The History of the scotty brewer skate day

SCOTTY BREWER SKATE DAY BACKGROUND
 
The skate day competition was originally started in 2006 and was part of an event called Small Day Out.  The event was held at Ngataringa Park and included a music concert and other activities for youth such as giant bouncy castles, volleyball and bungee.  The event was organised by the Devonport Community Coordinator at the time in conjunction with the Devonport Youth Forum, Devonport Community Board and Devonport Rotary Club

Devonport Rotary approached the Community Coordinator about having a memorial plague for Scotty Brewer, who had been on the planning committee for having the Skate Park built and who had sadly passed away before its completion, aged just 16 years old, from a congenital heart condition.  Scotty had played a big part in getting the skate park off the ground and the memorial was being installed in his honour.  The timing was right to have the plague, bearing the inscription ‘Scott Brewer Skate Park.  Thanks to his friends and the North Shore Community’, unveiled at Small Day Out 2006. 
 
Small Day Out continued for the next 4 years.  However by then a new community event, Devonstock, had started and was being very well attended and the organisers of Small Day Out were increasingly finding that people were either attending for the skate competition or the music concert but no one was there for both events.  Also Ngataringa Park was a difficult venue for music events. The Community Coordinator at the time proposed that as there was now another more popular and well established youth music event happening in the community, that the music part of Small Day Out be dropped.  Another happening at the time was that one of Rotary’s main funding sources had been cut back – they had sold their event Devonport Food & Wine Festival and were no longer receiving the same amount of funding from it to pass on to community groups.  This was another reason to downsize Small Day Out which was largely funded by Devonport Rotary.  The Community Coordinator also proposed that Devonport Rotary have naming rights to the skate board only event.  Devonport Rotary preferred for the event to be named after Scotty Brewer, whose parents were involved and continue to be involved with Devonport Rotary.
 
Cheapskates Takapuna were our partner in the event up until March 2014 when unfortunately the shop closed down.  Following this we worked with a couple of different partners but since 2016, have and continue to work with Recreation Solutions Ltd and Young Guns Skate School, who run a skate competition true to the memory of Scotty.  Scotty’s parents Craig & Jackie Brewer continue to provide the cups for the Open and Girls’ comp winners and members of Scotty’s family always attend the event.
 
Maria Teape
Devonport Community Coordinator
November 2018

See more photos of the 2018 event here 

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