Why I love my suburb: Running for Premature Babies founder Sophie Smith on Coogee
Why I love my suburb is a new series written by Sydneysiders about their patch. The founder of Running for Premature Babies Sophie Smith gives us an insight into her life in Coogee and why she wants everyone to join her in training for a half marathon.
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Why I love my suburb is a new series written by Sydneysiders about their patch. The founder of Running for Premature Babies Sophie Smith gives us an insight into her life in Coogee and why she wants everyone to join her in training for a half marathon.
When did you move to this suburb?
I moved from Randwick to Coogee in July 2016, four months after my husband Ash passed away after a long battle with brain cancer. After Ash died I suddenly hated the house I’d loved while he was alive. I guess it was a case of ‘home is where the heart is’, and without Ash to share it with, the house had stopped feeling like my home. All the grief literature advises against making any big life decisions like this until a year has passed after a loss, and many good friends expressed concern that it was too soon, but I knew a new home was what I needed. When I found a place at Coogee near the water and with views of Waverley Cemetery where Ash is buried, I knew it was meant to be.
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What do you like most about living there?
I love being close to the water, and not having to drive to go to the beach. We have a trolley which we pile high with buckets and spades, towels and boogie boards and drag down the hill to the beach. I love taking the boys down to run around and jump in the waves after school sometimes during the week. Since moving here my boys and I have a family tradition to go for a morning coastal walk every Tuesday before school — rain, hail or shine! We always go via The Sweet Spot on Clovelly Rd for a croissant and then walk down to Clovelly and around the coast to Coogee and home. Seeing the sun rise over the ocean while my boys clamber over the rocks at Clovelly is the best way to start the day! I love the villagey feel of Coogee, and how friendly everyone is. I love that popping out to the shops on Coogee Bay Rd always takes twice as long as it should as I almost always bump into someone I know for a chat! I feel at home here.
What do you enjoy doing on the weekend?
With two boys aged 7 and 10 weekends are taken up with AFL/soccer matches in the winter and nippers in the summer. We love going to the beach all year round, I like getting out for a run along the coast and catching up with friends for BBQs and picnics, and drinks at the Coogee Pavilion.
What is your favourite restaurant?
Favourite restaurant is Sugarcane — great ambience, amazing friendly service and utterly delicious food.
Do you have a favourite park or outdoor space and if so why?
Centennial Park — there are so many different things to do and places to explore in the park. We love having a damper toastie for brunch at the caravan by the pond, bike rides and picnics by our special memorial paperbark tree dedicated to our baby triplets Henry, Jasper and Evan at the kids cycle track, walking through Lachlan Swamp and watching the bats wake up at sunset, and every Sunday morning from February to May we hold our Running for Premature Babies half marathon training sessions in the park.
What do you wish you could change about your suburb?
I wish they would lift the alcohol ban in Coogee. It seems ridiculous that this ban affects everyone except the people who are responsible for it. It’s true that 10,000 drunk backpacking partygoers left an obscene amount of rubbish on our beach two years ago, but why
should local families wanting to enjoy Summer BBQs with friends suffer for it?
What do you tell other people about your suburb?
That it has a great vibe, with good people and I’m lucky to call it home!
What is the most interesting place you’ve travelled to recently?
In April this year my 10-year-old son Owen and I trekked through the Himalayas to Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal. It was an incredible adventure for both of us — beautiful people, incredible scenery and an ancient culture. We definitely want to go back!
What books do you have on your bedside table?
I have quite a pile at the moment … Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton. I’ve just finished this. It’s an absolutely incredible read — disturbing, beautiful, heart wrenching and uplifting all at the same time. Sophie’s Boys by Deborah Fitzgerald and me! It was published in April and is still on my bedside table from my very first read of it as a proper book!
What worries you about society?
It worries me that as a society we aren’t doing enough to tackle climate change. It’s an issue that I don’t think we can afford to be so blasé about, and I am horrified that our government seems to have given up on tackling it altogether. It’s time to take our heads out of the sand, face the facts and do something about it.
What comforts you about society today?
I am comforted by the kindness and generosity of people, and the resilience that is within all of us.
Anything else you would like to share with us?
I’m hoping to gather my largest ever Running for Premature Babies team for a half marathon next year and so need to find more people to join me! Weekly free running training starts at the beginning of February and we welcome everyone from complete beginner runners.
To sign up, run a half marathon and give premature babies a better chance of survival go to