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INSIDE: SURF-INSPIRED ART AND ARTISTS | SURF TRAVEL IN INDONESIA | THE LATEST SURFBOARD DESIGNS | INFLATABLE SUP TEST<br />
№ 33<br />
- SUMMER-<br />
<strong>2016</strong><br />
F R E E S U R F M A G A Z I N E<br />
SURF<br />
+ART<br />
BRETT MARTIN | NEAL CAMERON | CHRIS GARRETT | CURL<br />
LACHLAN OLIVE | KYM NAGLER | TONY OGLE | SCOTT CHRISTENSEN<br />
FIELDEY JIMMY WAGS | OWEN CAVANAGH | CRAIG BAIRD... AND MORE!
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| SUMMER <strong>2016</strong><br />
SMORGASBOARDER
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 3
ALSO<br />
AVAILABLE<br />
Custom Built<br />
This board has been custom built by hand in<br />
Australia. In fact, Mark can build just about<br />
anything to suit the surfer, home décor, the<br />
occasion and the budget.<br />
He is very particular with the stringer<br />
combinations. This board has 40 stringers and<br />
is for a 40 th birthday.<br />
Balsawood is a fast grown wood that is<br />
sustainable. All boards and production are of<br />
an environmental friendly practice.<br />
Riley has been building boards since 1995 and<br />
continue to build unique boards. They build<br />
from light performance shortboards, to solid<br />
wallhangers, to classic birthday presents, light<br />
12ft SUP and everything inbetween.<br />
With over 1,000 sticks of balsa in stock to<br />
choose from in big 160mm x 75 x 3050mm<br />
pieces, you just can’t go wrong.<br />
• Fin boxes with all wood covers<br />
• Wood coloured fin boxes<br />
• Fin box install kits<br />
• Clear board grip tape - Let the<br />
beauty of the balsa show<br />
through with clear Versagrip<br />
Traction Tape.<br />
Environmentally friendly and<br />
suits all size boards.<br />
• Timber fins<br />
• Surfboards<br />
• Blanks<br />
• Cork tail pads & SUP deck grip<br />
• Aussie-made leashes<br />
• Raw balsa/ cedar DIY board kits<br />
• Instructional DVDs<br />
• Board racks<br />
• Tide clocks<br />
• LICK liquid<br />
surf wax.<br />
Wholesale<br />
enquires<br />
welcome<br />
SURFBOARDS THAT DON’T<br />
COST THE EARTH!<br />
SHIPPING ANYWHERE, INCLUDING NZ<br />
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| SUMMER <strong>2016</strong><br />
SMORGASBOARDER
HANDCRAFTED IN AUSTRALIA<br />
Riley Balsawood Surfboards are made using renewable<br />
resource balsa and recycled polystyrene for performance,<br />
durability, beauty and lower environmental impact<br />
Call 0412 376 464<br />
or Email mark@riley.com.au<br />
www.balsasurfboardsriley.com.au<br />
Australian Environmentally-friendly handcrafted surfboards for the<br />
individual in all of us, with a guarantee. Enjoy Responsibly<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 5
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| SUMMER <strong>2016</strong><br />
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SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 7
DIFFERENT<br />
PERSPECTIVES<br />
Our core aim in <strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> magazine always was and will be to be inclusive.<br />
We love all kinds of surfing, all kinds of surfers from the best to the worst (whatever<br />
that means to you personally) and all kinds of boards from long to short.<br />
When it comes to art we feel no differently. Art is as personal as is surfing, and<br />
there as as many varied forms of expression as there are waves to ride. Furthermore,<br />
art in any form is completely subjective - what makes art great for one person is as<br />
personal as what makes a good day out surfing for each of us. Art and hand shaping<br />
a surfboard could also not be more closely aligned as both take talent, skill and<br />
thousands of hours of practice to understand and never ever fully master…<br />
There will also be a new personal height to reach. But most importantly when all the<br />
stars align perfectly, both art and surfing simply make you happy.<br />
It’s with that intent that we’re so chuffed to present our second ever dedicated art<br />
edition! This mag is packed with some of our personal favourite artists - artists of<br />
vastly varying styles, levels of recognition and even commercial success, yet all tied<br />
together by an underlying love for surfing, surf culture and the ocean. Some paint<br />
boards, some paint canvases, some paint walls, some draw pictures, other sculpt in<br />
metal - all of them make many of you happy by putting their work out into the world<br />
and brightening someone’s day.<br />
Enjoy, get inspired, and go surfing!<br />
Cheers!<br />
the <strong>Smorgasboarder</strong>s<br />
An artist with a lens... Sydney photographer Brad Bessant sees Snapper<br />
Rocks on the Gold Coast from an angle not too many would imagine.<br />
Photo: Brad Bessant - Find him on Facebook at Brad-Bessant-Photography<br />
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SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 9<br />
WELCOME
10<br />
| SUMMER <strong>2016</strong><br />
SMORGASBOARDER
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 11
WHAT'S<br />
INSIDE...<br />
NOOSA RISING STAR<br />
32 Meet Nic Brewer<br />
DETAILS, CREDITS & STUFF<br />
Grab SMORGASBOARDER FREE at quality surf stores, shapers and<br />
cool cafés on the coast of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria,<br />
South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and New Zealand... Be<br />
nice and buy something while you’re there. Or read it online.<br />
SUBSCRIBE<br />
FOR MAGAZINE<br />
HOME DELIVERY<br />
If you can’t get to a store or other venue to pick the mag up in person,<br />
you can also choose to have SMORGASBOARDER delivered to your<br />
door. See www.smorgasboarder.com.au. A few back issues are<br />
also available for $5 a piece, plus t-shirts & more!<br />
$25 AUS & NZ - 1 YEAR - SIX EDITIONS.<br />
THE COVER SHOT<br />
FUN WITH INFLATABLES<br />
97 Jeff tests a blow-up SUP<br />
THE USUAL<br />
LATEST<br />
14 Reader photos<br />
20 News<br />
GEAR<br />
88 Surfboards<br />
94 Ding Repairs<br />
CLOSEOUT<br />
101 Directories<br />
102 Columns<br />
108 Socials<br />
114 Aloha Barry<br />
Great summer<br />
surfboard designs! See<br />
Page 88 for more...<br />
Incredible mural art by Fieldey.... An impressive array of<br />
artists are featured in this, our second ever art edition.<br />
For creative inspiration, get reading from page 36 onwards!<br />
SMORGASBOARDERS<br />
ADVERTISING/EDITORIAL:<br />
Dave Swan<br />
dave@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
0401 345 201<br />
NEW ZEALAND:<br />
‘Jiff’ Morris<br />
jeff@smorgasboarder.co.nz<br />
0220 943 913<br />
DESIGN/EDITORIAL:<br />
Mark Chapman<br />
mark@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
SOUTH AUSTRALIA:<br />
James Ellis<br />
james@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
0410 175 552<br />
ACCOUNTS:<br />
Louise Gough<br />
louise@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
CONTRIBUTING...<br />
This is YOUR mag. It’s here for<br />
you to tell your stories, show<br />
your pictures and share your<br />
thoughts - and score some free<br />
stuff on the way too, to boot.<br />
E: editorial@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
P: PO Box 501, Moffat Beach QLD 4551<br />
There’s only a few of us here,<br />
so please be patient when you<br />
get in touch - we’ll try our best<br />
to get back to you as soon as<br />
humanly possible. Get in touch<br />
to discuss any ideas you’d like<br />
to be considered for a future<br />
edition or online.<br />
GEAR TESTS & REVIEWS:<br />
Gus Brown<br />
gus@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
BEST NON-DAILY<br />
PUBLICATION<br />
QUEENSLAND MULTIMEDIA<br />
AWARDS 2013<br />
FEATURED<br />
WRITER<br />
Jules Carey, a<br />
Canadian surfer<br />
gives her take on<br />
Indo. See page 80<br />
WWW.SMORGASBOARDER.COM.AU<br />
<strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> is published by Huge C Media Pty Ltd ABN 30944673055. All<br />
information is correct at time of going to press. The publishers cannot accept<br />
responsibility for errors in articles or advertisements, or unsolicited manuscripts,<br />
photographs or illustrations. The opinions and words of the authors do not<br />
necessarily represent those of the publisher. All rights reserved. Reproduction in<br />
part or whole is strictly prohibited without prior permission.<br />
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SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 13
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| SUMMER <strong>2016</strong><br />
SMORGASBOARDER
CRAZY<br />
KIWIS<br />
<strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> reader Tony Baker, photographed here by Ella Buckle on his 5’9” C-Wing Twin Fin<br />
shaped by Roger Hall - scores himself a kilo of coffee beans thanks to Raglan Roast. Enjoy Tony!<br />
If you’re in NZ, send in your surf shots and you could be the next reader to score a bag of beans.<br />
Email submissions to letters@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
Great coffee, roasted daily. Volcom Lane, Raglan NZ WWW.RAGLANROAST.CO.NZ<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 15
READER<br />
PHOTOS<br />
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| SUMMER <strong>2016</strong><br />
SMORGASBOARDER
Warm summer waves in the protected corner of a<br />
back beach on the Mid North Coast of NSW.<br />
Photo: Chris Hewgill<br />
This issue’s reader photo scores a pair of<br />
Barz Optics ‘Tavarua’ floating sunnies!<br />
Get printed and enjoy some free stuff on us...<br />
Send your photos to: letters@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 17
Chiko Rolls off<br />
menu for Girls<br />
Surf Day<br />
WORDS & PHTOS<br />
BY HEIDI ATKINS<br />
heidiatkinscreative.com<br />
A bunch of wild women surfers stormed Point<br />
Impossible recently to conduct a board meeting for the<br />
annual International Women’s Day surfing competition.<br />
Slated for Saturday March 5, and hosted by Surf Coast<br />
Longboarders Club, Wild Women on Water (WWOW) is<br />
a day of celebration and laughs.<br />
Stylish shredding ladies (and kooky fun loving lasses)<br />
will be hitting Point Impossible or Spot for some waves,<br />
raising funds for local charity Bethany.<br />
Not just for surfers, there’ll be yoga, coffee and healthy<br />
barbeque breakfast, food van for lunch, onsite massage<br />
and a raffle you’d be bonkers to miss.<br />
Hang with fellow Surf Coast ladies and their families,<br />
to the tunes of past, present and loud legendary female<br />
musicians.<br />
Launched in 2010, the event has drawn new female<br />
members to the club, bringing a great balance, “and<br />
lowering levels of testosterone in the water,” explained<br />
ambassador and Australian champ Emma Webb.<br />
Competitors described the feeling of surfing and<br />
sharing waves with other gals.<br />
“My favourite sessions are with fellow female sliders,<br />
fun vibes, hooting and chatting amoung the waves,”<br />
said sponsor Ange King of South Coast Surfboards.<br />
“It doesn’t matter what level you are, everyone’s just<br />
happy to be out there,” competitor Laura Spencer<br />
explained.<br />
And as to the charitable side of the event, Elle Cooper<br />
of Bethany said, “Every little bit helps us to continue<br />
servicing the community.”<br />
To register or get involved please email:<br />
info@heidiatkinscreative.com, follow on<br />
Facebook #Surfcoast Longboarders Club or visit<br />
surfcoastlongboardclub.com.<br />
Molly Powell steals one from Emma Webb.<br />
Photo: heidiatkinscreative.com<br />
Ange King sliding down the line.<br />
Photo: heidiatkinscreative.com<br />
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SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
No drop-ins just party waves.<br />
Photo: heidiatkinscreative.com<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 19
AKA: THE NEWS... COMMUNITY WHAT’S HAPPENINGS & OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS<br />
letters@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
smorgasboarder<br />
WASTE NOT, WANT YES<br />
Every surfer worth their salt wants a clean ocean environment. Ports<br />
and marinas are the perfect place to start as they combine high levels of<br />
human activity with a hell of a lot of rubbish and pollutants such as petrol<br />
and oil. Enter the ‘Seabin’.<br />
Good friends, Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinksi with the help of West<br />
Australian seed investors Shark Mitigation Systems have designed a<br />
prototype of their revolutionary ocean-cleaning technology and are now<br />
hoping to raise enough capital through a crowd funding campaign to<br />
launch into full scale production. Their automated rubbish bin is designed<br />
to be put in the water around marinas and ports and uses a shore-based<br />
water pump to pull water into the bin along with any floating rubbish, oil,<br />
fuel and other pollutants. A natural fibre bag then catches all the rubbish<br />
and allows for clean water to get pumped back into the ocean.<br />
Providing their crowd funding target is met, Seabins are expected to be<br />
available late this year and will retail for about $5,297 AUD.<br />
www.seabinproject.com<br />
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SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
FISHING FOR SKATEBOARDS<br />
On the recycling front there is another super cool new LA-based<br />
company called Bureo that is turning ocean waste into skateboards.<br />
They collect and recycle fishing nets from the coast of Chile and turn the<br />
nets into skate decks. One Bureo skateboard alone uses almost 3m 2 of<br />
fishing net debris. So now there’s a way to cruise the streets and keep<br />
the ocean clean at the same time. Together Bureo and Net Positiva, a<br />
fishnet collection and recycle program in Chile, in the first year alone<br />
collected and recycled over ten tonnes of discarded nets.<br />
Shop.bureo.co<br />
NEW BALSA WEBSITE<br />
He’ s become well known for his exquisitely crafted eco-friendly,<br />
lightweight surfboards and now Mark Riley has developed a new<br />
website to share his love of balsa. It’s all in the name of enhancing the<br />
experience for his avid followers both in the water, online and across<br />
the various social media platforms.<br />
“I really love building the most Eco friendly boards available in Australia<br />
by hand. My passion for shaping balsa surfboards sparks a broader<br />
interest in this great surfboard material” says Mark.<br />
Riley Australia was one of the first surfboard builders in the world to<br />
have their own domain name and web site back in January 1999. From<br />
that day they have been building balsa wood surfboards and sending<br />
them all around the world. Mark has expanded from balsa boards and<br />
clocks and added to the mix DIY kits, wood coloured boxes, fins, raw<br />
balsa, surfing and shaping accessories; everything you need to build a<br />
beautiful balsa board.<br />
The new website has been designed to provide the ultimate userfriendly<br />
experience with improved navigation and functionality<br />
throughout, allowing customers to access and buy videos with the<br />
option of sharing information across all major social networking sites. -<br />
See more at: www.balsawoodsurfboardsriley.com<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 21
RUN OUT SURFBOARD SALE NOW ON!<br />
UP TO 30% OFF<br />
ALL EXISTING STOCK UNTIL SOLD<br />
SHORTBOARDS - MINI MALS<br />
PERFORMANCE FISH’S - LONGBOARDS<br />
RON WADE SURFBOARDS (ESTABLISHED 1967)<br />
<strong>23</strong> Bassett Street East, Mona Vale NSW 2103<br />
Open Saturdays 9am-4pm or call 0410 443 776 for an alternative time. Available 7 days.<br />
Become part of an<br />
exclusive members only surf brand.<br />
(Surfers of all ages and skills welcome)<br />
Membership has its privileges: Visit www.1lovesurfing.com for details.<br />
Ambassadors wanted: Apply for a 1 Love Surfing Ambassadorship.<br />
RESPECT THE RIDE!<br />
TAMAM<br />
SHUD<br />
If you think that you saw<br />
Tamam Shud play somewhere in the 1970s<br />
but can’t quite remember then you probably did.<br />
Purveyors of fine surf style music since the late ‘60s early ‘70s and major<br />
contributors to the Morning of the Earth sound track Tamam Shud are<br />
back with a new album, titled 8 years of Moonlight. John Cobbin from<br />
Brookvale’s Moonlight Studio where the album was recorded says –<br />
“every single session, and there were so many, was intensely creative.”<br />
We’ve always been a big fan of Lindsay and Tim’s writing abilities and<br />
Nigel’s tight snappy drumming. Pete’s dark rumbling bass has always<br />
sounded like a big surf at night.” The album was released on Sunday 24 th<br />
January at Sydney Hi-Fi Mona Vale.<br />
It’s available on vinyl and for download at www.tamamshud.com.au<br />
LETTERS<br />
CONSTRUCTIVE<br />
DEBATE<br />
“Hi Dave,<br />
I was stoked with the<br />
huge article on sharks....<br />
Your research, statistics<br />
and attention to detail<br />
was excellent. You made<br />
constructive comments on the<br />
worrying and volatile issues<br />
we’re presently facing with<br />
sharks. You also covered the<br />
social and economic impact,<br />
shark mitigation warning<br />
devices and deterrents etc.<br />
Thanks Dave for a very positive<br />
and informative story.<br />
Cheers<br />
Donny”<br />
“Hi Dave<br />
I received the copy of<br />
<strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> in the post -<br />
many thanks! Really enjoyed<br />
the shark debate - even though<br />
I surf in the Great White<br />
homeland and am considered<br />
high risk, I fully support their<br />
conservation.<br />
Cheers<br />
Andrew B“<br />
NEED SOME<br />
MAGS PLEASE!<br />
“Hey Guys,<br />
Love the <strong>Smorgasboarder</strong>...<br />
My partner and I have just taken<br />
over a surf/lifestyle store in<br />
North Fremantle WA and were<br />
wondering if we would be able<br />
to put some copies of your mag<br />
on the counter? Let me know!<br />
Cheers,<br />
Jim”<br />
If you’re like Jim and have a<br />
cool surf store, café or gallery<br />
and are keen to get some<br />
<strong>Smorgasboarder</strong>s in store,<br />
please get in touch.<br />
There are a couple of ways<br />
we can arrange. Please note<br />
though, our mag is free but<br />
Australia Post doesn’t deliver<br />
it for nothing, unfortunately.<br />
We can arrange a single copy<br />
annual subscription for $25 or a<br />
bulk subscription from $150.<br />
For more details email<br />
subscriptions<br />
@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
22<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER <strong>23</strong>
!<br />
VINTAGE SURFBOARD COLLECTOR AND PROPRIETOR OF<br />
NOOSA’S UNDERGROUND SURF, ANDRE ‘ONDI’ MARSAUS,<br />
IS THE SURF SAGE AND HERE IN OUR REGULAR FEATURE HE<br />
PROVIDES THE ANSWERS TO ALL YOUR QUESTIONS.<br />
