BEYOND THE WAVES AT COUNTRY ENERGY AUSTRALIAN SURF FESTIVAL
The Country
Energy Australian Surf Festival is not just about the competition, winning,
losing or the battle – it encapsulates the lifestyle, the culture and the
history of Australia's most loved pass-time.
In 2009, with an expanded festival program, The Country Energy Australian
Surf Festival boasts live music, surf art and photography, retro surfboard
displays, surf film screenings and surfing education courses to appease the
palates of all cultural enthusiasts, or just the humble surfer.
Events NSW CEO, Geoff Parmenter said the inaugural Country Energy Australian
Surf Festival held in 2008 was a big success and this year will be even
better, with the addition of the National Stand Up Paddleboard Titles and
the expansion of the Festival events program.
"Our investment in the Festival has ensured the growth and development of
the event beyond the water with live music, cultural activities, business
conferences and surf art exhibitions," he said.
Led by the amazing, eclectic and heady Glassy Walls exhibition taking place
in the state of the art Glasshouse, artist Garry Birdsall and photographer
Bob Weeks rewind the clock back to the soul of Australian surfing – the
sixties.
"For those of you who were lucky enough to have surfed in the '60s my scenes
will stir some heady memories of an era when only a handful of mates shared
endless miles of blissful coastline," Birdsall said, with a touch of
nostalgia.
Joining Birdsall and Weeks upon the walls of the Glasshouse will be the
spectacular and diverse works of Shane Martin, Robyn Convoy, Adrian Turner,
Deb Tinker, Bill Kercher, Chris Buller and Mark Ingleby.
Also featured throughout the Festival will be screenings of Bombora - The
Story of Australian Surfing, Searching for Michael Peterson and the music of
Tim Gaze and Peter Howe.
Commissioned by the ABC, Bombora - The Story of Australian Surfing provides
the most comprehensive visual history of Australian surfing to date.
Spanning over a century, Bombora - The Story of Australian Surfing leaves no
stone unturned.
Searching for Michael Peterson, directed by Jolyon Hoff, follows the moving
story of one of Australia's greatest surfers, whose career was cut short by
mental illness.
Accompanying Searching for Michael Peterson will be the music of Tim Gaze
and Peter Howe, who In 1970 composed and played music for Morning of the
Earth.
"The Country Energy Australian Surf Festival is a great event for Port
Macquarie and a key regional sporting event on the NSW Master Events
Calendar," Parmenter continued.
"The festival successfully generates significant economic benefit for the
local region and the State," he said.
So while the action heats up in the water, there will be a plethora of
things to do, see, listen and take in at the official entertainment
locations –The Glasshouse, The Town Green Inn, The Mercure Centro and The
Macquarie Hotel.
The Country Energy Australian Surf Festival will take place from August 15 -
29 2009 at Port Macquarie.
For more information on The Country Energy Australian Surf Festival visit
www.australiansurffestival.com.au