Turia Pitt: ‘I thought it would be impossible’

One is the famous survivor of a grass fire, the other’s story was brought to life on the big screen by Naomi Watts. Now, Turia Pitt and Sam Bloom give us a glimpse at their close friendship forged through adversity — and their shared love of surfing.

Words such as courageous and resilient come to mind when talking about Sam Bloom and Turia Pitt. At 41, Bloom was left paralysed after she fell from a rotten balcony on a family holiday in Thailand in 2013; ultramarathon runner Pitt suffered burns to 65 per cent of her body after being trapped in a grassfire during a race in 2011, aged 26. Now, the pair have formed a fledgling friendship, through which, they tell Stellar, they’re bonding over their journeys of survival, motherhood – and surfing.

Stellar: How did you two meet?

Turia Pitt: I watched Penguin Bloom [the 2020 Hollywood film of the Bloom family’s experience of meeting an injured magpie, based on their 2016 book of the same name] and I’ve been crushing on [Sam] for years.

I’d sent her Instagram messages like, “Hey, what’s going on?” and she basically froze me out and I never heard back.

And that was fine but I heard she was up near Cairns [for an event] and I was like, “Hey, I’m in Cairns, too – let me know if you want to hang out.” And she didn’t get back to me then, either.

Sam Bloom [laughs]: You’re full of it – I did get back to you!

TP: Yeah, when you were back in Sydney.

S: What happened when you finally did connect?

SB: The first time in person was a couple of weeks ago, when Turia interviewed me [for Rexona’s Not Done Yet campaign], but we spoke on the phone before that.

TP: Yeah, we talked a lot and frothed out over surfing. I was hassling Sam for ages to go to Surf Lakes because I know she’s an ambassador.

Sam Bloom and Turia Pitt in their happy place: by the waves. Picture: Cameron Bloom for Stellar.

What is Surf Lakes?

SB: It’s a man-made lake with a giant plunger in the middle that creates the most perfect waves.

You can create easier waves or steeper, trickier ones depending on your skill level. It’s in the bush, in Yeppoon [on the Queensland coast].

What is it about surfing that you enjoy so much?

TP: I’ve always loved being in the ocean. I find it quite therapeutic. Surfing, for me, is like practising mindfulness because you don’t really think about anything else other than what you’re doing in that moment.

That’s probably why I love it – because at all other times, I’m always thinking about stuff, and when I surf, all that goes away.

SB: I’m very similar. I’ve grown up by the ocean and I spent essentially most of my life surfing as a kid. I’ve always found it really healing and it has always been my happy place.

Were there moments during your recoveries when you feared you’d never go into the ocean again, let alone surf?

TP: I thought it would be impossible.

SB: Me, too. I remember saying after my accident, “I’ll never surf again”, because as far as I was concerned, I couldn’t.

The first summer after my accident we were up at Palm Beach [on Sydney’s northern beaches] and a friend was out there on a board and he convinced me to give it a go.

I had to go out lying down, obviously, and I was like, “That’s not surfing!” I didn’t get back on a board again for five years because I’m quite stubborn like that. But I’m stoked that I did.

TP: Why did you feel like it wasn’t surfing?

SB: Because I wasn’t standing up anymore. I had spent my whole life surfing normally, so [to me, that was] not surfing.

So, you had to adjust your mindset?

SB: Oh, absolutely. I was embarrassed, actually. From being totally independent and being able to just grab my board and run down the beach to having to be pushed onto waves while lying down – it was hard.

Sam Bloom: ‘I’ll never accept being like this. I’ll never be OK’ Picture: Andrew Shield for Stellar.

What about for you, Turia – was it hard to go out running in the bush again after your ordeal?

TP: Actually no. It wasn’t triggering at all. It felt good. Obviously if I’m out for a run and I smell smoke I’m like, “I’m getting the f*ck out of here” because I don’t feel safe.

But if I’m out for a run at 6am [with] the cold wind on my face and the air smells clean, it feels really good.

After going through the experiences you each had, it’s natural for there to be a grieving period before coming to terms with your new reality. Can you tell me a bit about what that process was like for you both?

TP: That’s true but that sounds very linear – like you go through grief and then you’re happy in your new normal.

It’s not quite like that. I think you have moments of sadness when you feel frustrated because you used to be able to do X, Y or Z.

Obviously I’m very grateful for the life I have now and what I’m able to do now, but that’s not to say that I don’t still have moments of sadness.