Got a question<br />
you want to ask<br />
the Surf Sage<br />
about an old<br />
board you have<br />
found under<br />
the house or<br />
from a curbside<br />
collection?<br />
Email editorial@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
and we will get Ondi onto it.<br />
Q<br />
A<br />
Do you know anything about<br />
this KB Stinger? I’ve had it in<br />
the back of my garage for years<br />
and am interested in selling it?<br />
Cheers for any info on it mate,<br />
and how much it’s worth?<br />
Larry<br />
Hey Larry, yes, this is a Klemm Bell<br />
Stinger. It looks like a John Blanch<br />
shaped sting or stinger with no step<br />
bottom. It would be 1977 vintage if<br />
John shaped it as he was working<br />
at the Torquay factory during this<br />
period. I haven’t seen too many of<br />
these Victorian stingers. It looks<br />
watertight and has had a few repairs<br />
over the years but it’s nice to see it’s<br />
history is in tact and doesn’t look<br />
like it’s been restored in any way. It<br />
actually looks like a great rider and<br />
without seeing it in the flesh, a price<br />
guide is about $400.<br />
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SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
SURFBOARDS OF SIGNIFICANCE<br />
by Ondi Marsaus, Underground Surf Emporium & Cafe<br />
BILL wallace<br />
TOOTHPICK<br />
This beauty is the last board Bill made before<br />
he retired in Noosa in 2012. It’s a replica of the<br />
1942 toothpick model he first crafted in Bronte<br />
at 16 years old in his first workshop, which<br />
was a garage that backed onto a lane behind<br />
the house he lived in with his family. He was<br />
an apprentice Pattern Maker at the time. It was<br />
around the Second World War and anyone who<br />
had left school had gone off to fight. Bill, still<br />
at school, was working in a munitions factory<br />
building boats and weapons for the diggers on<br />
the front line.<br />
The first boards Bill made were inspired by Tom<br />
Blake’s original boards of that era. Due to the<br />
war however, materials were scarce and he had<br />
to substitute the proper materials for inferior<br />
ones. Cheap ply was used as a substitute for<br />
marine ply. Copper nails were used instead of<br />
brass screws. The scarcity of the materials and<br />
the fact there was no one to instruct Bill on how<br />
to make a toothpick meant it took up to a year<br />
to build. Once it was complete however, he sold<br />
it straight away and that was the beginning of a<br />
lifelong passion of building surfboards.<br />
Later Bill was able to access top quality marine<br />
ply for his toothpicks and built the structure of<br />
the boards with cedar sourced from the railway<br />
carriage coach works and wood from Kempsey,<br />
NSW. He charged the local groms and surfers 1<br />
pound per foot.<br />
Bill is one of the original Aussie boardmakers<br />
who made a great impact on the surf industry<br />
and Underground Surf was honoured in 2015<br />
to have Bill and his son Peter hand over the<br />
production of Wallace Surfboards to us. Various<br />
models are now being released under Bill’s<br />
watchful eye.<br />
See this board in the flesh...<br />
well, TIMBER...<br />
at UNDERGROUND SURF<br />
Upstairs 9 Hastings St, Noosa T: 07 5455 4444<br />
www.undergroundsurf.com.au<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 25
LATEST &<br />
GREATEST<br />
26<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
Concrete<br />
curl<br />
One of our favourite surf shops in the whole<br />
country, Island Surfboards on Phillip Island,<br />
have collaborated with our very own super<br />
talented, witty and worldly-wise artist Curl, of the Aloha<br />
Barry cartoon fame (okay, he’s actually a PI boy, but<br />
we’re claiming him as ours anyway)…<br />
The graphic, designed by Curl especially for Island is<br />
available in a range of cool colours - green, blue and<br />
purple… Can we hope for a t-shirt too?…<br />
Anyhow, as you can see from the photos, these decks<br />
can be put through their paces! Island also stock a range<br />
of hardware to customise your Curl deck with your own<br />
favourite truck, wheels and the like…<br />
So, what are you waiting for? Skate with some<br />
local pride and get yourself a killer new board while<br />
supporting Island and and our big mate Curl.<br />
For more info, see www.islandsurfboards.com.au<br />
(And check out this edition’s Aloha Barry cartoon on<br />
page 114! Bogan eggs… Classic)<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 27
LATEST &<br />
GREATEST<br />
For active and styleconscious<br />
surferr girls,<br />
you can never go wrong<br />
with the stunning range<br />
of swimwear from Hive.<br />
One-pieces, or mix and<br />
match bikini sets to suit<br />
your style.<br />
hiveswimwear.com<br />
SURF TIME<br />
If you’re hard on your gear<br />
(and being generally unco, we<br />
certainly are...) then a Swiss<br />
military watch is for you...<br />
Strong, solid and available in<br />
Australia in a range of styles<br />
from CRNemetvarga.<br />
www.crnemetvarga.com<br />
SMORG X AKYMBO<br />
SA artist Kym Nagler is behing this edition’s<br />
special <strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> t-shirt. Featuring a<br />
hot ‘surfing bird’ pocket adn backprint, you’ll<br />
never look more stylish...<br />
(Grey or Black)<br />
$30 for the shirt, or $40<br />
for shirt and subscription.<br />
www.smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
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SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 29
PROPERTY<br />
SALES<br />
PERMANENT<br />
RENTALS<br />
HOLIDAY<br />
RENTALS<br />
Wish you were here?<br />
Speak to your local<br />
experts, since 1979...<br />
Photo: Paul Smith Images<br />
CONTACT US<br />
T: (07) 5447 2999<br />
36 Duke Street, Sunshine Beach<br />
PO Box 75, Noosa Heads, QLD 4567<br />
sunshinebeachrealestate.com.au<br />
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SMORGASBOARDER
A regular and outstanding competitor at the Noosa Festival<br />
of Surfing, Hawaii’s Honolua Blomfield. Photo: NFOS<br />
NOOSA FESTIVAL<br />
NFOS:<br />
WORDS: THOMAS LEITCH<br />
PHOTOS: SUPPLIED, NOOSA FESTIVAL OF SURFING<br />
25 & GOING STRONG<br />
The Noosa Festival of Surfing will celebrate<br />
its 25th Anniversary in <strong>2016</strong>, and its already<br />
shaping up to be bigger and better than ever<br />
before.<br />
With unprecedented numbers flocking to sign<br />
up, it has become necessary to limit competitors<br />
to a single age division, a new division has been<br />
opened – the Junior Girls’ Under 15 – and still<br />
the competitor list is almost full.<br />
Entry numbers are seeing a sixty six per cent<br />
increase on former years, the festival’s global<br />
renown drawing entrants from near and far.<br />
Nine nations and five of the Australian states<br />
are currently being represented, with several<br />
more expected to fill the remaining few berths.<br />
With the Men’s Under 18, Men’s Open and<br />
Men’s 50, 55 and 60-plus divisions all now<br />
full, many entrants will be needing to find their<br />
second choices to be able to take place in the<br />
<strong>2016</strong> Noosa Festival.<br />
are booked well in advance for one of the<br />
biggest weeks in Noosa’s, and indeed, the<br />
Sunshine Coast’s annual calendar of events.<br />
If you are wishing to take part in the <strong>2016</strong><br />
Noosa Festival of Surfing or if you wish to<br />
join the festival as a sponsor, please visit our<br />
website – www.noosafestivalofsurfing.com<br />
- or contact festival director, Sam Smith at<br />
info@noosafestivalofsurfing.com as soon as<br />
possible to avoid disappointment.<br />
Please visit the accommodation section of our<br />
website for details on hotels, rates and deals<br />
available.<br />
Join the festival on social media:<br />
Facebook: www.facebook.com/NoosaFestSurf<br />
Instagram: @noosa_festival_of_surfing<br />
The traditional ho’okupu opening ceremony, welcoming friends from near and far. Photo: Geoff Fanning<br />
With over 700 competitors and their families,<br />
not to mention the increase in tourists wishing<br />
to be part of the ‘8 Days of Pure Stoke’, much<br />
of Noosa’s premiere accommodation properties<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 31
NIC BREWER<br />
BURNS<br />
BRIGHT<br />
WORDS: PHIL JARRATT | PHOTO: KATRINA MCDONALD<br />
For Noosa junior longboard sensation Nic Brewer 2015 was a stellar year. He took out<br />
the Junior Logger national title at the Australian Surfing Festival in August, won the<br />
Under-18 Alexandra Headland Winter Classic, and posted high placings in a string<br />
of other events. And the 16-year-old High School student from Castaways Beach is only just<br />
beginning. According to his mentors, he has the right combination of natural talent and positive<br />
attitude to go a long way.<br />
A lifelong waterman who started out surfing with his dad on a boogie board at age three, Nic<br />
developed his confidence in the surf as a Nipper at Sunshine Beach Surf Club. During his early<br />
years, a friend loaned him a seven-foot single fin and Nic realised that retro and longer boards<br />
suited his developing style. Nic started turning heads a few years ago in Noosa Malibu Club<br />
competitions, with his stylish turns and go-for-it attitude. When he began competing seriously,<br />
he soon became a regular finalist in the Under-15 division events. In 2014 Nic accumulated<br />
some impressive results including winning the U15 division of the Noosa Festival of Surfing and<br />
posting second place in the Queensland Longboard Championships. He achieved a creditable<br />
fourth place at the U18 Austalian Longboard Titles at age 14 and finished the year as Junior<br />
Champion of the Noosa Malibu Club. Nic’s excellent form continued throughout 2015.<br />
Nic joined Fuyu Surfboards, operated by Sunshine Beach shaper Paul Winter, as a team rider<br />
a couple of years ago. This association has seen him flourish in competitive and free surfing,<br />
and he has taken a growing interest in helping create what he rides, giving a lot of credit for<br />
his improvement to the ongoing development of the Fuyus under his feet. He says: “I really<br />
enjoy the process of refining my boards with Paul, and spending time in the shaping bay with<br />
him. I feel much more confident knowing that each board is made specifically to suit my surfing<br />
and to improve it.” Nic’s great results are partly attributed to understanding his boards and the<br />
conditions each is suited to.<br />
Fuyu Surfboards is proudly local, supporting events such as the Noosa Logger and Wrecks and<br />
Relics, and with a Noosa-based team in Nic, Gavin Robinson and Jackson Winter. It is also one of<br />
the few grass-roots surfboard companies still resisting the mass-production trend and producing<br />
custom handcrafted quality boards.<br />
Nic has also benefited from being coached and mentored by former world longboard champion<br />
Josh Constable, and hot free surfer Jackson Winter. Recent international travels (to the<br />
Maldives in 2014 and Samoa in 2015) have given him experience in the more challenging reef<br />
breaks endemic to those regions. Nic can also be found indulging in his other great passion of<br />
fishing whenever the surf’s not happening.<br />
Finishing school is top priority, and Nic was a recent recipient of the ‘Sunshine Coast Young<br />
Achiever’ award for his sporting and academic excellence. The money he received from<br />
this award will help with costs involved in attending future competitions, including Nic’s<br />
ambitions of winning another Australian title and having a crack at a longboard world title. It<br />
seems that Nic has what it takes.<br />
Article courtesy of fuyusurfboards.com<br />
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LATEST: LOCAL<br />
A lifelong waterman<br />
who started out<br />
surfing with his dad<br />
on a boogie board<br />
at age three<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 33
GREAT<br />
FAMILY<br />
SURF ESCAPES<br />
The deep south (New South Wales that is) appeals on so many levels. There are an endless number of uncrowded waves in the<br />
area, the water is always absolutely pristine, albeit on the “Norsca Fresh” cool side of things, and the fresh local produce from the<br />
sea and the land is on another level altogether. The most southern town of NSW is EDEN and its name is befitting of its appeal.<br />
VISITING<br />
EDEN<br />
The freshest<br />
of fresh<br />
seafood!<br />
THE WAVES<br />
Well I can’t say too much out of<br />
respect for the local surfers other<br />
than a visit to this region won’t<br />
usually see you go home empty<br />
handed. A number of spots may<br />
be fickle and heavily reliant on<br />
the sandbanks, but on the day<br />
they are something to remember<br />
for the rest of your life, and there<br />
are still plenty of other options to<br />
suit various conditions.<br />
There are waves here for all<br />
surfing standards. Fun little<br />
beachies can be had right out<br />
front of the Holiday Park on<br />
Aslings Beach. There’s a great<br />
right further down the beach that<br />
is best in 3-6ft and then there<br />
are islands and rock shelfs in<br />
the area that can hold up to 12ft<br />
plus. Oh, and just a little further<br />
north is Pambula Rivermouth.<br />
You may have heard of it. It’s the<br />
stuff of legend but is it real or a<br />
myth? You will have to find out<br />
for yourself.<br />
FISHING<br />
Eden is part of the Sapphire<br />
Coast and the region’s<br />
shimmering waters means it<br />
not only lives up to its name but<br />
they’re also teeming with fish,<br />
making it one of the state’s top<br />
fishing destinations. There’s<br />
plenty of reef, rock, beach<br />
and estuary fishing. Eden is<br />
particularly popular with game<br />
fisherman from December to May<br />
and there are even land-based<br />
game fishing options from the<br />
Pulpit and City Rock. Think of a<br />
fish and you will probably be able<br />
to catch it here.<br />
FOOD<br />
First of all there is the freshest<br />
of fresh seafood available in this<br />
region whether you are catching<br />
it yourself, visiting a local fish and<br />
chip shop, heading down to the<br />
wharf, dining at a local pub, café<br />
or restaurant. There’s fish of every<br />
description and size and then<br />
there’s mussels and oysters. As I<br />
said before, it is another level.<br />
As for the local<br />
produce there is a line<br />
on the Sapphire Coast<br />
tourism site that says<br />
something like ‘Every<br />
town in the region<br />
offers an outlet for the<br />
sort of food your grandparents<br />
used to talk about.” Roadside<br />
signs for farmgate sales, local<br />
produce markets, the multi-award<br />
winning Eden Smokehouse….<br />
The list goes on and on. For more<br />
information: www.visiteden.com.<br />
au/local-produce/<br />
WHAT ELSE?<br />
Food (again), history and nature<br />
are the drawcards. I have said<br />
enough about food so I will focus<br />
on the latter. Eden was home to<br />
shore-based whaling stations<br />
and a trip here is not complete<br />
without a visit to the Eden Killer<br />
Whale Museum and hearing the<br />
story of Old Tom, the legendary<br />
killer whale. You can also walk<br />
the killer whale trail, explore Ben<br />
Boyd National Park, kayak the<br />
Kiah River or partake in an oyster<br />
tour on beautiful Broadwater Lake<br />
(there I go about food again).<br />
SOUTH COAST<br />
HOLIDAY PARKS<br />
EDEN<br />
Opposite Aslings beach and with<br />
Lake Curalo as its backdrop,<br />
this park is a cracker. Recently<br />
renovated there are sites for<br />
motorhomes and vans, camping<br />
and 22 cabins to choose from to<br />
suit various budgets and groups<br />
with even some dog-friendly<br />
options. You can hire a bike<br />
here and ride along to the many<br />
enjoyable walks through bushland<br />
and national parks or kick a footy<br />
on the open grass area.<br />
southcoastparks.com.au<br />
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LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS<br />
She paints surfboards, she paints walls,<br />
she paints canvases and more... Let’s have<br />
a chat with amazing artist, Haylee Fieldes<br />
WORD: MARK CHAPMAN<br />
PHOTOS: SUPPLIED, COURTESY OF FIELDEY<br />
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SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 39
IELDEY has made a real name for herself in the art world, painting dozens of surfboards,<br />
walls and skateboards, cars – even bowling pins, a 2.4m remote-controlled jet boat and<br />
has even created artwork for the 2014 Iron Fist ladies range.<br />
Fieldey - or Haylee Fieldes to those who know her closely - was born in New Zealand in the 80s<br />
and moved to Norfolk Island, where she learned a love for the ocean. Ever the nomad, she left to<br />
study in Sydney, work in London, and finally settled in Perth. Here she learned to surf and decided to<br />
custom-paint her own surfboard. And so it began…<br />
I BELIEVE FIELDEY - THE NAME, THE LEGEND — WAS BORN FROM<br />
THE MAKING OF THE FISH WIFE? TELL US THE TALE...<br />
To tell that tale I’ll have to travel way back into<br />
the mists of time when I was a wee little tacker<br />
who used to obsessively paint and draw all the<br />
time. I was always told I was going to be an<br />
artist and I believed it right up until I was about<br />
to finish school and I had a careers advisor who<br />
convinced me I’d die poor and alone if I pursued<br />
art as a career. Not wanting to die in a lonely<br />
garret missing an ear, I studied graphic design<br />
as a way to make money out of being creative.<br />
I did that for about 10 years giving up on my<br />
youthful dreams of being an artist and gradually<br />
becoming more disillusioned with the whole<br />
corporate design gig.<br />
I moved to Perth and took up surfing in 2011<br />
for something to do here and also as a way<br />
to get over my long-held fear of the ocean…<br />
after 6 months I was no longer terrified of the<br />
sea and reckoned I was more than ready to<br />
upgrade to a short(er) board (I know, rookie<br />
mistake) and decided to paint my sexy new 6’6”<br />
Superfish for fun. Having no idea how to paint a<br />
surfboard and some pretty rusty painting skills,<br />
I researched everything I could find online and<br />
asked a local surfboard shaper how to go about<br />
it. The name the Fish Wife is a bad pun, and<br />
the character that goes with it is a “reverse<br />
mermaid” the less alluring fish-headed cousin<br />
of a beautiful mermaid.<br />
Me and my brother decided to film the process<br />
and put it up on YouTube and I cringe a little<br />
bit to watch it now, but painting that surfboard<br />
kicked the whole thing off and started my career<br />
