Nine of Australia’s most significant surf people you’ve probably never heard of...
Most surfers are familiar with the usual suspects when it comes to who’s who in surfing. Mick, Layne, Steph, Pancho, Slater, Bruce, Parko…like Madonna and Elvis, they need no surname to indicate their importance.
Yet while these pro surfers wend their way on the WCT, living the life that millions can only dream, there’s a legion of talented, dedicated and hard-working movers and shakers whose contribution to surfing is significant – without their involvement, surfing would a heck of a lot poorer, culturally and financially.
They’re not the head honchos pulling down the mega-salaries, but there’s no doubting their influence. Of course, this list could be six times as long, so while there’s no disrespect meant to those who aren’t on it, here’s the list in no particular order…
Rob Holt
As coordinator of the Surf Science & Technology degree course at Edith Cowan University’s Bunbury and Margaret River campuses in Western Australia, Holt’s heard just about every joke about his studying surfing that can imagine. But it hasn’t tempered his enthusiasm for teaching students who after graduation, are working across the spectrum of surfing and environmental careers. A dedicated and popular lecturer, this core surfer loves nothing more than grabbing a board and heading out to Three Bears, Smiths or a secret spot somewhere on the serrated WA coast.
http://southwest.ecu.edu.au/surf/staff/holt.html
Craig ‘Gonzo’ Baird
Curator of Surfworld (which claims to be the worlds largest surfing museum), Gonzo is one of the most knowledgeable, accessible and friendly surf experts in the country, if not the planet. A talented board artist in his own right, he’s Surfworld’s intelligent backbone. Known for his wicked sense of humor and incredible (read darned difficult) surf trivia quizzes, the genial Gonzo has made the day of a many a visitor with a fascinating personal tour. Rumour has it he’s currently overseeing the cataloguing the mind-boggling contents of Surfworld’s amazing collection.
http://www.surfworld.org.au/ and www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/09/11/18139_echo_features.html
Barrie Sutherland
Back in the days before sealed wetsuits, leg ropes and shortboards, a younger Barrie Sutherland paddled out at Bells with his Nikonis camera tied to his waist with string and took the first images of the beach from the now world famous wave. A fledging wetsuit company called Rip Curl saw the results and used one of his images in their first ever print advertisement. The rest, as they say is history. Still surfing every day, Sutherland’s images are in the private collections of many surf company executives and world champions, as well as local surfers and blokes battleing to get in a wave or three in between work and family duties. When not catching waves he roams the south-west coast, still using his beloved old film camera, still shooting in black and white, stil driving his beloved VW Beetle. His retail outlet, the Watermarks Gallery in Torquay is an insiders club and is a destination for any visiting celeb waverider (Barrie's old mate Tim Winton popped in while in town) and boardriders young and old, no matter the kind of board they paddle out on. And he’s always up for a chat about surfing’s past, present and future.
http://www.watermarksphotogallery.com.au/
Gally (AKA as Graeme Galbraith)
When wildcard Adam Robertson blitzed through heats that chewed out many a mega-sponsored giant to take on Parko in the finals at the 2009 Rip Curl Pro last Easter, a lot of people were looking askance and asking “Adam who?” But for those who knew that Robertson was being coached by the formidable Gally, it was a cert that his natural talent would be boosted by the highly experienced local coach. The holder of three Australian, multiple Victorian and several masters’ titles and co-director of the respected Torquay Surf Academy, Gally knows Bells like his favourite surfboard and is no slouch when it comes to turning on and tuning up the competitive engine. Considered a secret weapon for many pros who want to get the Bowl and Rincon wired, Gally and his business partner Christian, a former WQS competitor and gun surfer himself, are constantly evaluating their coaching and surfing skills and ensuring that their surfers are mentally, physically and emotionally prepared for the best – and the worst – that the south-west waves can throw.
http://www.torquaysurf.com.au/aboutus.html
Max Wells
If you’ve ever been to a WCT event and marveled at just how the whole damn thing works, then it’s guys like Wells who oversee the transformation of the (almost) deserted beach one week, to full-scale comp venue and thriving community the next. Not only can he relate to everyone from local security, building contractors and navigate red-tape like it's confetti, he's also able to soothe temperamental pros, nervous first-timers and their various entourages. As Wells juggles several dozen balls in the air without losing his cool, he's the man responsible for it all comining together. No matter the time of day (or night), he's there, sorting out moles before they become mountains. Highly respected, he’s dedicated to surfing in all its aspects. Wells and his team get behind just about every surfing event in the state, be it the annul Rip Curl Pro or a local girls go surfing day.
http://www.surfingaustralia.com/school.aspx?siteid=7&org=450
Mick Mock
Considered the doyen of surf collectors, Mock is the country’s leading authority on surf history and culture. He’s also the man that other professionals such as the Sydney Maritime Museum contact when an unknown longboard or single-fin needs identification or provenance confirmed. Mock runs the annual and popular Sydney Surf Auction, his amazing shop Little Dragon (named after Bruce Lee) in Newport on Sydney’s northern beaches is chock-full of surfing memorabilia and ephemera. Honest, knowledgeable, kind, generous and hard working, Mock’s word is respected. In a world where the seriously dodgy can fool you into thinking that a worthless twin-fin is a sound financial investment, Mock can identify a retro from a reproduction faster than Fanning can make a cutback.
http://thebigchair.com.au/news/water-cooler/image-makers-catching-a-wave-of-opportunity and you can contact Mock via Facebook
Marine Cole & Dane Sharp
The dynamic media duo – Coles manages PR, Sharp international media - from Rip Curl successfully placate disorganized or disgruntled media, organize newsfeeds, images, interviews and data and sort out deadline driven reporters without losing their cool or their smiles. If you’ve ever seen a photo or read an article about the Rip Curl Pro at Bells, the MP Classic or West Coast Classic (just ti name a few) in a newspaper, magazine or online, then it’s a good bet that either of these two had a calm helping hand in getting it out there. While the pro surfers get the column inches and magazine covers, Cole and Sharp keep the Rip Curl event and brand out there.
http://www.ripcurl.com.au/?aboutbells
Martin Grose
As national development manager for Surfing Australia, Grose’s mission is get information about the sport as much as possible. A font of statistical and factual information for surf media, club organisers and individuals, Grose is also the man to have on the team at your board riding club’s trivia night. His commonsense approach was revealed to the public, when a surf school teacher who failed to alert his students to a nearby shark made national headlines last January; Grose said pretty much what everyone as thinking. Efficient and organised with a ‘glass half full’ approach, in an increasingly surf-rages world, Grose is doing a great job of promoting surfing across boards of all shapes and sizes.
http://www.surfingaustralia.com/info.aspx?siteid=1&mode=stats
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