I don’t want to paint a picture that you have an accident and then re-emerge a beautiful, optimistic butterfly and never feel like sh*t again, because that hasn’t been my experience.

SB: I’m the same as Turia. I’ll never accept being like this. I’ll never be OK.

Like Turia said, I can still do amazing things, but deep down I’ll always be sad and I’ll always be angry. I’ll never fully accept it, but we don’t have a choice, right?

So, we try to make the best of a really crappy situation.

Sam, your experiences after the accident are detailed in the book Penguin Bloom, which was written by bestselling Australian author Bradley Trevor Greive and features photography by your husband, Cameron. How did it feel to see your story turned into the 2020 movie, with Naomi Watts playing you?

SB: Oh my goodness, one of the producers had the book and happened to be best friends with Naomi and it really resonated with her. She even read it to her two kids. And she wanted to make it into a movie, which was pretty cool.

TP: It was amazing. Just so awesome.

SB: I was lucky because Naomi is just the nicest person. She’s very down-to-earth and compassionate.

They filmed it in our house. And we’d say to the kids, “Why don’t you come and watch?” and they were like “Nah!” and just went off and did their own thing.

It was cool because they didn’t let it go to their heads – they weren’t like, “Oh my God, we’re famous now, we’re in a movie.”

Turia Pitt: ‘I don’t want to just sit at home feeling sorry for myself all the time’ Picture: Cameron Bloom for Stellar.

A lot of people are terrified of magpies, but Penguin Bloom charts how an injured bird you named Penguin helped your recovery. It’s great PR for magpies.

SB: She was pretty unique but then again she did attack a few people. She flew away in 2015 while I was kayaking in Italy. It was like she had done what she needed to do and was out of there.

We’ve had lots of birds since Penguin. It’s funny, every spring, people contact us on Instagram to say they’ve found an injured bird.

We’ve had a lot of other magpies, and a naughty currawong called Frankie who always wanted to be cuddled and would then just bite you. She also loved to shred the toilet paper.

Turia, there’s talk that your story is going to be adapted for the screen, too. Who would you like to see play you?

TP: I haven’t really thought about who I’d like to play me. The process of making a movie is a bit convoluted. Lots of people have taken out options but nothing has eventuated.

Both of you are mothers. Sam, you have three sons, Rueben, now 20, Noah, 19, and Oli, 17. And Turia, you have two sons, Hakavai, 4, and Rahiti, 2. How have you each navigated that experience?

SB: I found it incredibly hard because I wasn’t the same mum. Before we went on holiday [to Thailand in 2013], I was always happy and I loved my life.

After I came home, I was overwhelmed by my new reality. I couldn’t do all the simple mum things like run around after them or take them to school.

I tried to put on a brave face, but they would catch me out. It was hard because I had to rely on the kids to help me. It was like the roles had been reversed and that they were now looking after me.

There was a lot of guilt and I remember thinking that I had ruined their childhood.

TP: My kids haven’t known me any other way. They notice [that I look different] but I really think kids give zero f*cks.

SB: Because you’re just their mum.

TP: If Hakavai wants me to cut something up for him, I’ll be like, “I can’t mate, I don’t have enough fingers,” and he just asks his dad to do it instead.

If they do ask why I look a bit different and I explain that I was burned in a fire, they’ll just nod and be like, “Look, there’s a monster truck!”

Turia Pitt and Sam Bloom feature in this Sunday’s Stellar. Picture: Christopher Ferguson for Stellar.

Even though your experiences were very different, is it helpful to have someone to talk to about what it’s like to go through such a life-altering event?

TP: Obviously our adversity is very different but it’s helpful to have someone who understands and who you can have a laugh with and take the piss with, too.

SB: It has been so incredibly helpful for me – even though our accidents were so different, we both understand the insurmountable challenges we’ve both had, and how our lives have just completely changed.

TP: I really like that speech you gave, Sam, where you talk about going on a bushwalk near your house and your family carried you up there.

And there’s a photo of you with your son sitting and looking at the view and you said, “I could be here experiencing this amazing view with my family or I could be sitting at home.”

SB: Yeah, just feeling sorry for myself.

TP: I really relate to that outlook because I don’t want to just sit at home feeling sorry for myself all the time.

I want to enjoy life to the best of my abilities.

SB: That’s right. We’ve had to find new waves. And new ways to have fun. And I think we’ve both done that.

Originally published as Turia Pitt: ‘I thought it would be impossible’