as an artist, which I now do full time. HA - take<br />
that career advisor!<br />
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LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS
LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS<br />
WHICH WERE SOME OF YOUR EARLIEST ART<br />
INSPIRATIONS - DO YOU EVER REMEMBER A<br />
“I JUST HAVE TO DO THAT” MOMENT?<br />
Well, since I was a super dorky kid the really<br />
early stuff was all about horses… like most<br />
young girls I was absolutely nuts for horses so<br />
I just used to paint and draw them obsessively.<br />
The kind of stuff I do now happens on an<br />
intuitive level… it’s a process where you sort of<br />
input all the variables of what you want to paint<br />
into your brain; size, materials, theme etc, and<br />
then your subconscious kind of mulls through<br />
it for a couple of days and then you wake up<br />
at 2am with a ready-baked idea that seems to<br />
have come out of the blue but which is actually<br />
a product of your subconscious mind drawing<br />
together all the blanks and joining the dots. It’s<br />
classic “light-bulb” inspiration and so much of<br />
my better stuff comes from that process.<br />
SURFBOARDS - YOU MAKE THEM COOLER.<br />
WHY SURFBOARDS IN PARTICULAR?<br />
Surfboards were a complete accident, I<br />
never thought as a kid that I’d be a surfboard<br />
painter… I was hell bent on being an “equine<br />
artist”. It was one of those lucky twists of fate<br />
that learning to surf coincided with wanting to<br />
get back into painting and surfboards turned<br />
out to be that special X factor that gave me a<br />
specific project to work on.<br />
WALLS, YOU MAKE THEM PRETTIER. WHY?<br />
It was a combination of Perth’s current obsession<br />
with street art and my natural inclination for<br />
bigger and tougher challenges. Walls are hard<br />
work, but people will pay good money to pretty<br />
up a wall and there’s something rad about<br />
seeing the deranged fruits of your imagination<br />
3 storeys high!<br />
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BESIDES BOARDS AND BRICKS, WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE<br />
MEDIUM? HAVE YOU DONE MUCH TRADITIONAL ART<br />
OUTPUT - PAINTINGS, PRINTS, ETC?<br />
My favourite medium is acrylic paint and last year I took a<br />
massive leap into the terrifying realm of painting “realistic”<br />
portraits on canvas. The blank rectangular-ness of the canvas<br />
was super scary at the start - with a surfboard I get a feel for<br />
the shape of the board and it’s personality; using that to help<br />
come up with the artwork for it. With a blank canvas or paper<br />
you’ve got nothing… it’s just so… rectangular?<br />
IS THERE A PARTICULAR PROCESS YOU FOLLOW WHEN<br />
WORKING ON A PARTICULAR PIECE?<br />
Apart from coming up with the concept as I described earlier,<br />
the basic process is to work from the back to the front - starting<br />
with the background and then progress through to the main<br />
figure and finish with anything that may be in front of the main<br />
figure.<br />
WHAT’S THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN AN<br />
ARTWORK FOR YOU (NO PRESSURE...)<br />
Well apart from a bangin’ concept filled with bad puns and<br />
vulgarity, the most important thing in any artwork is always the<br />
eyes. Humans are always drawn to eyes and it doesn’t matter<br />
whether you’re painting a human, horse, reverse mermaid or<br />
anything else, if their eyes aren’t alive and compelling, neither<br />
is the artwork. I’ll repaint the eyes 10 times if that’s what it<br />
takes to get them right.<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 43
LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS<br />
I’M SURE I SAW A VIDEO A WHILE BACK OF<br />
YOU AT AN ART SLAM - I THINK YOU DID AN<br />
AWESOME BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN? DO YOU<br />
DO MUCH IN THE WAY OF ART EXHIBITIONS?<br />
I don’t do heaps of exhibitions as I’m kept super<br />
busy with commissions but I do the odd art<br />
battle from time to time… they’re a lot of fun<br />
and I really enjoy hamming it up and performing<br />
in front of a crowd.<br />
YOUR ART WORKSHOPS - HOW HAVE THOSE<br />
GONE DOWN AND WHAT DO YOU HAVE<br />
PLANNED FOR THE COMING YEAR THERE?<br />
Workshops are awesome fun - I love seeing<br />
people engage with their creative selves and<br />
really get stuck into doing something they<br />
maybe didn’t think they were capable of. A lot<br />
of people appreciate the fact that the workshops<br />
give them permission to take time out to be<br />
creative - there’s no phones, no distractions -<br />
they can finally let all the other stuff go and get<br />
painting. There’s none planned yet, but I’m open<br />
to any proposals for anyone wanting to host art<br />
workshops in exotic locations ;)<br />
DESIGN VS ART? YOU KNOW THE INS AND<br />
OUTS OF BOTH - WHAT’S YOUR TAKE?<br />
For me being an artist is achieving my dream<br />
and I sometimes can’t believe I get paid to<br />
have so much fun. But I’m also very, very<br />
grateful I started out with design though -<br />
That was how I managed to make a career<br />
out of art, it taught me how to think about<br />
what I do as a product, how to market it and<br />
how to work with clients. Also when it comes<br />
to ‘getting out there’ having studied design<br />
means I can perform all my own stunts -<br />
from building my own website, designing my<br />
business cards to already knowing how to go<br />
about social media.<br />
ZOMBIES VS TIKIS? WHAT’S YOUR<br />
FAVOURITE SUBJECT MATTER?<br />
Oh man, I love them both, but I’m really drawn<br />
to gross stuff and I love painting gory ripped<br />
flesh, internal organs, skulls and other lovely<br />
things, so zombies would have to win there.<br />
Strangely enough I also like painting plants<br />
and flowers… rotting flesh combined with<br />
exotic flowers actually sums up my aesthetic<br />
nicely… ever heard of the ‘corpse flower’?<br />
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WHO’S BEEN INSPIRING IN RECENT TIMES? ANY<br />
FAVOURITE ARTISTS CURRENTLY? ANY HOT TIPS FOR<br />
UP AND COMING ARTISTS, OR UNKNOWNS THAT<br />
SHOULD BE KNOWNS?<br />
My current favourite street artist is Alexis Diaz from<br />
Puerto Rico who does the most amazingly intricate<br />
murals. They are insanely good!<br />
Hot tips for up and coming artists is to make sure you<br />
put a lot of work into building a solid skill base and<br />
drawing every day - it’s the ol’ practice makes perfect<br />
cliché but I’ve found it to be super helpful. Also, being/<br />
becoming an artist is hard and emotionally draining<br />
so it’s a good idea to surround yourself with positive<br />
people that support your goals but will also tell you<br />
honestly if an artwork isn’t right or needs more work.<br />
SURFING WISE, HAVE YOU HAD ANY MEMORABLE<br />
MOMENTS RECENTLY? GETTING OUT MUCH? WHAT<br />
ARE YOU RIDING AT THE MOMENT?<br />
I’ve been flat out with work over summer so haven’t<br />
been able to get out as much as I’d like, but I’m on<br />
holiday down in the South West at the moment and<br />
caught some super fun waves at the incredible Boranup<br />
Beach last week. My favourite board is a 9’ mal with<br />
one of my artwork inlays, custom shaped by the<br />
awesome Chris McKenzie of Oceanline Surfboards.<br />
WHAT’S THE BEST WAY FOR PEOPLE SEE YOUR<br />
STUFF AND GET IN TOUCH?<br />
Head on over to www.fieldey.com to check out<br />
my image galleries or drop me a line, join me for<br />
some acrylic high-jinx on instagram at @fieldey<br />
or if you want to paint your own surfboard you<br />
can check out my handy tutorials on my YouTube<br />
channel; Fieldey TV.<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 45
HANDCRAFTED QUALITY SURFBOARDS<br />
CUSTOM ORDERS SPECIALIST<br />
NOOSA HEADS, AUSTRALIA<br />
WWW.FUYUSURFBOARDS.COM<br />
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LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS<br />
FIVE<br />
quESTIONS FOR...<br />
It’s clear just by looking at different artwork that all artists have very different<br />
ways of seeing the world. We posed the same five questions to a group of<br />
surf-inspired artists who produce work of all kinds - from drawings, to prints,<br />
to paintings to art on surfboards themselves... Here’s their work and thoughts.<br />
WORDS: MARK CHAPMAN<br />
Overlaid artwork: Top - Jimmy Wags, middle - Tony Ogle, bottom - Scott Christensen<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 47
FIVE QUESTIONS FOR<br />
LACHLAN OLIVE<br />
WHO IS LACHLAN?<br />
One part graphic artist, one part<br />
smart-arse, Lachlan splits his time<br />
between making coffee and making art.<br />
Always planning the next exhibition or<br />
collaboration, and working on his brain<br />
child We Are Useless Machines, Lachlan<br />
is all over it.<br />
His unique work is a culmination of<br />
smart-arse social commentary, tongue-incheek<br />
wordplay and pop culture.<br />
WHERE DO YOU FIND HIS WORK?<br />
www.uselessmachines.tumblr.com<br />
Instagram: @lachlanolive89<br />
1.<br />
2.<br />
3.<br />
DESCRIBE YOUR ULTIMATE<br />
ART CREATION SETUP<br />
- MATERIALS, MEDIA,<br />
LOCATION, WHATEVER<br />
YOU THINK WILL MAKE IT<br />
PERFECT...<br />
It would be a warehouse style<br />
setup. Probably secluded<br />
somewhere in northern NSW.<br />
It would have massive high<br />
ceilings and blank walls that<br />
could be covered in paint. A<br />
fridge always filled with beer.<br />
There would be an endless<br />
supply of Posca pens and spray<br />
paint. Anyone could come<br />
around and paint whatever<br />
they wanted on the walls, and<br />
I’d cook for them and hang<br />
out and paint. It would be<br />
the happiest place to raise a<br />
family.<br />
WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST<br />
MOTIVATION WHEN IT<br />
COMES TO CREATING ART?<br />
Music. Hands down. Probably<br />
around 80% of my work is<br />
directly influenced by the music<br />
I’m listening to. Sometimes<br />
its painfully obvious and other<br />
times its subtle, but that<br />
influence is behind everything I<br />
put to paper.<br />
YOUR MOST MEMORABLE<br />
ART CAREER MOMENT?<br />
4.<br />
5.<br />
WHAT’S YOUR MOST<br />
MEMORABLE SURFING<br />
MOMENT?<br />
I remember driving down to<br />
Ballina just after I graduated<br />
high school. My mate drove<br />
us all down. He had this shitty<br />
old green van with 4 gears. Its<br />
top speed was like 80 kmph.<br />
It took us about 7-8 hours to<br />
drive from the sunny coast<br />
to Ballina. A trip that would<br />
normally take 4 hours. Those<br />
kind of trips are the best part<br />
of surfing. Travelling with<br />
good friends and laughing and<br />
pranking each other is the<br />
best!<br />
IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH<br />
WITH ONE ARTIST IN THE<br />
WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE<br />
AND WHY?<br />
If he was still alive, it would be<br />
Salvador Dali. Can you imagine<br />
sitting down and having<br />
cucumber sandwiches with<br />
Dali? Incredible.<br />
The first show I ever did<br />
was with my two friends<br />
Wade Goodall and Sebastien<br />
Fougere. We got these old<br />
mannequins and cut out<br />
the crotch of each one and<br />
replaced it with a goon sack<br />
and that was where our guests<br />
got their wine. It was messy<br />
and funny. I also sold my first<br />
art piece at that show.<br />
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LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS
LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS<br />
TONY<br />
OGLE<br />
WHO IS TONY?<br />
New Zealand’s Tony Ogle is a<br />
highly successful art printmaker<br />
inspired by the pristine NZ<br />
coastline.“Screenprinting allows<br />
me to express my love of the New<br />
Zealand landscape and ocean<br />
environment with strong colours in a<br />
direct and graphic manner”.<br />
WHERE DO YOU FIND HIS WORK?<br />
NZ Galleries selling Tony’s work are<br />
listed on website, www.tonyogle.com<br />
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1.<br />
DESCRIBE YOUR ULTIMATE ART<br />
CREATION SETUP...<br />
4.<br />
WHAT’S YOUR MOST<br />
MEMORABLE SURFING MOMENT?<br />
2.<br />
3.<br />
It would be my current studio with<br />
an art shop stock of materials<br />
within - but most importantly - a<br />
head full of inspired ideas waiting<br />
to energetically be brought to<br />
canvas.<br />
WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST<br />
MOTIVATION WHEN IT COMES<br />
TO CREATING ART?<br />
Capturing and creating an image<br />
of the seen world that is filtered<br />
and shaped by an internal ideal<br />
of beauty, harmony, energy and<br />
balance, to create a work that<br />
resonates, in this way, with myself<br />
and hopefully others.<br />
YOUR MOST MEMORABLE ART<br />
CAREER MOMENT?<br />
5.<br />
A moment of total synchronicity<br />
- when I had just dried off from a<br />
memorable point break session<br />
and was relaxing in the sunshine<br />
in the car, virtually parked on<br />
the beach watching amazing<br />
waves and rides go down with<br />
Eric Clapton’s Layla (long version)<br />
playing full bore.<br />
IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH<br />
WITH ONE ARTIST IN THE<br />
WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE<br />
AND WHY?<br />
Lucian Freud - unfortunately now<br />
passed - I would have begged him<br />
to let me watch him paint for a<br />
day. His ability to paint the human<br />
body inspires me - an astounding<br />
painter and image maker.<br />
The initial realisation that I could<br />
indulge my passion full time and<br />
not have to think about ‘another’<br />
job to support myself and my<br />
family.<br />
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LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS<br />
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SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
3.<br />
1.<br />
2.<br />
FIVE QUESTIONS FOR<br />
KYM<br />
NAGLER<br />
DESCRIBE YOUR ULTIMATE ART CREATION<br />
SETUP...<br />
Somewhere light and comfortable with a good<br />
sound system. A view of the beach would be<br />
good, a good variety of paint with timber odds<br />
an ends to make stuff and paint.<br />
WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST MOTIVATION<br />
WHEN IT COMES TO CREATING ART?<br />
Probably a lot of pop culture influences from<br />
‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s… TV shows, magazines (Like<br />
Mad etc.), music, films and a lot of stuff<br />
around me to this day... And not taking it all<br />
too seriously.<br />
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR MOST<br />
MEMORABLE ART CAREER MOMENT?<br />
Doing South Australian living art exhibitions<br />
with other artist friends of mine... And actually<br />
selling something. The Byron surfing/art fest,<br />
Kustom Lane gallery in Vicco…and a bit of a<br />
write up in Kustom Airbrush and Pinstriping<br />
mag (England) tiki feature… I just put it out<br />
there and see what happens. Oh yes,and doin’<br />
tee layouts for <strong>Smorgasboarder</strong>!<br />
WHO IS KYM?<br />
Kym’s a multi-talented bloke with<br />
a love for kustom graphics and art.<br />
And his love for fun and feelgood<br />
art is only rivalled by his expansive<br />
knowledge of the South Australian<br />
music scene. With his tongue firmly<br />
in cheek, not only does Kym create<br />
conventional drawings and paintings<br />
under the names of Akymbo and Von<br />
Nagler, he also makes tiki heads<br />
out of styrene foam and concrete,<br />
he paints hats, he makes lamps,<br />
plant pots, dunny-roll holders, he<br />
paints surfboards, skateboards,<br />
handplanes, paipos... In fact there’s<br />
very little that Kym won’t add his<br />
unique splash of colour and flair to<br />
(including this edition’s awesome<br />
<strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> t-shirt! See page<br />
28 for a sneak peek).<br />
FIND HIS WORK?<br />
Facebook: Akymbo Surf & Tiki Art<br />
4.<br />
...AND WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE<br />
SURFING MOMENT?<br />
The first time I surfed Noosa was pretty<br />
memorable!<br />
5.<br />
IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH WITH ONE<br />
ARTIST IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT<br />
BE AND WHY?<br />
Because I have a cartoony style it would have<br />
to big daddy ED ROTH! He developed fantastic<br />
lettering font styles, his hot rod monsters -<br />
which I would copy as a kid (but nowhere as<br />
good) - his kustom cars, surfing and skateboard<br />
toons as well… Rat Fink!!! ’60s pop culture<br />
at its best!<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 53
LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS<br />
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SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
scott christensen<br />
WHO IS SCOTT?<br />
Scott Christensen paints surf and the<br />
beaches along the Eastern Australian<br />
coastline with oil paint on stretched<br />
canvas. For the past 16 years he has<br />
carved a name for himself as one of<br />
Australia’s favorite ocean themed<br />
artists.<br />
WHERE DO YOU FIND HIS WORK?<br />
His work is available in limited edition<br />
runs on canvas and acrylic glass and<br />
also as signed block-mounted posters<br />
which are all available directly though<br />
www.scottchristensen.com.au and<br />
these selected outlets: Big Shotz<br />
Gallery at Coolangatta, The Famous<br />
Glass Studio at Robina Town Centre<br />
and Raw Art Gallery at the Sheraton<br />
in Hastings Street, Noosa Heads.<br />
Facebook: scottchristensenseascapes<br />
Instagram: scottchristensenartist<br />
1.<br />
2.<br />
3.<br />
4.<br />
5.<br />
DESCRIBE YOUR ULTIMATE ART CREATION SETUP...<br />
Coolangatta - Rainbow Bay: fifth floor apartment, big<br />
white room with balcony and views to little Marley….<br />
Coffee machine, beer fridge and quality sound system - no<br />
deadlines….<br />
WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST MOTIVATION WHEN IT COMES<br />
TO CREATING ART?<br />
The pursuit of perfection….<br />
YOUR MOST MEMORABLE ART CAREER MOMENT?<br />
Becoming aware that I had the skills to paint whatever I want.<br />
WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE SURFING MOMENT?<br />
Can’t pick one but the Early ‘90s off Greenmount point –<br />
blinded by golden sunsets, warm water and surfing with my<br />
wife Shannon, so late into the evenings we could no longer<br />
see the waves coming: Bloody awesome.<br />
IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH WITH ONE ARTIST IN THE<br />
WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?<br />
Dave Grohl - for an intro-lesson on how to play the drums like<br />
a rock god.<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 55
LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS<br />
CRAIG BAIRD<br />
1.<br />
DESCRIBE YOUR ULTIMATE ART<br />
CREATION SETUP...<br />
4.<br />
WHAT’S YOUR MOST<br />
MEMORABLE SURFING MOMENT?<br />
WHO IS CRAIG?<br />
Now Curator of Australian National Surfing Museum, Craig<br />
“Gonzo” Baird was inspired by art early on and began doing<br />
commercial art for people while still at school.<br />
“I think my first commission was for a band’s drum kit, and<br />
since then I’ve painted a diverse range of objects from dune<br />
buggies, hot rods, race cars, skateboards, guitars, garden<br />
gnomes, helmets, tool boxes to about 15,000 surfboards<br />
during a 26-year career as a surfboard artist.”<br />
Most of Craig’s time was spent in the pit at the Rip Curl/<br />
Moonlight factory in Torquay but he worked for other Vicco<br />
shapers and labels including Watercooled, Maurice Cole,<br />
Dave Boyd, Southern Soul Surfboards, Cruise Control, Rousa,<br />
etc, and a curious Jan Juc label Pink Bits.<br />
“Not all of my art has been on boards I have also had a few<br />
solo and group exhibitions in local galleries and have work<br />
hanging in people’s homes around Oz and overseas.”<br />
WHERE DO YOU FIND HIS WORK?<br />
Drop in and visit craig in person at the Australian National<br />
Surfing Museum at 77 Beach Road in Torquay, or for more<br />
info on the museum see the website www.surfworld.com.au.<br />
2.<br />
3.<br />
For me now, getting into the spray<br />
room feels a bit like a familiar bit<br />
of furniture, and it is a kind of zen<br />
thing to put your brain in neutral,<br />
get your hands busy, trust your<br />
talent and just see what comes<br />
out at the end.<br />
WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST<br />
MOTIVATION WHEN IT COMES<br />
TO CREATING ART?<br />
It is good to get fired up about<br />
projects and ride that wave of<br />
creative energy. Sometimes I just<br />
feel compelled to create but it<br />
can be a bit of a double edged<br />
sword. It is like the inspiration<br />
for each work comes with its<br />
own little packet of energy and a<br />
window of time in which it has to<br />
be completed, sad to say I have<br />
a bunch of half finished works at<br />
home.<br />
YOUR MOST MEMORABLE ART<br />
CAREER MOMENT?<br />
... a rush order for Japan the day<br />
before my brother’s wedding.<br />
Sprayed 24 boards in 24 hours,<br />
was a zombie on the big day but<br />
got it done! Lots of Bertlemanninspired<br />
swirls from what I can<br />
remember.<br />
5.<br />
I guess, one of those days that<br />
most surfers dream of. Picked a<br />
change in conditions and caught<br />
a dropping tide at my favourite<br />
spot. Not a drop of water out of<br />
place, sunlit overhead surf, gentle<br />
offshore, surfed better than ever<br />
before (or since probably) with<br />
not another soul around. Paddling<br />
back out you could see cutback<br />
trails on the water . . .<br />
IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH<br />
WITH ONE ARTIST IN THE<br />
WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE<br />
AND WHY?<br />
There are lots of artists I would<br />
love to have met but I get the<br />
feeling many of them might not<br />
be great company. I love Howard<br />
Arkley’s work but he didn’t<br />
seem like a happy or<br />
chatty bloke, so I’d go<br />
with Salvador Dali,<br />
I’m picking it would<br />
be memorable and<br />
probably some<br />
pretty good food<br />
to go along<br />
with it?<br />
56<br />
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SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 57
LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS<br />
OWEN CAVANAGH<br />
1.<br />
2.<br />
DESCRIBE YOUR ULTIMATE<br />
ART CREATION SETUP...<br />
A large shed type set<br />
up , with gallery and<br />
cafe attached with public<br />
viewing area , space<br />
(studios) visiting artists ,<br />
industrial spray booth and<br />
ventilated work areas.<br />
WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST<br />
MOTIVATION WHEN IT<br />
COMES TO CREATING ART?<br />
Being creative and seeing<br />
the joy on people’s faces<br />
when they see a piece you<br />
have created or they had<br />
commissioned.<br />
3.<br />
4.<br />
YOUR MOST MEMORABLE<br />
ART CAREER MOMENT?<br />
Not realising at the time, in<br />
2001, after having given the<br />
owner of a shed a carton of<br />
beer to let me paint it that<br />
it would become the now<br />
iconic “Wave” mural on the<br />
Sunshine Motorway back<br />
near Mt Coolum.<br />
YOUR MOST MEMORABLE<br />
SURFING MOMENT?<br />
A six-hour session with only<br />
my brother and myself at<br />
Safi Morocco. 6-8 ft, couldn’t<br />
paddle another centimeter<br />
when the enforcers showed<br />
up...<br />
5.<br />
IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH<br />
WITH ONE ARTIST IN THE<br />
WORLD, WHO WOULD IT<br />
BE AND WHY?<br />
John Severson, founder of the<br />
first surf magazine the world<br />
(Surfer in California, 1960).<br />
Photographer, artist, filmmaker,<br />
publisher...Dropping<br />
out to live the island dream<br />
- need l say more?<br />
WHO IS OWEN?<br />
“A life lived large, with the ocean a<br />
defining path is strongly displayed<br />
in my work.”<br />
An unswerving commitment to the<br />
Sunshine Coast and protection of<br />
the pristine beaches hugging its<br />
shoreline are driving forces, while<br />
Owen’s love for surfing and any<br />
pastime connected with the ocean<br />
are a constant source of inspiration.<br />
WHERE TO FIND HIS WORK?<br />
See more of Owen’s work on his<br />
website, www.solearte.com.au,<br />
or simply take a drive down the<br />
Sunshine Coast motorway to see<br />
the wave shed!<br />
58<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
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SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 59
60<br />
| SUMMER <strong>2016</strong><br />
SMORGASBOARDER
LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS<br />
Photo: Tom Woods<br />
FIVE QUESTIONS FOR<br />
JIMMY WAGS<br />
1. 2.<br />
YOUR ULTIMATE ART CREATION SETUP...<br />
I would have to say on a South Pacific island, near<br />
a perfect left, crystal clear water, neverending<br />
packet of Poscas (paint pens), making enough<br />
money painting punters’ boards to live there with<br />
my family and go on annual snow trips in the off<br />
season, or the same deal, but here in Mullaway.<br />
WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST MOTIVATION WHEN<br />
IT COMES TO CREATING ART?<br />
I’ve always been creative, since a little kid...<br />
Creating art can be a lot of things for me - creative<br />
release, stress relief, anger management,<br />
meditation. Sometimes its like something’s inside<br />
you that just needs to get out through your fingers.<br />
WHO IS JIMMY?<br />
James ‘Jimmy Wags’ Waghorn<br />
was born and bred in Grafton<br />
and now lives in Mullaway,<br />
NSW. At 34, Jimmy boasts ‘a<br />
wonderful wife, super cool kid,<br />
a blue eyed dog, lazy arse cat<br />
and a thing for painting weird<br />
shit.’<br />
Jimmy grew up on a farm near<br />
a river ‘doing the sort of things<br />
you do on a farm - horses,<br />
hooning round on motos,<br />
having glove gun wars’ and<br />
would hit the beach on the<br />
weekends with the family.<br />
‘I learned to surf early, then<br />
skateboarding took over in my<br />
teens and early adult life. Now<br />
I’m living at the beach, I’m back<br />
into surfing and painting.’<br />
FIND HIS WORK<br />
Facebook: Jimmy Wags Artist<br />
Instagram: @jimmywagsart<br />
Shop: www.jimmywags.com<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 61
On a recent surf trip, other blokes were all<br />
talking up this spot for the mornings much<br />
anticipated swell and these guys had been<br />
here a few times. At breakfast a fella who<br />
had been building a boat at the place over<br />
the past few months spotted me, had seen<br />
I was a goofy tube sniffer and said “don’t<br />
get on the boat with the other 10 guys, the<br />
left out front will fire today with this swell<br />
direction.”<br />
I took his advice, saved some coin on the<br />
boat ride and surfed out front with old mate<br />
and an Israeli guy, scoring some of the best<br />
tubes I’ve had to date. Boat rolled back in,<br />
didn’t score and the motor broke down at<br />
some stage... Boys were spewing.<br />
5.<br />
IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH WITH ONE<br />
ARTIST IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT<br />
BE AND WHY?<br />
Probably Jim Phillips - counter lunch at<br />
the pub, listening to the stories of the ‘80s<br />
skate scene, asking him about coming up<br />
with screaming fist etc...<br />
Jim’s art has influenced me a fair bit,<br />
drawing crazy characters. His art is so<br />
iconic - all those memorable artworks on<br />
skateboards of the ‘80s were Jim’s. Plus<br />
we have the same name, so he must be a<br />
champion.<br />
Music plays a big part - headphones on and<br />
pencil wandering usually create my best<br />
(most random ‘out there’) pieces. Creating<br />
an artwork that people enjoy and relate to<br />
is motivating, making a living from being an<br />
artist is very motivating. Talking business,<br />
nothing like a deadline on a commission to<br />
motivate you.<br />
3.<br />
4.<br />
YOUR MOST MEMORABLE ART<br />
CAREER MOMENT?<br />
Probably joining an artist-run gallery in<br />
Coffs Harbour and the praise and support<br />
received from the other artists - many<br />
of whom were quite high profile in the<br />
area - which confirmed my wife and I had<br />
made the right decision, dropping half my<br />
business, moving to the beach, embracing<br />
the coastal lifestyle and to paint more.<br />
Having that support from my wife when<br />
others thought I was mad was the game<br />
changer - haven’t looked back. Having a<br />
guy order a ‘Grog Monster’ t-shirt to wear<br />
to Octoberfest was up there too.<br />
AND WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE<br />
SURFING MOMENT?<br />
Pretty much the same as most goofy footers<br />
- scoring the perfect left.<br />
62<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
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SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 63
ALKING<br />
RASH<br />
WORDS: DAVE SWAN | PHOTOS: SUPPLIED<br />
64<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
Far be it talking ill of Congo artist Brett Martin,<br />
we are in absolute awe of his works that have<br />
transformed peoples’ waste into stunning art<br />
pieces. This is a man who together with his family<br />
live their life left of centre and in doing so are<br />
completely and utterly content.<br />
One of life’s great pleasures is chatting with interesting people you<br />
may not cross paths with in your normal day-to-day life. Through<br />
conversation you feel a sense of enrichment, gaining a different<br />
perspective on life, how they lead theirs and in turn how you can perhaps improve<br />
yours. Now some may scoff that I am getting a bit too ‘deep and spiritual’ but it is<br />
exactly how I felt following my interview with Brett Martin.<br />
Born in Ballina, Brett grew up around Lennox Head and understandably developed<br />
a deep love for surfing. Through his schooling years he discovered his other passion<br />
in the field of art and in particular, painting and sculpture. He furthered his studies<br />
in art at Southern Cross University finishing in 1997 and after a stint of travel<br />
through South America in 1998, he and his partner Joel returned to Australia<br />
settling in Congo on the far south coast of New South Wales in the Eurobodalla<br />
Shire. Think south of Batemans Bay and Moruya and you are right in the heart of<br />
God’s country, that’s the region.<br />
Here Brett furthered his studies completing a Diploma of Education and when Joel<br />
fell pregnant with their first child Asher, now fifteen years of age, he began work as<br />
an arts teacher. Through the years he worked at various public and Catholic schools<br />
and later with kids with handicaps, disabilities and troubled youths. His teaching<br />
career saw the family move to Lightning Ridge in North-Western New South Wales<br />
(near the Queensland border and a hell of a long way from the Coast). Brett picks up<br />
the story.<br />
“We moved out to Lightning Ridge when Joel was pregnant with our second child<br />
Alex, she’s now 13. I was teaching in a composite school from kindergarden to year<br />
12. Anyhow after Alex was born a bit of responsibility cloud came over me and I<br />
thought we should get a home loan and all that sort of thing. You know, follow the<br />
conventional path. That feeling didn’t last long though. About three weeks later it<br />
came to a head and I thought, ‘Nah this is not for us.’ Joel and I decided we wanted<br />
to be parents that could spend quality time with our kids; to raise them the way we<br />
wanted to and not how they had to be in school or leave them sitting in front of the<br />
TV because we were busy off at work. So we didn’t pursue the conventional path.<br />
We were comfortable to step outside of the norm and do whatever we felt was best<br />
for our family.<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER<br />
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LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS<br />
“We moved back to the coast and began focusing<br />
on our artistic pursuits again. I started painting,<br />
doing album covers for bands and advertising<br />
work and made quite a name for myself down<br />
here. Joel was full on with her sewing. That is<br />
her expressive outlet. She makes clothing using<br />
materials sourced from Op Shops.<br />
“It was pretty awesome spending all day with<br />
the kids and doing what we wanted to do,<br />
surfing in amongst it all of course. But it got to<br />
a point where we began to get caught up in our<br />
new little world in a conventional way. It was<br />
actively taking up all our time and once again<br />
taking us away from our kids so we went, ‘Well,<br />
let’s just split.’ We had a Combi (I still have it<br />
actually), turned left on the highway and that<br />
was it. That was 2004 and we only got back a<br />
couple of years ago.”<br />
The family headed south and hung out in<br />
Tasmania for a year before eventually making<br />
their way across to Western Australia.<br />
“It was always a bit of a drawcard as I hadn’t<br />
been there before and once there, I figured we<br />
wouldn’t be coming home in a hurry. We ended<br />
up spending seven years in WA going up and<br />
down the coast.<br />
“I think when you are not doing the<br />
conventional thing lots of opportunities come<br />
up that you can pursue. When people are<br />
working, paying off home loans and the like,<br />
they kind of can’t take those opportunities. So<br />
we followed this stream of opportunities that<br />
always arose as we met new people. It was<br />
like a pinball machine, we were zigzagging all<br />
over the place going from one good thing to<br />
the next good thing.”<br />
Through their travels Brett met a bloke who had<br />
a derelict house sitting on 160 acres of pristine<br />
bushland near Denmark (on WA’s South Coast<br />
400kms south of Perth). The house had been vacant<br />
for some eight years and as a consequence, the<br />
bush had just consumed it. He wanted someone<br />
to fix it and look after it but could find no one<br />
interested. Brett and Joel decided to take it on.<br />
“When we got there the roof was falling down,<br />
there was garbage everywhere and the bush<br />
had completely overtaken the cottage. It was<br />
an absolute mess. We spent the next five to<br />
six years living in this house and rebuilding it.<br />
It was a great experience. There were fifty fruit<br />
trees on the property and we could pretty much<br />
live self sufficiently. That house was really<br />
where our kids grew up.”<br />
In the Summer months Brett and Joel would<br />
work the markets and in winter they would head<br />
up north or overseas or “wherever we felt like<br />
going because Winter down in that south west<br />
corner is pretty full on.” That was their cycle for<br />
many years, doing whatever came along and<br />
whatever felt good for all of them. “It was such<br />
a happy time in our lives.”<br />
Their overseas jaunts saw them travel through<br />
Asia and South America, all the while home<br />
schooling their daughters Asher and Alex along<br />
the way.<br />
“We dragged the kids to Thailand one time for a<br />
number of months and then Laos another time.<br />
The last big trip we did was to South America<br />
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SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
“There was no formulated<br />
time or plan. It was just<br />
how we felt and everyday<br />
we did what we felt<br />
like doing.”<br />
for three months. Part of their home schooling was the girls learnt<br />
to speak Spanish.<br />
“They learnt about the history of civilizations and then we would<br />
go and visit those countries. It reiterated what they learnt and<br />
made it real. A lot of stuff in school you are learning from a book<br />
or what someone is telling you. We just wanted to educate<br />
our kids in a more realistic way, to allow them to see different<br />
countries and gain a better understanding of the world we live in.<br />
Places like the Amazon, which may not be there forever. To see<br />
how poor some people are and how they survive. We wanted to<br />
expose them to as much as we could so when they grow up they<br />
can make good decisions in their life.<br />
“We sort of went on a trip without an end. There was no<br />
formulated time or plan. It was just how we felt and everyday<br />
we did what we felt like doing. Going here, going there. We<br />
supported ourselves by working festivals and markets as we<br />
travelled around.<br />
“We were 8 or 9 years on the road and it was when we were in<br />
South America in 2012 that my eldest daughter (Asher) decided<br />
she wanted to go to school so we decided to head back to Congo<br />
and put them in Moruya High. We have been back here since the<br />
end of 2012.”<br />
The family have agreed to “settle down” for six or seven years<br />
while the kids undertake high school. Brett and Joel wanted to<br />
honour their decision and that’s meant Brett has opened back up<br />
his art practice.<br />
BRETT’S ART<br />
“My art is my secret place, my expression. I was always a little<br />
bit introverted growing up and enjoyed time alone. I have never<br />
been one for crowds of people.<br />
“The main focus of my expressive outlet is my sculptures. I don’t<br />
want to do it however at the detriment of using resources<br />
so everything I make is done as resourcefully as I can<br />
