His wit exceeds his years and his mouth runs ripe with whatever comes to mind, totally unconditioned with youth, no engineering. Mittv's voice is roughened like he lunas tobacco for breakfast. It's rich with intrigue, the kind only little humans with super talents can muster. Mitty doesn't actually smoke, of course. He thinks that ciggies are for kooks.
See, Mitty, aka Mitchell Parkinson, is only 10.
It's Wednesday and Mitty's kicking his feet up after another punishing six-hour day at school, which he says he doesn't want to talk about. "Just another boring old day at school," says Mitty.
Mitty's in fourth grade, got a long way to go until he picks up his HSC and leaves the books for the departure lounge. Despite his displeasure for the classroom, Mitty says he'll see out the full 12 yards. "Got no choice, just part of life," he reckons. The only thing Mitty likes about school is the bell to freedom at day's end. A good day according to Mitty is an early surf in the morning, then a little skate at the beach, have some lunch, then go for another skate and then another surf.
Mitty sure likes to surf. Did he mention that yet? It's one thing you ought to know about him, this kid with the french fry-coloured locks, sun-browned skin and freckled cheeks. Mitty mostly surfs with his friends, otherwise he'll hit it with his old boy Daryl and his older brother Todd. Or his surfing superstar cousin Joel. You know him... Parko. Another thing you ought to know about Mitty is that he comes from the finest of surfing DNA in all the land. Besides Joel, old boy Daryl knows how to drive a stick- he used to be one of the best surfers in Queensland. It was Daryl who pushed Mitty into his first wave. Mitty still remembers it. "We were at D'Bah. Dad pushed me on and I rode it from out the back into the shorey." Mitty was three.
Mitty says his favourite surfer is himself. He's joking. That's Mitty for you. Mitty and his mouth. Daryl says he's your typical smart-arse little kid, only smarter. "He knows how to get it around me, that's for sure," says Daryl. "You wouldn't be the first to say it's as if he's been around before."
But with Mitty it seems natural. Determined. And confident. Does Mitty hope to go as far as Joel has in surfing? "A step further," says Mitty.
Mitty lives to surf Snapper because it's home and it's good. As for how the little man who's still shadowed by his 5'0" stick goes about getting waves, "I just drop in on 'em," says Mitty. Kid got his knuckles dirty out there once, too. "Two of my friends, identical twins, one year older, but we came out even. We're friends now," says Mitty. Two hot surfers to watch around the Goldy, according to Mitty, are Casey Ainsworth and Zennon Clive Vincent. They're his mates and are both yet to reach their teens. "The other kids my age around here mostly boogieboard," claims Mitty, but he doesn't want to venture there. "I don't speak about 'em, they're just straight kooks," he says. Mitty owns a passport and one blotch of ink. It was a trip to Samoa with Daryl and Todd. "It was good, but I didn't get all the waves I wanted," says Mitty. It was enough to feed Mitty a taste for travel and he's got Hawaii penned in for the end of the year. With all the terrorist-driven travel panic running rife round the world, is Mitty scared? He admits he's not old enough to understand it. And he doesn't want to. Mitty doesn't watch much TV. Asked if he's got his hands dirty with any girls yet: "Nahhhh," he says, shaking the topic off like pepper on the beak. "They just screw your life." Mitty's mind. How grand it is. What's Mitty think of the country's Prime Minister?
"I went on this website at school today, on Google, and typed in 'Failure' and put it on I'm feeling lucky" says Mitty, "And it came back John Howard."
Does he prefer barrels or airs? "I can't do airs!" says Mitty. "Tried them but I just look like a kook. Got to get the rest of my surfing right first." World Champion. "I'd like to be."
And young Mitty's lasting words? "Reckon you could mention Billabong? They'll pay me if you do." it
