Dennis has spent a large chunk of his life in Brisbane, but he had his fair share of adventures across his long career as a street skateboarder. From plane crash premonitions to shotgun-wielding American cops to making claim to being the first bloke to bust out a rub brick in Australia, he’s got some good tales to tell. But before we get into any of that, I ask Dennis about the morning’s fishing trip. He explains modestly how he came back with a couple of snappers – nothing too big, but legal-sized and good eating. “I’ve got my mum in town too,” says Dennis, “So it’s good to be providing for the family.”
He may not be particularly interested in spending months on couches in California anymore, but Dennis is providing for his family and still skating like the absolute perfectionist that he is. As you’ll gather from his photos, he’s got a great mix of talent, technical ability and pure style.
On the day I speak to Dennis Durrant, he’s spent the morning out in his boat, fishing for snapper near Stradbroke Island. He’s had the day off and this is a bit of a treat for him – he reckons it’s been four or five months since he last took the boat out. Not because he hasn’t wanted to, but he’s a busy man these days. With a newborn and a three-year-old at home, his days start early and there’s a fair bit to juggle. Between dad duties, he works a day job as a metal fabricator and, of course, maintains a career as a pro skater. At 37, Dennis is still out there every weekend, “fighting the good fight” to put down tricks with his big pop prowess.
Typical Day
I’ve got two kids – a three-year-old and a four-month-old – so I’m up at the crack of dawn, even when I’m not working. I clock in at 5 or 6 am for dad life. Coffee is the first thing every day. I hang out with the kids for a while and then start planning the day of skating. If I’m not going to work, I’m skating. I skate with Tommy [Fynn] most days. On a weekday, we’ll usually just skate a park or a spot where we won’t get kicked out. On the weekends, we’ll hit up a filmer. Lately, we’ve been skating with [Darren] Kirby a fair bit and this dude Jesse Bernasconi. Then there’s Harry Pascoe and Indi [Russell], who’s been coming out a lot because he got a new camera. We’ve mostly been skating