using recycled materials.<br />
“My first step is always sourcing materials to work<br />
with, which I often find at Op Shops or in our natural surrounds;<br />
items people have thrown away or that nature has discarded.<br />
They can always be used for something. The materials more or<br />
less dictate the artwork I will make. I do a crazy amount of metal<br />
work because it is quite unbelievable how much metal is thrown<br />
out. It is quite disgusting really – appliances, cars, food tins, you<br />
name it. I cut it all up and rejoin it to something else as a bit of<br />
fun.”<br />
It is not only Brett’s sculptures but his paintings that utilise<br />
recycled materials.<br />
“A lot of the paints I use are from Council throw-outs. I basically<br />
find whatever I can to make something special out of waste.”<br />
Aside from the materials he gathers, Brett also finds creative<br />
inspiration through his life’s journey.<br />
“What really drives my art especially now is that it has to be<br />
relevant to my life. It has to fit right. A lot of the art I was making<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 67
LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS<br />
“What really drives<br />
my art especially now<br />
is that it has to be<br />
relevant to my life.<br />
It has to fit right.”<br />
initially when we returned was just pent up because we<br />
were travelling for so long and when I got here I just cut<br />
loose. I made a lot of stuff and as that expression started<br />
coming out, I started to refine it to be more in line with<br />
what is relevant to my life now.”<br />
Now in viewing some of Brett’s work, if you are like<br />
me, you are no doubt wondering what’s behind Brett’s<br />
seeming penchant for sharks. I was keen to know<br />
whether it was out of fascination or fear or if he had a<br />
particular encounter with one of our ocean-going friends.<br />
“If you see a shark as a surfer you are blessed as they<br />
are quite elusive. The catalyst that caused me to make<br />
a lot of shark art was through an experience I had. I<br />
was fishing off the point here and we were waste-deep<br />
in water. There was a school of salmon and a wave<br />
stood up on a little suck-up reef out there and a perfect<br />
silhouette of a 3-4 metre Great White shark appeared.<br />
We were only 15-20 meters away and you could clearly<br />
see it going so fast through the wave. In a second it just<br />
shot through and ripped up the school of salmon and that<br />
image stuck in my head. That is when I decided to make<br />
that Great White shark (made of tin cans). I wanted to<br />
pay it homage. That is also the reason why I did it about<br />
the same size. It was good making it and wrapping my<br />
arms around it and working on it with my hands. I got<br />
a feel for it. That shark is now outside the front of my<br />
house and when people see it they can approach it. It<br />
spins around and it moves. It freaks some people out but<br />
it gives them an opportunity to get close to it and see it<br />
for what it is.”<br />
68<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
“I think studying<br />
sharks and<br />
focusing on them<br />
has given me an<br />
appreciation for<br />
them instead of<br />
a fear.”<br />
To me personally it is one of the greatest pieces of<br />
art I have ever seen and whilst you can’t quantify the<br />
value of an art piece by the amount of time it took to<br />
make, I was nonetheless curious to find out how long<br />
Brett spent sourcing his materials let alone sculpting<br />
the Great White. I was also keen to know whether he<br />
had indeed consumed what looks to be some 2000<br />
cans of Baked Beans himself.<br />
“I am not sure how long it took. It’s a bit of a time<br />
warp because I kind of bury myself into projects. All<br />
of the Congo residents were collecting tin cans for<br />
me, otherwise it would have taken a lifetime. That’s<br />
also part of the reason it is out the front of my house.<br />
The whole town collected the materials. It is for all<br />
of them as much as it is for me.<br />
“I think studying sharks and focusing on them has<br />
given me an appreciation for them instead of a fear.<br />
The hammerhead was my last shark I made. The size<br />
of the fins is just something else. It’s a mad creature,<br />
evolution gone crazy.<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER<br />
69
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70<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
SURFING AND SURFBOARDS<br />
As with his art, surfing forms a large part of<br />
Brett’s life and indeed that of his family.<br />
“Growing up at Lennox and surfing the area<br />
was pretty bloody awesome. Boulders Beach<br />
was my local. I used to walk through the bush<br />
to get to it. Only a few locals back in the<br />
day. The place is a bit of a circus nowadays<br />
although the recent spate of shark activity<br />
seems to have brought it back a notch.<br />
“Down here I pretty much surf by myself. It<br />
is a pleasure to be in the water all alone and<br />
pick any wave that you want, seeing the sun<br />
rise. My regular aim is to be barrelled with<br />
the stars still out. That is what I love.”<br />
Aside from Brett’s night-surfing exploits (call me Mr<br />
Chicken but there is no friggin way I would surf at<br />
dark down where he lives as much as I love the place)<br />
he also gets the chance to regularly share a couple<br />
of waves with his partner Joel and daughters Asher<br />
and Alex.<br />
“Joel has been surfing as long as I have. It’s definitely<br />
an added bonus in a relationship having a partner<br />
that surfs and now that our kids do it as well it is<br />
awesome. It’s a bit of a dream for my missus and I<br />
that we would be out surfing with our kids and it’s<br />
great it is all happening that way.”<br />
A few years back Brett took to shaping a few<br />
surfboards of his own. He informs me he is now<br />
into double figures having made boards not only for<br />
himself but for family and friends.<br />
“The main reason I got into making surfboards was<br />
because a little while back I became a bit disillusioned<br />
with surfing and the techniques of making surfboards<br />
and their toxicity. I got to a point I was going to give<br />
it away because it was so mainstream and so crazy.<br />
<strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> was in fact the catalyst to getting<br />
into making timber surfboards, where I also happened<br />
to find the ad for Tree to Sea. It was precisely what I<br />
needed to bring my surfing into a more conscious state.<br />
Your mag is a breath of fresh air amongst standard<br />
mags, which I haven’t purchased for near 20 years.<br />
“Down here I pretty much surf<br />
by myself. It is a pleasure to<br />
be in the water all alone and<br />
pick any wave that you want,<br />
seeing the sun rise. My regular<br />
aim is to be barrelled with<br />
the stars still out.<br />
That is what I love.”<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER<br />
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LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS<br />
“Making surfboards is relevant to me because I can go for a surf in the<br />
morning, trot back home, shape a board, put an artwork on it and it is a<br />
functional item you can use and even hang in the house. It ticks all my<br />
boxes.”<br />
Being a father of three kids the final few questions I wanted to ask Brett<br />
were in relation to his family and indeed how he has lead his life so far.<br />
I was keen to know whether he felt his kids truly appreciated the special<br />
childhood they have had.<br />
“I think now they are at school they are realising they have had a unique<br />
upbringing. I totally expect them to live in the city later on and do all sorts<br />
of things but at least they have a base they can always come back to. You<br />
have to learn through your own experience and it is through experience<br />
you can make better and more informed decisions. We are coming into<br />
the realms of drugs and parties and we only hope as parents we have<br />
given them as much info as possible so they come out the other side.<br />
“We are very proud of them both. Both Asher and Alex are unbelievable<br />
writers, they’re right into music, surfing and are full of action. We have<br />
never had a TV in front of them. Instead of all that time kids spend in front<br />
of screens our kids have been doing other things all their lives. They are<br />
very active awesome kids.”<br />
As to what the future holds Brett had this to say.<br />
“Money has never been a force in my life. I just need enough to get<br />
by. Even here in Congo, everything we own are things we have found in<br />
opshops or what we have been given. Nothing is precious. It is a weird<br />
existence but it is a fine existence.”<br />
He may consider possessions to be of no great worth, however the story<br />
Brett has shared with me about the life his family has lead is undeniably<br />
absolute gold.<br />
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SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 73
LOOKING<br />
GLASS<br />
A feature on art and surfing<br />
would not be complete without<br />
catching up on the antics of<br />
a man who is most definitely<br />
one of my favourite interviews<br />
ever - the mad scientist, the<br />
guru of glass, eccentric board<br />
builder, artist and possibly even<br />
the devil himself,<br />
Neal Cameron.<br />
WORDS: DAVE SWAN<br />
PHOTOS: SUPPLIED BY NEAL CAMERON<br />
74<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
I<br />
first met Neal back in 2012 when he was living in his bus in a vacant<br />
lot amongst derelict buildings on the outskirts of Maroubra. His story<br />
became our feature piece in our Spring edition that same year (Issue 13<br />
- read online at www.smorgasboarder.com.au).<br />
I recently heard Neal had moved south of Sydney down near good friend<br />
Mark Rabbidge late last year. And, true to form, he is already causing quite<br />
a stir in the local community recently showcasing some of his work at<br />
Escape Artfest, a 10 day festival on the South Coast of NSW in the Milton<br />
Ulladulla area celebrating local art, sculpture, music, literature, food and<br />
wine. Thanks to fellow artist and photographer Matt Dampney of Damp<br />
Design, Neal sent us some photographs from the exhibit.<br />
So what exactly are you looking at here? It’s just some of Neal’s weird<br />
and wonderful creations: kneeboards that are the benchmark of their craft,<br />
abstract paintings made from coloured resins, skateboards, skimboards,<br />
high-heeled rollerskates, a range of garments, fashion accessories and<br />
racey costumes made from carbon fiberglass, hell there is even a carbon<br />
bust or two sculpted off one of Neal’s lady friends.<br />
His art may leave some wondering what kinds of things are<br />
going on in this man’s head but one thing is for sure, his work is<br />
amazing. It’s clear his impressive grasp for all things fiberglass<br />
has come from his ever-meddling ways. Never keen on<br />
understanding the actual ins and outs of the various chemical<br />
compounds and materials he used, he was just keen to see<br />
what they did. Throughout his life Neal has messed around<br />
and mixed things up that shouldn’t be mixed and somehow<br />
managed to not blow himself up in the process, ultimately<br />
creating truly unique works of art.<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 75
Never one to take himself<br />
too seriously, Chris Garrett’s<br />
art was simply born out of a<br />
desire to have some fun. We<br />
recently did a quick Q&A with<br />
Chris about the art that adorns<br />
his surfboards.<br />
76<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 77
WHAT’S THE INSPIRATION BEHIND ALL THE COLOURS,<br />
DRAWINGS AND LOGOS ON YOUR BOARDS?<br />
I MEAN WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON INSIDE YOUR<br />
HEAD HA, HA?<br />
I really like to have a lot of fun with my board making<br />
and creating aesthetically pleasing, functioning objects<br />
drives me to explore the possibilities and play with the<br />
boundaries. It’s art for surfing’s sake and having a shaped<br />
blank, that is already a piece of art to start with, it’s just<br />
a beautiful thing. Logos and drawings and scribblings are<br />
secondary to the shape, form and colour.<br />
Colour is a big one for me. I love the unusual and<br />
forgotten colours that create interest beyond the shape.<br />
I’m inspired by nature and particularly drawn to the<br />
earthy hues, textures and combinations that make our<br />
world such an awesome planet to live on.<br />
I REMEMBER AROUND WHEN WE FIRST MET AND<br />
THE BOARDS YOU WERE MAKING, WHICH I ABSOLUTELY LOVED,<br />
YOU HAD WRITTEN “COW-SIZE” ON A LOT OF THEM.<br />
Ha ha yeah that was just to keep it all fun and heading in the right<br />
direction. Doesn’t really mean anything. Dumb and fun and it fits a<br />
cow!! Silly isn’t it?! The serious bit is the shape and performance<br />
of the board but the rest is just folly. Don’t take it or yourself too<br />
serious ... you may miss out on a good time.<br />
ON THE ART SIDE OF THINGS,<br />
ARE YOU SELF-TAUGHT LIKE YOUR SHAPING?<br />
Art wise, like my shaping I was self-taught out of necessity. Having<br />
a keen eye for observation and exposure to a talented artist by<br />
the name of Robert Moore certainly inspired and empowered my<br />
expressive side for sure though. Experimentation and the desire<br />
to create are what fuel the passion and that allows me to have a<br />
privileged and joyful time. Hopefully I can bring that to my customers<br />
as well.<br />
www.chrisgarrettshapes.com.au<br />
78<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
Photo: Mick Curley<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER<br />
79
“Un-crowded waves, endless barrels, and consistent<br />
surf in a tropical paradise is what we’re all after on a<br />
surf trip. We deal with the expense and tedium of travel<br />
in the hope of scoring some of the sickest waves of<br />
our lives. As we Styrofoam and towel wrap our boards,<br />
hoping that they don’t become the playthings of pissed off<br />
baggage handlers, we try to suppress our greatest fear;<br />
that we’ve paid all this money, travelled all this way, and<br />
we’re about to get seriously skunked.”<br />
Jules Carey - a Canadian surfer living in Indonesia<br />
-shares her reflections on surf travel.<br />
Surfer Narchi, Photo Mike Findlay<br />
80<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER 2015
LATEST: TRAVEL<br />
“LIFE IS<br />
BETTER<br />
WORDS JULES CAREY<br />
PHOTOS MIKE FINDLAY<br />
& HOWARD PATRICK<br />
WHEN<br />
YOU’RE<br />
SURFING”<br />
SUMMER 2015 | SMORGASBOARDER 81
LATEST: TRAVEL<br />
“Life other than<br />
the here and now<br />
disappears the<br />
moment that you<br />
step onto the boat<br />
to come over<br />
from Bali.”<br />
My last surf trip was no different, and it was with a mixture of excitement<br />
and trepidation that I headed off to surf some all-time Left-handers. As a<br />
Natural-footer I’m inclined to gravitate to Rights, but I decided that it was<br />
time to throw myself into my backside, and what better place, than at one<br />
of the best Lefts in Indonesia.<br />
Indo has had an incredible season so far. Consistent swells have got the<br />
froth running high and I was psyching myself up to charge some gnarly<br />
waves on my 3 week trip. I was ready! What I wasn’t ready for was the<br />
mind-blowing natural beauty and wildlife that permeates through this area<br />
of Java.<br />
There are no houses, no paved roads, and no pounding music. The only<br />
sounds that you’ll hear are the surf, the birds, the monkeys, and the wind<br />
whistling through the prolific bamboo. Imagine, living in the jungle, with all<br />
the wildlife that it holds, while simultaneously having world-class waves on<br />
your doorstep. I was reminded, that here, in nature, this planet of ours is one<br />
hell of a beautiful place.<br />
Life other than the here and now disappears the moment that you step<br />
onto the boat to come over from Bali. Your first glimpse of your awaiting<br />
oasis renders world and personal stresses insignificant. There’s no timemanagement,<br />
no obligations, and no stress. There is only you, consistent<br />
surf, offshore winds, a couple of ocean-side hammocks, and the live 24hr<br />
nature channel that is your life.<br />
Set on the coast of Alas Purwo National Park, the beauty of this protected<br />
area has been preserved and its rich biodiversity continues to thrive.<br />
82<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
Photo Mike Findlay<br />
Photo Mike Findlay<br />
Surfer Alex Moore, local photographer<br />
Monkeys are up at the first crack of light and their antics and curiosity<br />
amuse until their sunset bedtime. Jumping and sailing through the canopy,<br />
wrestling, fighting, ‘monk-ing’ each other, and of course observing every<br />
movement that we make. They wait for the opportune time to sneak down<br />
and pilfer whatever food is left on a table or out in the open. They’re an<br />
endless source of entertainment and I laughed at their antics for weeks<br />
on end.<br />
I knew that monkeys were social creatures but I never imagined that I’d see<br />
them play with other species. One morning, I wandered down for the early<br />
morning wave check. I’d just arrived when a deer and her fawn came tearing<br />
out onto the beach. I looked behind them wondering what was chasing<br />
them (I won’t deny that thoughts of the Javanese tiger crossed my mind),<br />
but I quickly realised that they were sprinting through the sand and across<br />
the jagged reef in absolute delight. They were agile and mesmerizing. They<br />
chased and bounded as though they were running on solid, even ground.<br />
Half an hour and a quick swim later, they returned to the sandy part of the<br />
beach. It was then that I realised that I wasn’t the only one enraptured<br />
by the deer’s activities. A group of young monkeys, observing all from the<br />
treetops, couldn’t resist the urge to play any longer. In a matter of seconds,<br />
they cascaded down to join the young deer and the game was on! I sat<br />
transfixed for the next 20 minutes, awed by the play of fawn and monkeys,<br />
until finally overcome with exhaustion, the young deer ambled away with his<br />
mother and the monkeys disappeared into the jungle. I realised then that I<br />
hadn’t looked up once to watch the waves.<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 83
Not only are monkeys and deer seen regularly, giant monitors inhabit the jungle as well.<br />
We watched in fascination as a monitor joined us at the dining hall, bringing with him a<br />
breakfast of his own. The struggling object in his mouth was a frog. There was no escape,<br />
