Mission Statement: The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of Australia's waves, oceans and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research and education.
139 Duringan St Currumbin
P.O. Box 266
Burleigh Heads 4220
Australia
Phone : ++07 5534 2855
Fax: ++07 5534 2866
E-mail: surfrider@onthenet.com.au
Web site: www.surfrider.org.au
Formed: 1991
Membership Cost: $30AUD ($20USD) and up per year
Chapters: 27
Executive Director: Greg Howell
From the Beach: membership, 49%; corporate sponsorship, 49%; fundraising/sales, 2%
To the Beach: 100% administration. Howell says this number isn't reflective of the work, due to a restructuring of the organization.
Roots | Past Victories | Present Battles
Roots
Surfrider's Australian affiliate formed in the early '90s amid a blaze of glory and publicity. Australian surfers had been environmentally active for a generation -- "green consciousness" had been a primary goal of Tracks magazine founder John Witzig, and through the '70s and '80s, it took deep roots in the Aussie surf scene, growing spectacularly when called upon to do so.
For instance, a grassroots surfer movement led by Maroubra's Kirk Willcox (a former Tracks editor) succeeded in breaking open one of the great ocean environmental scandals of the '80s -- the continuing use of primary sewage outfalls directly off Sydney's beaches. Willcox's and others' activism led to the reforming of a moribund government water control board and the building of massive deep-ocean secondary treatment outfalls at a cost of more than half a billion dollars -- possibly the greatest environmental victory in surfing history.
The energy was there to pick up on Surfrider's U.S.-spawned mission. Among backers at the start were four-time world champion Mark Richards, fellow champs Rabbit Bartholomew and Tom Carroll, surfer-publisher Peter Morrison (owner of Australia's Surfing Life magazine), Jim Banks and numerous other well-known Aussies.
Its initial push came as a result of a sewage outfall proposal at the northern end of the Gold Coast in Queensland; this eventually went ahead, but with vastly improved treatment methods. The first executive director was Brad Farmer, a Gold Coast-based activist who seemed to be doing a great job of drawing attention to the organization. Membership peaked in 1994 at 3,500 in a climate that included at least two other roots surfer environment groups: Group Against Sewage Pollution (GASP) and Surfers Against Nuclear Destruction (SAND).
But Farmer came badly unstuck in the mid-'90s, fumbling both on finances and on the fundamental direction of the organization. He shifted HQ from the Gold Coast to Sydney, at least in part to escape the fallout, but in 1996, Matt Keyes replaced him. In the process, the credibility of SF Oz was severely damaged, particularly in the eyes of potential funds-providers within the surf industry, but also in the eyes of the general surf community.
After 18 months, Keyes handed the reins to career environmentalist Tamra Lysaght. In 1997, the national office in Sydney was closed. In August 1998, Greg Howell, a former assistant to Farmer (but no longer one of his fans) took over, moving HQ back to Queensland and eventually into an office space donated by another green organization, where it remains today.
Since 1998, Surfrider Oz has been in the throes of a rebuilding process not unlike that of Surfrider USA back in 1993-1995 -- after that group's near fatal showdown over leadership. Today it is concentrating on grassroots connection, finding that chapters are developing according to coastal needs. For instance, two of its most active chapters are newly formed Sydney Eastern Beaches and NSW Central Coast, both of which came together only recently to face down separate threats to the coast environment. Howell hopes in the near future to broaden Surfrider's appeal to include the massive Australian beachgoing public -- potentially a major force in a nation where 90 percent of the population lives within 35 miles of the coastline. Chapters are shown how to apply for available federal government environmental protection grants, and knowledge gained from affiliates overseas is proving valuable in the rebuilding process.
Past Victories
(1992) Launched Save Our Surf (SOS) project
Similar to Surfrider U.S.'s State of the Beach, SOS is an environmental database of Australian beaches.
(1995) Successfully campaigned against ocean outfalls
Further construction of ocean outfalls is banned in NSW and QLD.
(1997) Succeeded in getting Solitaire Island in Coff's Harbor declared a Marine Park
Surfrider and local activists used guerrilla eco-tactics to halt development on this island.
(1999) Created national Hold on to Your Butt Day
Coordinated the national effort to raise awareness about litter on beaches.
Present Battles
Working on SOS CD Roms
The valuable coastal data from SOS would be much easier to work with in digital form.
Attracting larger sponsorships
Howell says, "One sponsor, one project -- that way we could give them the kudos they deserve." This approach has been effective in the states, particularly where Mazda kicked down $150,000 for the State of the Beach printing costs.
Adopt a more visible way of monitoring water quality
During the Sydney Olympics, SF Oz is planning to post black flags at beaches that exceed certain bacteria levels -- a tactic pioneered by SF Europe.
Moving beach cleanups inland
"We're trying to work with the council and clean it up before it gets to the beach," Howell says. -- Nick Carroll and Marcus Sanders
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