‘Den the Sandman’ revealing how he found his passion for sand sculptures

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Frequent visitors to the Royal Darwin Show have likely seen Den the Sandman’s detailed sand sculptures on display. From work which began on a small beach in Queensland, exhibitions attracting huge crowds across the globe, his history is one of hardship, healing and rediscovering your inner child.

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00:02I was a professional photographer working 7 days a week, 12 hour days.

00:08I was running out of the house one day with camera gear under both arms

00:11and my son Luke was watching Sesame Street.

00:15As I ran past he said in a very sad voice,

00:18Bye Dad.

00:19And it really sort of got to me.

00:22I went, I've got to stop what I'm doing.

00:24So I went back upstairs and I said,

00:26Saturday morning I'll do whatever you want me to do.

00:28And he was the one who got me into it.

00:31He wanted to go to Tea Tree Bay in the Noosa National Park

00:35and wanted me to build sand sculptures, whatever he wanted.

00:39My mum at the time was elderly.

00:42She was in a wheelchair.

00:43She was suffering from chronic depression and anxiety.

00:46So one day I took her in her wheelchair to the beach

00:49and put her under a tree in the shade

00:53and I created a sand sculpture while she was watching.

00:56And it reduced her anxiety dramatically.

01:00And by the end of the day people had put money in my bucket.

01:04A woman, a French woman approached me and she said,

01:06Do you realise there's a world circuit in this?

01:09And I'm going, you're kidding.

01:10Then about a month later I received an official invitation

01:14from the Californian government to participate

01:17in an international sand sculpting event in San Diego.

01:21And I came sixth.

01:22I worked in China every year for about ten years.

01:25Holland I've worked in a fair bit and Denmark and the States.

01:30Thailand.

01:31I do team building for corporates.

01:34At the end they give you a hug.

01:36They're so happy it sort of brings out the child

01:39in this person that's forgotten what it is like to be childlike.

01:43It's so important to be supple, to keep a smile on your face when things go wrong

01:47and to keep going.

01:49It's been an incredible journey.

01:51It's been absolutely awesome.

01:52It's not a relaxing person.

01:54They don't understandubs, they don't understand는데.

01:55Is there anything which we've done?

01:56I'm out of your friends.

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