and ever so slowly, the frog succumbed to being the monitor’s early morning snack. Simultaneously,<br />
the shy ‘White Crown’ monkeys are eating berries in a near-by tree; the braver<br />
Long-tailed Macaques have made away with the remnants of someone’s fruit plate; other<br />
monkeys are chattering and playing along the pathway;<br />
and the calls of the various birds fill the treetops. EVERY direction that you turn, the jungle<br />
is pulsating with life.<br />
Not to be outdone by the cacophony of the forest, the technicolor reef illuminates with<br />
infinite species of its own. To walk across the reef is to walk through fields of seaweeds,<br />
starfish, slugs, sea-cucumbers, urchins, sea-snakes, giant worms, angel-fish, and more<br />
variations of coral than I can list. Great spearing and snorkeling can be had and it’s not<br />
uncommon for Spanish mackerel or Tuna to end up as ‘melt in your mouth’ sashimi or as<br />
a perfectly prepared meal. Resident Dugongs are often seen in the line-up as well. There<br />
was one day however when there were no Dugongs in sight; the day that the Killer Whale<br />
showed up.<br />
Possibly the same Killer Whale that has been spotted at ‘Ulus’, this majestic creature decided<br />
that it was time for a surf trip of his own and appeared in Java. Charging the best waves<br />
to the hoots and cheers of everyone in the water; it was absolutely surreal! Giant dorsal-fin<br />
vibrating up a storm, more speed than you can imagine; this Orca was having the time of<br />
his life. You could almost hear him hooting himself as he whizzed by. He clearly loved the<br />
sensation of surfing powerful waves, almost as much as we loved watching him. Although<br />
I’m sure that Killer Whales have the ability to be dangerous to humans (especially when<br />
they’re kept in captivity, isolated from their pod, and have their young calf taken from them),<br />
this orca was out to play and posed no threat of any kind. This was a ‘one-day wonder’ and<br />
no further sightings of the surfing whale have been made here again; yet.<br />
“EVERY<br />
direction<br />
that you turn,<br />
the jungle is<br />
pulsating<br />
with life.”<br />
Photo Howard Patrick<br />
84<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
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*Take Exit 41, M1 Motorway near the CUB Brewery<br />
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CALL 0490 029 405<br />
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Sat 9am-1pm<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 85
LATEST: TRAVEL<br />
“Surfing in its<br />
purest form isn’t<br />
just about wave<br />
count and seconds<br />
in a tube. It’s<br />
understanding<br />
that EVERYTHING is<br />
interconnected. ”<br />
Photo Howard Patrick<br />
Photo Howard Patrick<br />
Surfer Kimbo Fafie<br />
Photo Mike Findlay<br />
WHEN YOU’RE SURFING<br />
The fact that the Killer Whale decided to surf here at all, is a clear testament<br />
of just how good the wave quality is. Although I could go into a detailed<br />
description of the wave set-up, I’m not going to. If you’re a surfer, and you<br />
know anything about the waves in Indonesia, then you know exactly where<br />
I am and how the line-up works. Suffice to say though that the waves here<br />
can satisfy every level of confidence. Deeper sections that can hold size with<br />
a make-able take-off and a following freight train ride; sections that you had<br />
better be on your game because you’ll need to drop straight into a heaving<br />
barrel; sections that you think you can make but pick you up and remind you<br />
that you’re no Kelly Slater. Surfing here is definitely not for the faint of heart.<br />
The waves can be humbling. They can also be the best waves of your life.<br />
No matter how your daily session goes though (thrown around like a<br />
rag-doll or a day of infinite barrels), you’ll inevitably find yourself on the<br />
beach at sunset; a cold Bintang in hand as stories of waves scored and<br />
beatings had are relived and shared. Told with equal enthusiasm are the<br />
experiences of wild boars, giant eagles, thieving monkeys, territorial<br />
woodpeckers, enormous lizards, weird-looking sea-creatures, and all the<br />
other unique experiences that were seen and felt over the course of the<br />
day. To have a surf trip without the latter is to lose sight of what surfing<br />
really is; a complete synching with life’s natural rhythm. You don’t need to<br />
deconstruct this connection; you just feel it.<br />
Surfing in its purest form isn’t just about wave count and seconds in a tube.<br />
It’s understanding that EVERYTHING is interconnected. It’s knowing that<br />
rather than fight the current, we’re better off letting it guide and work for us.<br />
Don’t get me wrong. Surfing isn’t just a spiritual experience. There’s no<br />
greater buzz than on a wave well surfed. The feeling of connecting and<br />
harnessing a wave’s energy, and then possessing the skill to use that energy<br />
and rip, is indescribable to a non-surfer. They will never get it, and we will<br />
never be able to live without it. Surfing is the best reminder of just how<br />
damn lucky we are to be alive.<br />
So the next time that we paddle out, no matter where we’re lucky enough<br />
to be, let’s leave aggression and life dissatisfaction to those who will never<br />
know the beauty of surfing. Whether we’re surfing 3ft crowded burgers at<br />
our local, or scoring 8ft Indo with a few mates, there’s one thing that I can<br />
guarantee; Life is better when you’re surfing.<br />
86<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
Keep your goods dry wherever you are<br />
Keep your goods dry wherever you are<br />
Keep your goods dry wherever you are<br />
1987 Watershack <strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> Ad.indd 1 4/01/<strong>2016</strong> 8:11 am<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 87<br />
1987 Watershack <strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> Ad.indd 1 4/01/<strong>2016</strong> 8:11 am
SHAPER’S PROMOTION<br />
GEAR: BOARDS<br />
5’8” x 18 ¾” x 2”<br />
WHITE<br />
6’8” x 21” x 2 7 / 8” 6’4” x 22” x 2 ¾”<br />
CUSTOM<br />
CUSTOM<br />
by Robbie Marshall by Robbie Marshall<br />
CROW<br />
The order was to<br />
Glass on cedar quads<br />
by Robbie Marshall<br />
4 4<br />
create a shortboard<br />
and cedar stringer.<br />
Single to double 3<br />
for a larger framed guy<br />
whose go-to boards are usually The customer approached me<br />
concave, light exit<br />
in the 8 foot plus range and this with the brief, “I’m riding a<br />
vee. A proven outline<br />
is what we designed. 12mm<br />
longboard, would like to go<br />
we have been using but have<br />
recycled cedar stringer with<br />
shorter without losing paddle<br />
pulled the tail in a bit to create<br />
recycled cedar glass on quads,<br />
power, like the thought of a<br />
more whip out of turns. This is<br />
an upright template with larger Simmons and would like to use<br />
a performance shortboard foil<br />
twin-style fronts and small rear this board everyday” and this is<br />
that’s quite responsive in the<br />
stabilisers for pivot and drive.<br />
what I came up with.<br />
weaker summer waves and<br />
holding it’s own when the swell Flat deck, beaked nose keeping Nice wide curvy outline that<br />
picks up. Sprays can be done to in as much foam as possible<br />
pulls in a little at the tail, a<br />
whatever you can dream up.<br />
with a bevelled low volume rail lot of foam in the centre that<br />
to give responsiveness where<br />
rolls out to a finer rail. Think<br />
it matters most. Excellent<br />
this would be perfect for those<br />
feedback from this one.<br />
who want paddle, performance<br />
but don’t want length. Built to<br />
order...<br />
6’0” 19” x 2 ¾”<br />
PERFORMANCE<br />
by Jason<br />
FISH Oliver<br />
All round board for 3<br />
most conditions.<br />
Single to double<br />
concave vee out the tail.<br />
Three set fins on this one for<br />
best performance.<br />
This one is an eps core with<br />
recycled pine pallets top and<br />
bottom and tint on the rails all<br />
in epoxy.<br />
SOUL ARCH SURFBOARDS<br />
Ph: 0404 348 131 E: enquiries@soularchsurfboards.com<br />
Soularch Surfboards soularchsurfboards<br />
JASON OLIVER<br />
HOLLOW WOODEN SURFBOARDS<br />
Ph: 0416 475 362<br />
Email: jasoliver@live.com<br />
jasonoliverwoodensurfboards.<br />
blogspot.com<br />
Boards available at:<br />
UNDERGROUND SURF, Noosa Heads<br />
88<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
5’0” x 21” x 2 7 / 8”<br />
Short<br />
and sweet...<br />
PACEMAKER II<br />
by Mark Rabbidge<br />
I’ve refined the 4<br />
board a little more<br />
and it’s even faster than<br />
before. An absolute rocket.<br />
For fat, facey waves<br />
or little zippers, this<br />
board suits the jaded<br />
shortboarder or amped<br />
longboarder - anyone who<br />
wants to draw some new<br />
lines, from intermediate<br />
to hero.<br />
Made here in Ulladulla.<br />
Don’t sell out our heritage.<br />
Use your head - buy from<br />
an Aussie (us, or someone<br />
else will do) and keep your<br />
freedom of choice alive.<br />
SHAPER’S PROMOTION<br />
GEAR: BOARDS<br />
5’6” x 21” x 3”<br />
BEAN<br />
CUTDOWN<br />
by Mark Rabbidge<br />
Flat rocker, Roll vee in tail,<br />
with a single box fin. This<br />
is a revisited design. I used<br />
to cut down perfectly good<br />
longboards to make these<br />
things. Simply cut off the nose<br />
and tail and reshape middle<br />
piece. I’d use original fin<br />
usually reshape it too.<br />
Late 60’s recycling.<br />
1<br />
5’10” x 20 ¼” x 2 ½”<br />
DEAD MANS<br />
HAND<br />
by Jesse Watson<br />
The shortboard<br />
5<br />
equivalent of an oldskool<br />
fish... It throws down the<br />
longest cutbacks, loves high<br />
lines off the top, will boost<br />
easy and is a cake to land on<br />
too. Super fast + super sick.<br />
4/4 +4oz bottom, black<br />
pigment top with sacred<br />
geometry custom inlay. Barbie<br />
ferrari pink pinlines and a five<br />
fin setup. We can design any<br />
custom inlay you like in house.<br />
whatever it is we can make it<br />
happen. Boom!<br />
5’10” x 21” x 2 5 / 8”<br />
SMARTBOARD<br />
V2FLEX<br />
Custom handshape<br />
by Mitchell Rae<br />
3 or 4<br />
“Custom handshaped to<br />
suit needs, body weight<br />
and fitness. Glass, light and<br />
strong.<br />
“Forward control point with<br />
very fine tail rails to suit the<br />
girls lighter on the back foot.<br />
“A sweet, ultra fast all<br />
rounder, smooth as silk. Feel<br />
sensitive handling, tight arcs<br />
and the acceleration of the<br />
V2 Flex.<br />
“Designed as a quad, can be<br />
ridden as a thruster.”<br />
RABBIDGE<br />
SURF DESIGN<br />
Bendalong, NSW<br />
Ph: 02 4456 4038<br />
M: 0427 767 176<br />
www.markrabbidge.com<br />
BLACK APACHE SURFBOARDS<br />
@blackapache Look us up...<br />
P: 0410 419 791<br />
E: blackapache@me.com<br />
blackapachesurfboards.com<br />
OUTER ISLAND<br />
SURFBOARDS<br />
7 Bayldon Drive,<br />
Raleigh, NSW<br />
Ph: 02 6655 7007<br />
info@outerislandsurfboards.com<br />
outerislandsurfboards.com<br />
outerisland.blogspot.com<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 89
SHAPER’S PROMOTION<br />
GEAR: BOARDS<br />
5’8” x 18 7 /8” x 2 ¼” = 25.7L<br />
OUTLAW<br />
• Small wave / shortboard<br />
• Low nose / medium tail<br />
rocker<br />
• Deep single concave<br />
• Medium boxy rail<br />
5’10” x 18 5 /8” x 2 ¼” = 25.7L<br />
SNIPER<br />
• Shortboard<br />
• Medium nose and tail rocker<br />
• Deep single concave<br />
• Medium / Low boxy rail<br />
5’8” x 18 5 /8” x 2 5 /16” = 28.0L<br />
WACKO<br />
• Step-Up / slab board<br />
• Med nose and tail rocker<br />
• Slight single concave to<br />
double concave<br />
• Med boxy rail<br />
6’2” x 18 ½” x 2 3 / 8” = 29.2L<br />
NAPALM<br />
• Step-Up board<br />
• Medium nose and tail rocker<br />
• Slight single concave to<br />
double concave<br />
• Medium boxy rail<br />
WEBSTER SURFBOARDS are proudly<br />
made in Ballina by Wayne Webster<br />
1/13 Clark St, Ballina NSW 2478 M: 0416 049 205<br />
W: webstersurfboards.com.au E: info@webstersurfboards.com.au<br />
90<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
SHAPER’S PROMOTION<br />
GEAR: BOARDS<br />
5’10” x 20” x 2 3 / 8”<br />
FLYER<br />
DIAMOND<br />
by Rory Oke 3<br />
A variation of our<br />
Frazfish model, the Diamond<br />
Flyer is made using a hand<br />
shaped Ocean Foam PU blank<br />
and 6oz cloth, purple/black<br />
marble tint, wetrub finish, and<br />
fitted with a Futures AMT twin<br />
+ trailer fin setup.<br />
7’0” x 21” x 2 ¾”<br />
FUNBOARD<br />
by Rory Oke<br />
Handshaped Ocean 3<br />
Foam PU blank, 6 oz<br />
cloth and Speedfins FG s120<br />
fins.<br />
With its flowing outline,<br />
subtle concaves and soft rails,<br />
this model’s a very smooth,<br />
forgiving board to ride.<br />
7’0” x 20 5 / 8” x 2 ¾”<br />
FUNBOARD<br />
by Leighton Clark<br />
Fabric inlay 4 x6 x4 3<br />
glassing FCS fins.<br />
Don’t be a sheep! Bring in your<br />
favorite fabric and let us inlay<br />
it into your new custom board.<br />
** Clark Surfboards will release<br />
some exciting news during <strong>2016</strong><br />
** Stay tuned amigos...<br />
6’4” x 20 ½” x 2 5 / 8”= 39L<br />
SLIPSTREAMER<br />
by Chris Garrett<br />
Oatmeal resin tint and 1<br />
custom set fin...<br />
A contemporary approach<br />
to a timeless design. The low<br />
forward rocker for an early glide<br />
into the wave and a modern tail<br />
lift to keep the business end<br />
functioning without compromise.<br />
The flattish deck and foiled low rail,<br />
combined with the slight vee to<br />
double concave and set fin, puts you<br />
firmly in control for a clean styling<br />
ride that is going to take the stoke<br />
to a new high. A tasty resin tint and<br />
it may be your new favourite.<br />
OKE SURFBOARDS<br />
1/1-7 Canterbury Rd,<br />
Braeside, VIC, 3195<br />
Ph: 03 9587 3553<br />
okesurfboards.com<br />
Units 7 & 8, 9 Chapman Road,<br />
Hackham SA 5163<br />
E: leightonclark01@yahoo.com.au<br />
M: 0422 443 789<br />
facebook.com/thedingkingAUS<br />
CHRIS GARRETT<br />
SHAPES<br />
PHANTOM<br />
SURFBOARDS<br />
Ph: 0424 450 690<br />
E: phantomsurfboards@gmail.com<br />
www.chrisgarrettshapes.com.au<br />
Custom surfboards available at:<br />
SUNHOUSE Coolangatta, or order<br />
from Chris direct.<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 91
TRIED & TRUSTED<br />
blanKS<br />
Family owned and run<br />
for over 55 years<br />
oUR ConSISTEnCy<br />
IS THE bEST In<br />
THE woRlD<br />
blanKS: A multitude of different<br />
lengths, rockers and weights<br />
STRInGERS: An extensive<br />
variety of timbers of varying widths<br />
SHaPInG ToolS: All you<br />
need to make a board from scratch<br />
9’6” x 32” x 4 3 / 8””=143 litres. 12’6” x 29” x 6 ¾” = 247 Litres<br />
FLOUNDER<br />
by Andy Jordan<br />
Similar in shape to 5<br />
the 9’6 x 29” with<br />
a bit more rocker in the nose<br />
and tail and added volume<br />
for stability. Plenty of vee<br />
throughout. Added volume<br />
provides more stability and<br />
is great for the larger rider<br />
(90kg+) or beginner in the surf.<br />
Quite loose in the tail, giving<br />
plenty of maneuverability. The<br />
deck is flatter for stability,<br />
especially when paddling<br />
through waves or crossing<br />
over to the flat. Thicker rails<br />
for stability in turns.<br />
SEA HAWK<br />
by Andy Jordan<br />
All LSX race/tour 3<br />
boards have a flat<br />
deck for easy moving, comfort,<br />
stability and maneuvering<br />
turns. The decks are all<br />
concave vee shaped easier<br />
for drainage, while giving<br />
the paddler a lower centre<br />
of gravity. These boards all<br />
have a deep nose with a flat<br />
bottom for a faster, smoother<br />
more efficient ride with plenty<br />
of glide. Lower volume bow<br />
helping minimize any wind<br />
effects. All the tail shapes<br />
are similar soft square tail<br />
for quick maneuvering and<br />
stability around turns.<br />
5 STEwaRT RoaD, CURRUmbIn QlD<br />
Call US on (07) 5534 3777<br />
TAURANGA, NZ<br />
(In NZ 0800 787 464)<br />
P: +64 (07) 5701953<br />
M: +64 (027) 2433011<br />
W: www.liquidstixx.co.nz<br />
92<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
GEAR: BOARDS<br />
SHAPER’S PROMOTION<br />
LADIES<br />
SINGLE FIN<br />
Designed for the<br />
lighter girl or lady. A<br />
refined single fin, with 1<br />
pinched rails & a narrow<br />
diamond tail through the backend.<br />
Manoeuvrable single fin with good<br />
nose riding capabilities.<br />
TYPICAL DIMENSIONS<br />
Length: 9’3”<br />
Width: 22 ½”<br />
Thickness: 2 ¾”<br />
Glassing: 6oz/6oz + 6oz<br />
Fin Set-up: Single 9” Dolphin<br />
V-FLEX<br />
Classic mid 60’s template,<br />
with low slung hips and<br />
pinched rails, gives an 1<br />
old-school feel while<br />
allowing excellent pivoting from<br />
the tail. The V-stringer tapers out<br />
towards the nose giving greater<br />
flex and nose-riding capabilities.<br />
Great single fin board for noseriding<br />
and trimming. Meets<br />
“logger” criteria.<br />
TYPICAL DIMENSIONS<br />
Length: 9’3” - 9’6”<br />
Width: 22 ¾” - <strong>23</strong>”<br />
Thickness: 2 ¾” - 3 1 / 8”<br />
Glassing: 7.5oz/7.5oz + 6oz<br />
Fin Set-up: Single<br />
NOOSA LOG<br />
This board gives true<br />
meaning to our catch-cry<br />
“style is everything”. Pinched 1<br />
rails for less volume and<br />
slightly rolled bottom give this<br />
heavy log a sensitive feel. Quite<br />
light underfoot with great noseriding<br />
ability, the added weight<br />
creates nice glide through slower<br />
sections and adds strength. Hand<br />
shaped by Peter White, meets<br />
“logger” criteria.<br />
TYPICAL DIMENSIONS<br />
Length: 9’1” - 9’8”<br />
Width: 22 ¾” - <strong>23</strong> ¾”<br />
Thickness: 2 ¾” - 3”<br />
Glassing: 7.5oz/7.5oz + 6oz<br />
Fin Set-up: Single<br />
NOSERIDER<br />
A true nose-riding machine,<br />
perfectly suited to Noosa’s point<br />
waves, revelling in long, clean<br />
walls from knee-high to overhead,<br />
this model runs well in a range of<br />
conditions.<br />
Featuring a flatter rocker, heavier<br />
glass, pinched rails; and our<br />
famous SQUID-tail design. Loose<br />
with a relaxed and pivoting style,<br />
while heavy glassing and wider<br />
stringer add forward momentum.<br />
TYPICAL DIMENSIONS<br />
Length: 9’6” - 10”<br />
Width: 22 ¾” - <strong>23</strong>”<br />
Thickness: 3” - 3 ¼”<br />
Glassing: 8oz volan/ 8oz volan +<br />
6oz volan + 6oz volan patch<br />
Fin Set-up: Single<br />
CLASSIC<br />
MALIBU<br />
WE’RE BACK FOR A SUMMER OF FUN!<br />
16 Mary Street, Noosaville, 4566<br />
P: (07) 5474 3122 E: info@classicmalibu.com www.classicmalibu.com<br />
Follow us if you share our passion for quality manufactured surfboards<br />
Classic Malibu Surfboards, Noosa @classicmalibu Classicmalibu1<br />
STYLE IS EVERYTHING: FINS<br />
