H

undreds of members of Banjar (traditional neighborhood organization) Pengabetan marched in a solemn procession Wednesday afternoon along Kartika Plaza street in the heart of the resort town of Kuta.

With a somber expression, these Balinese men escorted the body of one of the members of the banjar for a ngaben (cremation) ceremony. Uniquely, the deceased was not a Balinese. He was Kim Bradley, an Australian surfer who first came to Bali in the 1970s to become the godfather of local surfers. Kim converted to Balinese Hinduism after his marriage with the local girl Ni Made Ringan in 1982. They later separated amicably. He passed away on Kuningan day, one of Balinese Hinduism's major holy days, March 28, finally succumbing to a long struggle against skin cancer. Kim is survived by Ringan and their two children; Cyntia Dewi Bradley, 25, and Adiputra Albert Bradley, 19.

On the bright afternoon, Kim's close friends, former pupils and fellow banjar members all wore black T-shirts reading "Rest In Peace, Kim Bradley 1955-2009." Kim's body was placed on the top of a wadah, a wooden carrier elaborately decorated with golden forms and mythical figures, at the rear end of the long procession. A long sheet of white cloth connected the deceased body with the man carrying a sacred effigy at the front end of the procession. The participants took turns in holding the white sheet, a gesture of homage to the deceased.

The procession was led by several western women carrying the picture of Kim wearing traditional Balinese headdress and flashing his infectious smile. They were followed by two men carrying surfboards.

The procession moved slowly, traversing the two kilometer long road from Legian to Asem Celagi cemetery. The graveyard lies just a few meters from the shoreline of Kuta beach, one of Kim's favorite surfing spots.

After the wadah entered the cemetery, Kim's body was carried into the cremation site, a rectangular space walled with banana trunks. As the fire engulfed Kim's body, his friends and proteges were once again taken into a surreal journey to the past, a journey of remembrance.

"He had done a great service to dozens of Balinese youths who love surfing," I Ketut Mendra said.

Mendra was one of Kim's proteges. According to Mendra, Kim played a pivotal role in introducing the beaches and waves of the island to the global stage.

"He also actively ushered the Balinese surfers into the international world of surfing competition," he added.

Mendra recalled how in the 1980s Kim took him to Hawaii to participate in an international surfing event. Mendra was only 17-years-old at that time, yet Kim succeeded in convincing the young man that he could do it. Mendra went on to take second place in the contest.

"I will never forget that moment when the Red and White flew proudly in Hawaii's sky," he recalled.

MagicWave, a local surfing tabloid, has dedicated a series of special columns to Kim in the last two months to pay tribute to this legendary surfer.

"Kim was a teacher, a friend and a father figure for the Balinese surfers and he was always there to help us," Piping, MagicWave's founder, said.

Piping recalled that back in the 1970s, Kim was the only surfer in the area who had the skills to make surfboards.

"If we had no boards we would never be able to surf," he said.