The former electrician from Culburra Beach had been surfing since he was 10 and "loved the water".

But after finding a connection with now local disability worker James Gissing and his Good Support business, Steve is back hitting waves.

And while he might not be standing up, he says the feeling of "flying down a wave", albeit lying down is just as "exhilarating".

"Honestly, I thought my surfing days were over," he said after suffering hemiplegia (one-side paralysis).

"Simply my left side doesn't work. I've done all sorts of rehabilitation and exercises but none of that seemed to work.

"Then I found James and we worked out a way to get back into the water.

"It's been amazing - I just love it. Can't wait for it [to go surfing] each week.

"And my muscles never feel as loose as after I've been surfing. After surfing I feel relaxed and happy.

"It's really hard to explain the feeling - you can't beat going surfing."

As he says it "brings out the happy beans".

Steve said catching that first wave again was just incredible.

"I do get some confused looks sometimes, especially as I'm being taken out the back by two guys with body boards," he laughed.

Traditionally surfers and body boarders don't always get on.

"I think people are curious as to what I'm doing," Steve said.

"We just launch Steve onto the waves and off he goes," James said.

"I think people can't believe how well he can surf."

"I sometimes get in the way," Steve laughs "and take most of the waves.

"But everyone has been supportive, which is great. I hope they get as much of a buzz from seeing me out there on the waves as I do being on them," Steve said.

And he has since progressed to even "tackling barrels".

Having been a "sparkie" since he was 16, Steve decided in his late 50s, to make a change away from the industry as he "was getting too old" and moved into fire detection systems.

A business that ran out of Albion Park, which meant a trek from Culburra each day.

Along with wife Kerrie they decided to build a new home at Gerringong to alleviate some of the travelling.

Just as the house was completed Steve, aged 60, suffered his stroke and what followed was months and months of rehabilitation.

The connection with James came by chance.

Steve, now 66, had placed an on-line ad looking for someone who might be able to get him back into the water.

At the time James, who was a former pilot, was also going through a rather large transition in his own life.

A qualified pilot, who had been flying out of the Northern Territory, James, who now lives at Shoalhaven Heads, had just accepted a position as a flight instructor in Wollongong.

Before he could begin work, COVID-19 happened and the world went from having a pilot shortage to thousands of unemployed pilots, overnight.

In a double blow, James was struck down with ongoing migraine issues, which affected his peripheral vision.

He was diagnosed as a migraine with aura, which created a visual disturbance associated with 'classic migraine' and is one of only a handful of illnesses that disqualify you from being a pilot.

During this period, after a suggestion from his partner, he'd been working casually in disability support.

James responded to a post on an app that connects support workers with NDIS participants and met Steve.

And, as they say, the rest is history.

"The ad had been up for a few weeks and I thought it would have been taken," James said.

"Steve was looking for a surfing buddy. I contacted him and couldn't believe no one had taken it up - especially where we live and surfing is such a big thing.

"I couldn't believe someone hadn't answered the call - it's a dream job to get paid to go surfing."

The keen body boarder and surfer met Steve for a coffee and they set about making his dream of a return to the water come true.

"Steve talked of his passion for surfing and anyone who has a passion for something knows how important that is," James said.

"Surfing for me was something I was doing for my own mental health during the period as I was facing change as well.

"Steve and I sort of clicked - I could relate - he couldn't surf anymore and I couldn't fly - I knew what he was feeling."

First was a visit to the Bomaderry pool where Steve was "thrown in literally" to the deep end.

"We had to discover if he could swim or would drown," James laughed.

"Steve totally surprised me - he had done a lot of swimming already and had a pool at home and had swum as part of his rehabilitation.

"Even though his left side didn't work that well he managed.

"He could swim laps underwater but had trouble floating on his back."

They decided they would definitely need a life jacket for safety if they were to hit the surf.

"We settled on a life jacket made for big wave riders and windsurfers that if they are dumped they come up chest first," James said.

"That would ensure Steve was safe in the water."

Steve bought himself a board - a $189, giant orange foam surfboard dubbed 'the pumpkin".

After rigging up several different handholds and elbow grips, using old bodyboard plugs, chunks of foam, and plenty of sikaflex, they undertook a few trial runs.

Steve built the board with one hand, using quick grips in place of a left hand and tweaked the design week after week with lengthy discussions around the placement of elbow stops and hand grips to maximise his ability to turn and surf across the wave.

Due to his left leg "flopping about off the board" a knee support was also put in place.

Initially James and Steve hit the surf but they found it difficult, so one of James' mates, Russ Quinn, a well-known local, especially for his surf and stunning beach photography, was enlisted.

James and Russ use body boards, one on each side of Steve, like an outrigger canoe to take him out through the break and then to launch him on the waves.

"This method works incredibly well as we're able to paddle Steve around and on to waves with just our flipper power," James said.

"It just works."

Steve has since moved to 'the lemon', no points for guessing the board's colour, having purchased a surf school board from Wombat at Ocean and Earth.

"Now what we have is a purpose-built prone surfboard (long-boog) for a person who's recovering from a cerebrovascular accident (stroke) experiencing left-side paralysis," James said.

"Steve is incredible he has learnt to do everything with one hand. He's fitted out his van as a camper, built a treehouse, chicken coup, mini kitchen for his granddaughter. All after having a stroke."

Steve describes his condition like having the muscles on his left side "permanently clenched".

"I thought it would be like a numbness - but he gets severe nerve pain and is in constant pain on the left side," James said.

"He is very susceptible to pain - he has to wear shoes all the time - if he walks on a small stone in a car park barefoot he says it's like a bolt of lightning going up his leg - I've certainly learnt lots from him."

Now, two to three years on, they trio are regular surf buddies and Steve loves the feeling of again being on the waves.

They can regularly be spotted around the local surf breaks - even taking on Cave Beach in the Booderee National Park.

"The other surfers seem pretty ok with it all," Steve said.

"They don't seem to mind me and the boys being out there hitting waves."

They have been able to access a beach wheelchair from Disabled Surfers Association of Australia (DSA) to get to their surf breaks.

"It just makes it easier to get Steve and all our gear to the beach," James said.

"But Steve's also an absolute animal - he even manages to walk up the Cave Beach hill, which is pretty impressive even for someone with two working sides."

On the back of this experience James launched his business Good Support, and has since expanded with an employee and up to 15 clients.

"There were a couple of guys Steve knew when he was in hospital during rehab who were suffering from other ailments, one who had Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and loved his fishing but couldn't get out onto the water," James said.

"I take them out fishing and get them back on the water - it's brilliant."

Steve says he hopes his story is an inspiration to others.

"I suppose it shows where there's a will there's a way," he said.

"Never give up ."

He paid credit to his wife Kerrie, who he says has been a "tower of strength" during his, at times frustrating, journey.

"She has been fantastic - my rock," he said.

"Kerrie been a massive support through all my stroke ... without her I wouldn't be where I am ... she has been fantastic.

"We both grew up in southern Sydney, went to the same high school but didn't really know each other.

"We met after school and got married and bought a house at Engadine where our two boys Todd and Craig were born.

"We decided we wanted to get out of Sydney and move to the South Coast for a less complicated and better life for our kids.

"We settled on Culburra and our daughter Kerren was born.

"My family has been incredibly supportive through everything and I can't thank them enough."