Get a new fin to match that log, and tweak it to surf the way you want. 15<br />
different styles available in different colours, fabric inlays and wood inlays. Check<br />
them out on our website or come in and have a look to add some style to your<br />
surfing and your board.<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 93
KEEN ON A CAREER IN AD SALES?<br />
WORK WITH<br />
SMORGASBOARDER<br />
NO<br />
SURF<br />
BUMS<br />
NEED APPLY<br />
Work ethic? Initiative? We want to talk to<br />
you. Working on a surf mag is a hell of a lot<br />
of fun but there’s a lot of hard work too.<br />
We’re after a motivated guy or girl to be a Part-<br />
Time Advertising Sales Executive - energetic,<br />
organised, with exceptional communication<br />
skills, working 3 days a week out of our<br />
Maroochydore office. The position would best<br />
suit those looking to get into media or who are<br />
early on in their career. Sales experience is<br />
beneficial but not essential. Once fully trained,<br />
you will be calling on new clients, as well as<br />
servicing existing clients.<br />
APPLICANTS SHOULD HAVE:<br />
A love of<br />
surfing<br />
Car and<br />
valid driver’s<br />
licence<br />
Maturity to<br />
engage with<br />
people of<br />
varying ages<br />
A drive to get<br />
results<br />
We are offering a base salary package which<br />
includes a car allowance and an uncapped<br />
commission structure.<br />
Please send applications to:<br />
dave@smorgasboarder.com.au<br />
Applications close 5pm Friday 26 <strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2016</strong>.<br />
SURFBOARD<br />
DINGS<br />
New Zealand<br />
RAGLAN, NZ<br />
RAGLAN<br />
LONGBOARDS<br />
7 days, 10am to 5pm except<br />
winter - catch us if you can<br />
+64 7 825 0544<br />
KAIKOURA, NZ<br />
SURGE<br />
SURFBOARDS<br />
Bust your board?<br />
Call us 24/7<br />
027 428 7453<br />
Queensland<br />
AGNES WATER/1770<br />
REEF 2 BEACH<br />
Mon-Sat, 9-5pm,<br />
Sun,10-4pm<br />
07 4974 9072<br />
NOOSA REGION<br />
SUNRISE<br />
SURFCRAFT<br />
Round the clock<br />
0421 140 653<br />
Sunrise Beach<br />
COOLUM<br />
COOLUM<br />
BOARDROOM<br />
2 Park Street, Coolum Beach<br />
07 5408 4600<br />
MOFFAT BEACH<br />
THE FACTORY<br />
SURFBOARDS<br />
Monday-Friday 9am-5pm,<br />
Saturday 8am-12pm<br />
(07) 5492 5838<br />
LABRADOR<br />
GC SURFCRAFT<br />
REPAIRS<br />
Mon-Fri 9am - 5.30pm<br />
Sat 9-12pm<br />
0401 016 088<br />
Repairs & Restorations<br />
SOUTHPORT<br />
KOMA<br />
Mon-Fri 9am -5pm,<br />
Sat 9am -12pm<br />
0402 863 763<br />
MIAMI<br />
THE DING SHOP<br />
Mon - Fri 8.30am - 5pm,<br />
Sat 9am - 1pm<br />
0404 804 498<br />
BURLEIGH HEADS<br />
MT WOODGEE<br />
1730 Gold Coast Highway<br />
(07) 5535 0288<br />
Sun-Fri, 9am - 5pm<br />
Sat 8:30am - 5pm<br />
CURRUMBIN<br />
MT WOODGEE<br />
2 Stewart Rd<br />
(07) 5598 2188<br />
Sun-Fri, 9am - 5pm<br />
Sat 10am - 4pm<br />
MAXIMUM<br />
SURFBOARDS<br />
46 Currumbin Creek Rd<br />
Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm<br />
Sat 10am - 3pm<br />
Sun by appointment<br />
0400 338 098<br />
New South Wales<br />
YAMBA<br />
PLANK SHOP<br />
02 6645 8362<br />
TOMBSTONE<br />
SURFBOARDS<br />
Tues - Fri 9am - 4pm, Sat<br />
9am - 12pm<br />
0432 330 826<br />
COFFS HARBOUR<br />
SURF CRAFT<br />
REPAIRS<br />
JIM NEWTON<br />
4/6 Druitt Court<br />
Open most days, just call.<br />
0402 864 062<br />
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94<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
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SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 95
CLOSEOUT: TEST EVERYTHING<br />
SET<br />
ABLAZE<br />
Recently my kids have taken to the<br />
surfing bug. “At last!” I thought to<br />
myself, having never wanted to push<br />
them into it. They have always been<br />
happy to splash about but never<br />
over-the-top enthused. I just hoped<br />
that one-day when they got older<br />
we might all share a few waves out<br />
the back together. I suppose it is the<br />
dream of many a surfing dad or mum.<br />
Of late my daughter Phoebe in<br />
particular has really started getting<br />
into it. She has surfed off and<br />
on throughout summer for a few<br />
years now and is developing into a<br />
competent surfer. Give her a month<br />
and she will already be better than<br />
her dad but that is not really saying<br />
much.<br />
Anyhow, at the level she is at now<br />
I thought I would review the board<br />
that is best suited to her ability and<br />
the waves Phoebe is riding. And yes,<br />
it is still a softboard. When kids are<br />
learning to surf a fibreglass surfboard<br />
is a danger to themselves and to those<br />
around them if they can’t control it,<br />
let alone ride it. Believe me, I saw<br />
many a kid (and a few adult learners)<br />
wielding their weapons throughout<br />
the Christmas holidays. LEARN on a<br />
softboard! They are not uncool. Their<br />
graphics nowadays make them look<br />
like a “proper” surfboard anyway. And<br />
they are a lot cooler than sporting a set<br />
of stitches from where the board gave<br />
you a new piercing you didn’t plan on.<br />
In previous years Phoebe had been<br />
on an 8’ softboard - the perfect<br />
learner size in my opinion. Not too<br />
unwieldy and big, and large enough<br />
to provide a good stable platform. As<br />
she progressed however she wanted<br />
something that was a little more<br />
manoeuvrable so she could get a feel<br />
for turning on the wave but that still<br />
had good float and paddle power. The<br />
solution turned out to be a 5’10” El<br />
Nino Fish.<br />
This board turned out to be ideal and<br />
really elevated her surfing through<br />
the summer break. It may be short<br />
at less than 6’ but it still has plenty<br />
of volume. It’s length made it easy<br />
to whip around and the extra wide<br />
fish tail provided the stability she<br />
still needed. The thickness provided<br />
the float and paddle power to get<br />
on some small summer sliders. The<br />
rigidity of the bottom enabled the<br />
board to trim and glide as opposed to<br />
some softboards that make it feel like<br />
you are surfing a thong.<br />
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DOES IT<br />
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TRIED AND TESTED<br />
...while this 5’6” Albacore has also been bringing a big smile to my dial.<br />
96<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
DOES IT<br />
WORK?<br />
TRIED AND TESTED<br />
THE WHIP<br />
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• HP pump, repair kit<br />
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• Removable US Fin Box system<br />
CRACK<br />
www.paddleboarding.co.nz<br />
THAT<br />
WHIP<br />
WORDS: JEFF MORRIS<br />
I<br />
don’t know about you guys but I hate<br />
travelling on airlines with sporting<br />
equipment. For me there’s nothing<br />
worse than carting oversize luggage such<br />
as surfboards or snow skis around airports.<br />
Better to rent when I get there, usually.<br />
After a conversation with Roman Hartmann<br />
at Surfari Surf Store in Zurich last year I<br />
realised that for many people things aren’t<br />
always as easy as throwing a board on the<br />
roof or under your arm and heading for the<br />
nearest expanse of water with waves on it.<br />
He sells heaps of Red Paddle Co. inflatable<br />
SUPS to people with little storage space<br />
and when the only sensible travel option to<br />
the ocean is an aircraft.<br />
I have had quite a bit of experience with<br />
Red Paddle Co. Sups over the last few<br />
years doing lessons and rentals off my<br />
local beach. Initially I had no interest in<br />
them at all, but seeing their development,<br />
innovations and almost indestructibility,<br />
my respect for them grew and grew. Then I<br />
found out that they had developed a model<br />
specifically designed for surfing. It’s called<br />
The Whip, it’s 8’10” × 29” × 3.93” (150<br />
litres) and I needed to have a crack at it.<br />
It’s taken 6 years of design development<br />
for the Whip, they realised that you can’t<br />
just copy a hardboard shape and expect it<br />
to behave in the same manner because it<br />
won’t. The main challenge is maintaining<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 97
CRACK<br />
THATWHIP<br />
98<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
igidity while keeping the board reasonably thin<br />
(under 4 inches, not bad for an inflatable). They<br />
have achieved this with a batten system that<br />
slides into a sleeve on each rail. They call it the<br />
RSS Batten System, sort of like rail stringers.<br />
The other piece of technology that has made for<br />
a more rigid and lighter board is a construction<br />
method called MSL Fusion, which you can check<br />
out on their website if you really need to know<br />
that stuff. It has two thruster-type built-in fins<br />
and a removable fin which screws into a fin box.<br />
All this basically means is that they’re really into<br />
it and ya gotta love that.<br />
The good folks at Paddleboarding NZ lent me<br />
one, along with a 3 piece bamboo shaft paddle<br />
which fits neatly with the board and pump<br />
into a really well designed travel bag that has<br />
wheels on the base for easy rolling, some back<br />
pack straps so that you can carry it to remote<br />
breaks, a couple of well placed carry handles<br />
and everything easily loaded and unloaded via<br />
a front opening zip system. Weight is around 12<br />
or 13kgs and you can squeeze in a wettie and<br />
towel as well.<br />
Once again great design.<br />
SO HOW DOES IT TRAVEL AND<br />
HOW DOES IT RIDE?<br />
First trip I took it on was to the Coromandel<br />
Peninsula on the North Island. Air New Zealand<br />
charged me $30 each way as an extra bag which<br />
I thought was reasonable, unfortunately there<br />
was no swell and constant westerly winds for<br />
the entire time that I was there, which I thought<br />
was predictable, so it never came out of the bag.<br />
Next trip was to Sydney, super easy travelling<br />
with the Whip, Air New Zealand charged me<br />
$50 each way this time, starting to get a bit<br />
unattractive I thought, really need to get some<br />
use out of it. Chucked it into the back of the<br />
airport shuttle and off to the Northern Beaches<br />
for family, friends and any number of breaks<br />
working in a multitude of conditions, all now<br />
SUP surf accessible in Mum’s 1984 Toyota<br />
Corolla with no roof racks.<br />
No need to walk to Long Reef and pray a<br />
Southerly doesn’t hit before you get there.<br />
Just fold the Whip into thirds (leaving the RSS<br />
battens in the rails) chuck it in the back seat and<br />
off you go.<br />
The first day was 40 degrees Celsius and<br />
pumping it up in the car park was a bit of a<br />
challenge - wishing someone would invent the<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 99
Gee Hard model – blows itself up. Apparently<br />
you can inflate these to around 25psi, but I<br />
reckon you’d have to be Arnie Schwarzenegger<br />
to do it. Best I could get was around 17psi, but<br />
that’s really solid anyway.<br />
First paddle out was in a small swell and as I<br />
went over the first wave I could appreciate if<br />
the board wasn’t pumped up to a good level, you<br />
would feel like you’re surfing a bouncy castle.<br />
It’s definitely different to surfing a standard<br />
hardboard SUP as the board sits high and on top<br />
of the water so that you feel every bit of water<br />
movement, add a strong wind to 8’10” x 29” and<br />
it can be a bit of a challenge, but you do get<br />
used to it and pretty soon I was getting a few<br />
nice rides.<br />
Once I got the feel of the board I found that it was<br />
quite easy to ride further up the nose longboard<br />
style as well as being quite manoeuvrable<br />
towards the tail.<br />
It certainly attracts plenty of stares and<br />
questions as you might expect. My basic<br />
explanation is that it’s a great traveling board.<br />
One guy said it would be a shame if you turned<br />
up at 6’ and perfect Angourie and that’s all you<br />
had to ride. My reply was if you’re travelling<br />
with limited resources and space, such as a<br />
hire car and family and you turned up at perfect<br />
Angourie with nothing, that would be a bigger<br />
shame.<br />
Like everything it’s how you approach it, so<br />
with a bit of practice, perseverance and good<br />
paddle skills the Red Paddle Whip surfs just<br />
fine, so well in fact that a young Spaniard by<br />
the name of Xavi Masdevall won the inflatable<br />
division of the 2015 Euro Supa Surf Champs on<br />
one. This is a great product that perfectly does<br />
what it’s designed to do, be easy and cheap to<br />
travel with, catch some waves, with the added<br />
bonus of a possible quiet paddle in some great<br />
locations.<br />
The guys and Red Paddle do a great job of<br />
designing, constructing innovative inflatable<br />
paddleboards, they’ve turned a bit of a skeptic<br />
and naysayer into a bit of a convert over the<br />
last few years. I’m looking forward to their next<br />
offering.<br />
P.S. I reckon these would be great shark<br />
repellents – shark bites into 8’10” of 20psi<br />
paddleboard, shark inflates in 2 seconds<br />
then travels 500 metres across ocean at<br />
approximately 100kms per hour in a circular<br />
fashion, shark has stomach ache for 3 days<br />
leaving plenty of time to safely exit the<br />
water.<br />
Not only is JEFF ‘JIFF’ MORRIS the guy<br />
that runs around for <strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> in<br />
NZ, he’s also a mad keen surfer and SUP<br />
rider, world traveller, gear tester and an<br />
ace with a keyboard.<br />
jeff@smorgasboarder.co.nz<br />
100<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
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SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 101
TALKING BOARD DESIGN WITH JESSE WATSON OF BLACK APACHE SURFBOARDS<br />
RELATIVE PERCEPTION<br />
“RELATIVE PER-WHAT? WHAT THE HELL IS HE TALKING ABOUT?”<br />
YEAH I HEAR YOU, AND NO THIS ISN’T GOING TO GET ALL MYSTIC AND CRYPTIC AND TO ALLEVIATE ANY JOHNNY UTAH/ POINT<br />
BREAK INSPIRED FEARS YOU MIGHT HAVE WE AREN’T GONNA HOLD HANDS AND “START CHANTING” EITHER, SO REST EASY.<br />
So what am I talking about? Well I’m not<br />
100% sure either. It’s a term I’ve coined<br />
(probably not the first though) to define a<br />
situation that I really feel should be the<br />
jumping off point for all of our discussions.<br />
It helps us to set the parameters, the<br />
framework… the modus operandi if you will<br />
within which we will explore the following<br />
topics and have them stay in context for the<br />
masses.<br />
So anyways back to relative perception.<br />
What is it? Lets split it up with what are<br />
likely some less than accurate online<br />
descriptions I stumbled onto, that while<br />
probably not accurate, suit my purposes so<br />
lets throw grammar and accuracy under the<br />
wheels and run with it.<br />
RELATIVE: “relates to the condition<br />
of one observation or object when it is<br />
considered in connection with another.”<br />
PERCEPTION: “the conscious mental<br />
registration of a sensory stimulus”<br />
Put ‘em together and what do you get? If the<br />
answer is headaches don’t feel bad, revel<br />
in your stupidity with the rest of us. You’re<br />
not alone.<br />
Let me put it like this. As a shaper the<br />
hardest part of shaping a board is making<br />
sure you and I are on the same page. Making<br />
sure that when I describe something to you,<br />
that you understand it the way I do, that your<br />
perception matches mine. When you say flat<br />
rocker it means the same thing as when I<br />
say flat rocker. When you say a lot of foam,<br />
it’s the same as when I say it. Now I shape<br />
more than just a couple of boards each<br />
year for all types of surfers of varying ages,<br />
heights, weights, abilities and sexes etc. So<br />
that’s a pretty big spread and it’s unlikely<br />
that all or even any of them will think like<br />
I do. Your perception is relative to your<br />
experiences in surfing, as are mine - and<br />
never the twain shall meet. (You see how I<br />
tied that in? Pretty good huh?) So then what?<br />
Well if you’ve surfed for a decent length<br />
of time and remember the not too far-gone<br />
days of ordering custom boards it usually<br />
went something like this;<br />
102<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
CLOSEOUT: COLUMNS<br />
(CIRCA 1990-2000)<br />
1. Customer goes to shaping bay/factory<br />
see’s shaper in person<br />
2. Shaper takes his weight and height (if<br />
you’re lucky)<br />
3. Shaper determines what this customer<br />
needs based on what the shaper thinks<br />
the guy/girl needs and what the shaper<br />
is currently riding more than likely.<br />
4. Customer says OK and leaves to wait<br />
for the call; “its ready mate”<br />
5. Customer has no idea what he/she<br />
ordered or why, other than what he/<br />
she was told to.<br />
6. Sometimes the board is magic<br />
sometimes not<br />
7. Customer spends the rest of his/her<br />
life trying to find a board that is as<br />
good “as that board I had before”<br />
8. Customer can’t do this because he/<br />
she has no idea why it worked or what<br />
he needs.<br />
9. Customers surfing becomes bipolar<br />
- sometimes awesome, sometimes<br />
hating surfing - because of his boards<br />
and whether he/she can find a good<br />
one that “works”<br />
The same was true of shop fronts too where<br />
you went in and were handed whatever<br />
Occy just rode to his world title comeback<br />
after shedding a good 30kg destroying Bells<br />
on his backhand. You stood there in your Hot<br />
Tuna shorts and Bad Billys t-shirt (Bad Billys<br />
is back too!) expecting you’d be ripping next<br />
surf, but you weren’t a rejuvenated Occy,<br />
and you weren’t surfing Bells in a finals<br />
heat either most likely, so what were the<br />
chances of that happening? Well thankfully<br />
the dark ages of surfing are mostly over<br />
and the religion of information has gifted<br />
us the notion that surfers should know why<br />
their boards work and what sort of boards<br />
they can, and should ride, but so many of<br />
us still don’t. That is the whole point here<br />
really – the whole mantra of these articles<br />
– to enlighten you the reader, to turn on the<br />
lights in the dark room for the surfer and to<br />
make your surfing experience better for you.<br />
To have you surfing in a way that makes you<br />
happy and gets the most out of your time in<br />
the water.<br />
Now my theory is that happy customers are<br />
repeat customers. That notion of the closely<br />
guarded secret, the idea of the shaper as<br />
some sort of mystical guru with the power<br />
to bestow upon you some magical weapon<br />
