.
The team comprises his seven sons and one daughter, the eldest of them is 16 and the youngest is just two years old.
The family moved to Melbourne’s western suburbs from New Zealand last year to pursue skating opportunities and captured worldwide attention this year after video footage of two-year-old toddler Kahlei Stone-Kelly went viral.
Meka says all his children started skateboarding by the time they could walk.
“They love it and it’s just what we do. We travel around to different skate parks every day and we’re there from about 4pm and sometimes we don’t leave until 10pm.
“I would rather they come out and have a skate and have fun with their friends than stay inside and watch TV and play on the PlayStation. Those things are dangerous. I want to encourage every kid to get a board and go on down to your local skate park and have fun.”
The Stone-Kelly clan also played club rugby league together but transportation between all the children’s games became too difficult.
“I would sit around with my cousins and brothers back home on the farm and we would dream talk about those skaters at the top of their game. No one back home would have ever thought we were serious about it,” Meka says.
“Where I grew up there were no skate parks. Back in New Zealand skating isn’t really supported. I lived in an area where a lot of skaters would go to the park to get away from their parents who were often drinking.”
He says the whole family feels at home in Australia and aims to continue chasing their half-pipe dreams into the future.