capable of changing your life - if only you<br />
unwaveringly accept what you’re told and<br />
ask no questions of course (that you should<br />
even dare to pose your feeble questions to<br />
this elevated being!) - is a big old pile of<br />
warm horse poop.<br />
Personally I tend to divulge too much<br />
information rather than too little, ask<br />
anyone who has ever met me. I’m sure my<br />
customers need a little lie down after we’re<br />
through, but the more ‘you the customer’<br />
understand the process, how it works, why<br />
it works - the more times we are going<br />
to hit the mark in the little custom order<br />
dance and the more times I’m going to<br />
see your face or have you clogging up my<br />
inbox and voicemail, which is great. My<br />
house extensions won’t pay for themselves<br />
now will they? This becomes especially<br />
true given the sheer volume of orders I<br />
receive from other parts of the country and<br />
the world at large. In today’s small world<br />
having a shared vision of relative perception<br />
between the shaper and customer is<br />
ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL.<br />
To do this the key is getting inside the<br />
customers head. More than anything else<br />
this is, I feel, the key to good design and a<br />
happy customer. I could shape you a board<br />
that might be my Sistine Chapel but if it<br />
doesn’t float your boat it might as well be<br />
a kickboard and a pair of floaties for all the<br />
good it’s going to do you.<br />
So how do I as a shaper and hopefully the<br />
other shapers out there overcome this?<br />
How does your local shop jockey who has<br />
you cornered against the board rack, asking<br />
“ya need a hand mate or are ya happy just<br />
lookin’?” figure out the difference between<br />
your dream board and the proverbial<br />
turd? … Well we/they should be asking<br />
questions… lots and lots of questions.<br />
Then after all that, you guessed it, more<br />
questions.<br />
I question my customers like a wild-eyed<br />
Spanish Priest during the inquisition. I<br />
hammer them like a parent hammering a<br />
teenage son who’s late in the door after<br />
curfew. I’m merciless, relentless, a real<br />
hound dog hungry for the bone of truth. I<br />
expect one day someone will either just<br />
walk away mid conversation saying, “it’s<br />
just not worth it!” or hang up on me, or<br />
worse. However if you do unwittingly find<br />
yourself on the receiving end of my barrage,<br />
before you crack under the strain, admit<br />
defeat and leave to order your board online<br />
without any input from anyone, shaper or<br />
shop staff, know this: It’s for your benefit<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 103
CLOSEOUT: COLUMNS<br />
in the end. This is the only way I can truly<br />
guarantee that you will be on the receiving<br />
end of my best work. Even the little pimply<br />
faced shop jockey needs to be asking these<br />
exact same questions if he’s going to play<br />
perfect match with you and a new shooter.<br />
When Dexter the little 80’s robot spits<br />
out a compatibility report and the divider<br />
disappears to reveal your new love you want<br />
to see your dream girl not a walrus. So you<br />
better hope they’ve been asking questions<br />
and paying attention to the answers.<br />
Otherwise its goodnight for you and the<br />
walrus - enjoy your complimentary gifts on<br />
the way out the door.<br />
When I am the one giving you the inquisition<br />
I want to know about everything. What you<br />
ate for lunch, your theories on quantum<br />
physics, your mothers maiden name, how<br />
old you were when you stopped wetting the<br />
bed… well not really but I do want answers.<br />
Some of my more standard questions include<br />
the following:<br />
1. How old are you?<br />
2. Where are you surfing?<br />
3. What kinds of breaks?<br />
4. How often are you surfing?<br />
5. How long have you been surfing?<br />
6. What are you riding mostly – right<br />
now, this week?<br />
7. How many boards are in your quiver?<br />
8. Who shaped them?<br />
9. Dimensions on all of them, or at least<br />
your favorites?<br />
10. Do you have a wide range in your<br />
quiver or six 5’11 thrusters?<br />
11. Are they heavy, light? Construction<br />
methods? EPS, Epoxy etc.?<br />
12. Which is your favourite, why? What<br />
does it do best that you like?<br />
13. Are you a top to bottom style surfer or<br />
more down the line style?<br />
14. Do you get low to your boards or do<br />
you have a more upright stance?<br />
There is a whole bunch more but you get the<br />
idea for now. It’s about me trying to get a<br />
sense of your personal “relative perception”<br />
of the surfing experience and what it is you<br />
want me to contribute to that experience.<br />
“I QUESTION MY<br />
CUSTOMERS LIKE A<br />
WILD-EYED SPANISH<br />
PRIEST DURING THE<br />
INQUISITION.”<br />
After we’ve talked about the old stuff in<br />
your quiver it’s my turn. I will want to know<br />
things like:<br />
1. What type of board are you after?<br />
2. How do you want it to surf?<br />
3. Where will it fit wave range wise in<br />
your quiver?<br />
4. Are you planning on increasing or<br />
reducing your quiver?<br />
5. Are you just a one-board guy/girl?<br />
6. If you are planning on getting more<br />
boards shortly, particularly if they are<br />
from me what boards are they?<br />
7. What is your budget?<br />
8. What types of characteristics are you<br />
looking for in your board?<br />
9. What is it you enjoy most in surfing?<br />
Big turns? Speed runs?<br />
10. What is it that this board is really<br />
trying to give you in the water?<br />
Again there is a multitude of others but this<br />
is the basic idea. I look at myself as more<br />
of an engineer than a shaper. I look at each<br />
customer or order as an equation, a bunch<br />
of variables that we are trying to create a<br />
solution from. I look at those variables, the<br />
desired outcome, I make sure you and I are<br />
on the same page, then we move forward.<br />
It’s easy after that, it’s just advanced<br />
hydrodynamics.<br />
Every customer that I cross paths with gets a<br />
lesson on board design. The how and why of<br />
what makes a board work. Which features<br />
produce which result and how to identify<br />
boards that will work in the future.<br />
Why exactly your favourite boards from<br />
the past worked and perhaps what they<br />
likely had in common with each other.<br />
The end goal is to help you the customer<br />
make informed decisions and have real<br />
and valuable input into your shapes. It’s a<br />
win-win. Being able to walk into a shop<br />
knowing at least in part what you’re after<br />
makes board shopping in a retail setting<br />
awesome. It makes calling up a shaper for<br />
a custom order a super exciting experience.<br />
If that is not currently the case for you then<br />
this series of articles will hopefully help you<br />
to change that. By the end of this you’ll all<br />
be laying down your hard earned dollars for<br />
new shooters. Hassling your local core board<br />
store and thumbing the racks with optimism.<br />
Next issue we are going to start with the<br />
basics. We will start with some of the<br />
bigger subjects but also some of the most<br />
important ones, and… ready for it? The<br />
Pendulum Effect… Yet another catchy<br />
phrase that I just coined right now while I’m<br />
typing. I am seriously on fire right now…<br />
stay tuned.<br />
Watch out next issue for some schooling on<br />
the basics...<br />
www.blackapachesurfboards.com<br />
104<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
Enquiries: Cam 0408 983 702 Alicia 0432 686 751<br />
Email: surf1770@bigpond.com<br />
Jervis Bay Stand Up Paddle<br />
Lessons, Tours, Board Hire<br />
www.jervisbaystanduppaddle.com.au<br />
0403 354 716<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 105
SURF TIME?<br />
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106<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
SUN<br />
SAFETY<br />
WITH SUN ZAPPER<br />
THANK YOU TEAM<br />
At Sun Zapper we’re super lucky to have<br />
the support of our ambassadors, surf<br />
shops and retailers, supporting clubs and<br />
sun-savvy users. All these beautiful guys<br />
and girls love this sunburnt country just<br />
as much as we do. In saying that, they<br />
also know why it’s important to protect<br />
ourselves from the harsh Aussie sun. So<br />
here’s a big thank you to all of you!<br />
I would like however to especially thank<br />
our ambassadors. We may be a bit<br />
biased here but our ambassadors are the<br />
best bunch of sun-loving humans on the<br />
planet! They are surfers, bodyboarders,<br />
ocean photographers, content creators,<br />
swimmers, sailors… let’s just say they<br />
live and breathe the salty air. They<br />
spread our sun safety message here at<br />
home and abroad, they capture the most<br />
awe-inspiring content and feature it in<br />
<strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> and/ or upload it to the<br />
Internet reaching thousands of people. Our<br />
ambassadors are actively out there, day in<br />
and day out, zinc’d up and ready to take on<br />
any task they have at hand.<br />
A big thank you to Josh, Luke, Michael,<br />
Dylan, Joe, Joel, Ray, Warren (pictured<br />
above), Jacob, Nathanael, Jaidyn,<br />
Lawrence, Holly, Oscar and Toby.<br />
So if you think you share these qualities<br />
then send me an email at melanie@<br />
sunzapper.com.au and we’d be happy to<br />
have you on the Sun Zapper team.<br />
The Sun Zapper range is Aussie made and<br />
owned. Find Sun Zapper at your local surf store,<br />
Woolworths, Big W, IGA and FoodWorks.<br />
www.sunzapper.com.au<br />
HOPS<br />
THE WOLF AMONGST THE WEEDS<br />
I suspect it was the absolutely incredible<br />
smell that initially drew brewers and<br />
herbalists to experiment with the flowers<br />
of Humulus lupulus or the “wolf amongst<br />
the weeds” as the Latin name roughly<br />
translates. They soon realised that<br />
when hops were added to the boil the<br />
beer tended not to spoil. This is due to<br />
compounds called humulones that once<br />
boiled become inhibitory to certain beer<br />
spoilage bacteria. These compounds<br />
also added bitterness to the brew, which<br />
helped to balance out the malt-derived<br />
sweetness. Germans became such a fan<br />
of these properties that they soon passed<br />
the Reinheitsgebot, a law prohibiting the<br />
use of any other herbs in brewing (people<br />
were putting in all kinds of psychoactive<br />
herbs before then!). Hops also have a mild<br />
sedative effect – as if you needed another<br />
excuse for drinking a good hoppy Pale Ale<br />
after a hard day’s work.<br />
A relative of hemp, the flowers of hops<br />
form only on the females of the climbing<br />
vine-like plants that are grown (away from<br />
males plants) on tall wire trellises. They<br />
tend to grow best in temperate climates<br />
and some of the world’s hopspots (hops<br />
become cheesy in flavour when left in the<br />
sun!) are Germany and the U.S.A., with<br />
Australia and New Zealand also gaining<br />
a reputation as producers of new and<br />
interesting hop varieties.<br />
Hop flavours are often described as fruity,<br />
floral, herbal and/or spicy and different<br />
strains are used to give beer styles their<br />
unique characters. The flavour of the hops<br />
depends on the strain as well as terroir -<br />
the area that they’re grown in. With the<br />
boom in craft beer and the generous use<br />
of hops in styles such as Pale Ales and<br />
IPA’s, the price of hops is soaring with<br />
some varieties fetching $50/kg.<br />
We love our hops here at Byron Bay<br />
Brewery and I’ve been generous in<br />
hopping our Pale Ale, using a combination<br />
of Australian Galaxy hops with American<br />
Citra, Columbus and Amarillo. We also<br />
dry-hop the beer, a process whereby<br />
hops are added during the fermentation<br />
after the yeast has created some alcohol,<br />
thereby better extracting the essential oils<br />
that contain the awesome aromas and<br />
flavours.<br />
Alastair Gillespie holds a Bachelors<br />
of Science in Microbiology, is a madkeen<br />
surfer and the Head Brewer at<br />
Byron Bay Brewery.<br />
byronbaybrewery.com.au<br />
4 TIPS<br />
ON CHOOSING<br />
SURFBOARD ART<br />
Over the last two years we have helped<br />
hundreds of delighted customers design,<br />
develop and deliver affordable original art<br />
as a centrepiece for homes, offices and as<br />
gifts. Here’s a few things we’ve learnt.<br />
1. FANTASIZE – MIND SURFING IS FUN<br />
An image of that perfect wave, beach<br />
scene can be amazing. Immediately<br />
transporting you someplace else.<br />
Choose an image that means something,<br />
something that you have a connection<br />
with – a local break, a place you have<br />
visited or would like to.<br />
2. OLD OR NEW BOARD?<br />
If you have a board you could repurpose it?<br />
Is it in fair condition (reasonably smooth<br />
and with no unrepaired damage)? This<br />
may help, especially if it is an ol’ fav - the<br />
outcome is all the more special.<br />
A new board can offer a completely<br />
different look - sleek, smooth, clear of<br />
damage. It’s a great way to have the art<br />
leap off the wall.<br />
3. SIZE MATTERS<br />
Knowing the space you want to fill is<br />
key to the next steps. A surfboard is<br />
typically 6-10 ft long (we think hanging<br />
them sideways works well – but you can<br />
do it standing up). So choose a wall that<br />
will allow for something of this size, a<br />
good bit of space at either end will help<br />
make the board pop…<br />
4. NOT EVERY IMAGE IS A WINNER<br />
Surfboards are weird shapes - typically a<br />
4:1 or greater ratio. This is a lot different<br />
to your average photo. If your heart is set<br />
on a whole image and it won’t work just by<br />
itself, you consider a cool collage design.<br />
Be prepared to manage the compliments for<br />
your new piece... And send them our way!<br />
Dave West is half of Ctrl V,<br />
creating custom graphics for<br />
surfboard wall and surfable art.<br />
www.ctrlv.com.au<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 107
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108<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>
“If you open your mind,<br />
you’ll open the doors &<br />
a good time will be had.”<br />
CLOSEOUT: LIVE IT UP<br />
YEO HAUS SINGLE FIN SURF JAM<br />
PHOTOS: HARLEY LEWIS & RADAR<br />
The Yeo Haus Single Fin Surf Jam, held down on the south coast of South Australia was a day for<br />
celebrating surfing and our culture. Bringing the community together through wave riding, it was no<br />
doubt good times were going to be had.<br />
With Yeo Haus being a modern, creative clothing lifestyle brand based in SA, a surf comp replicating<br />
their outlook on surfing culture and good times was the ideal way to bring in the New Year.<br />
It wasn’t your ordinary comp - an array of boards were supplied, the boards were numbered and the<br />
number you picked from the hat determined what board you had to ride for your heat. This format<br />
evened out the playing field as surfers had to get creative on their given craft, as coffin rides, one<br />
footers and head stands were rewarded, as having fun on the wave was the top priority.<br />
It was an intimate day with spectators less than a stones throw from the surfers, so applauding and<br />
hollering lit up the ampitheatre with good vibes all round. As Yeo Haus states “If you open your mind,<br />
you’ll open the doors and a good time will be had.”<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 109
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Two great SurfSup locations:<br />
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Like Beach Street Surf Shop<br />
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LOCAL SURF<br />
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HIRE<br />
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WETSUITS &<br />
SUPs<br />
ITS ALL ABOUT SURFING!<br />
110<br />
| SUMMER <strong>2016</strong><br />
SMORGASBOARDER
“Established in 2004,<br />
the Gold Coast<br />
DSA has a dedicated<br />
core of volunteers”<br />
CLOSEOUT: LIVE IT UP<br />
SUNDAY SMILES<br />
Sunday, December the 6th once again saw the Gold Coast branch of the Disabled Surfers Association<br />
take to the water, bringing broad smiles to the faces of the participants and volunteers alike.<br />
Established in 2004, the Gold Coast DSA has a dedicated core of volunteers drawn from many parts<br />
of the local community and their “Lets Go Surfing” days are held at Flat Rock beach, Currumbin.<br />
Once again, the action was captured by local photographer and DSA volunteer, Glenn ‘Pugs”<br />
Hardwick. For more on his involvement see our last issue (<strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> Xmas, #32).<br />
For more info on the DSA, see http://disabledsurfers.org and the Gold Coast branch at<br />
http://disabledsurfers.org/qld/gold-coast-branch/.<br />
For more of Pugs’ work, see http://lookslikeme.com.au<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 111
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112<br />
| SUMMER <strong>2016</strong><br />
SMORGASBOARDER
Backyarders...<br />
Hits<br />
the spot...<br />
Good friend Gav Webster<br />
recently sent in these photos<br />
of the new stick he made<br />
at a wooden board-building<br />
workshop on the northside of<br />
Brisbane run by Stuart Bywater.<br />
Stoked with the experience<br />
he is already planning to<br />
head back and build another<br />
board or three. Not a bad idea<br />
really. At the rate Gav dings<br />
his boards it’s always handy to<br />
have a few in the quiver. Here’s<br />
hoping anyway his wooden<br />
board is a bit more sturdy than<br />
his fibreglass ones and can<br />
withstand him landing on them<br />
as a regular occurrence, or Gav’s<br />
occasional trip to the rocks. We<br />
are sure in due course Gav will<br />
be able to put together a column<br />
for <strong>Smorgasboarder</strong> on, “How<br />
to repair a wooden surfboard.”<br />
Well done Gav. Great to see you<br />
have caught the bug. Impressed<br />
you even managed to place<br />
under the glass the Webster<br />
family coat of arms. Hope it has<br />
a big fin. Stay Moist.<br />
SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 113
CLOSEOUT: ALOHA BARRY<br />
114 SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong><br />
Concerned about the welfare of bogan eggs at your beach? Register your egg find at www.boganeggwatch.gov.not.au
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SUMMER <strong>2016</strong> | SMORGASBOARDER 115
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116<br />
SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER <strong>2016</strong>