Yesterday Was A Big Day
Our very own Kehu Butler just won the Skullcandy Oz Grom Open 2018 at Lennox Beach. The win moves him up to second in the ratings for the WSL Men's Junior Oceania Qualifying Series... now that there is a convoluted series name. It means he's in the top bracket for the Junior Series that's run in our part of the world. Kehu is now looking likely for a spot to contest the junior world championships. The top four surfers in each of the five regions (Oceania, North America, Africa, Europe, Hawaii/Tahiti Nui) qualify for a chance to be named junior world champion early in 2019.
Here is the Herald report on Kehu's Win.
Of course this is the bit where Wazza Hawke and I get to say 'Told Ya So!'
We featured Kehu on the opening spread of NZ Surf; The Collection Vol 1's chapter Coming Through- the next generation.
A part from Kehu's inherent talent, and that is quite literal, the rad thing about him is his whanau support. His Dad Khan and Mum Donna have put awesome systems in place.
Khan, most definitely leading by example.
Kehu quite a few swells ago at his local, well in the shade
Another of The Collection Vol 1 spreads featuring Kehu
Earlier this month Kehu was also selected as part of the 2018 NZ Team for the World Surfing Games in Japan this September. In my opinion, it is the strongest team we've ever sent... well selected...they haven't been sent yet. It's the first time in a LONG time our top international surfers have been available for selection. It's all part of the build up for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Of course this does mean, if we're sending our absolute best, so is every other surfing nation. It's gonna be fun to watch come September.
Want to know more about the team? Well here's the SNZ Page all about it
Before Kehu Won yesterday I had a plan to share my top 5 'not first person' Instagram Accounts.
What I mean by this is accounts that aren't set up as personal ones, or like mine more intended to show the images being made. I've gone from being a massive fan of Instagram to being quite disheartened about it. I started in 2012 on the app and back then I loved how it connected me to other Film shooting photographers around the world, I loved that I could follow photographers I've admired for decades, that they were still current and posting. But Insty has come a long way since those early days. I think the Facebook buy out was the start of the rot, and then successive roll out of algorithm changes that mean you no longer see everyone's posts, and now only the most popular posts. A lot of the film photographers I started following and connecting with have left the app. I'm staying, but now I see it more as a entertaining distraction. And with that in mind, here's my current top 5 accounts...
1. Surf Core 2001
The absolute best photo captions you will EVER read fullstop here's an example;
surfcore2001Spring 2001: 14 days of Nor-East winds. Southsides banks are dogshit. Waters fucken freezing, winds fucken hot. Turgid slop. Old boys do endless mainies of the esplanade, hunting the mirage; the bank the next bank up. VL commies let out disgruntled groans as they fishtail out of the carpark. The colony of groms that inhabit the Surf Club shorey have all been lacerated by the bluebottles. The east coast is blanketed by these stingy little cunce. Weeping sores drenched in Bi-Lo vinegar. Everyone’s having a shit time. Bushfire and pub-brawl dials are both on “Extreme”. I’m on the tin roof of a Queenslander. I clean out the gutters for pocket money. Rotting leaf matter removal, one handful at a time. I put a Sunk Loto CD in my DiscMan and get to work. My Eggy Step-Dad is up there too. High Pressure gurney, trying to help me. His shit aim accidentally wets a territorial Magpie. Game on. She swoops. She barbs him. He trips. Gurney slides off the apex of the roof and sideswipes me. I fall past the verandah, fall 2 storeys onto pavement. Black. Foggy. I see an apparition. Visions of TC knifing under the lip during the 97 G-land Pro. The words “ZAAHHH” appear in the haze. Day-glo patterns. plumes of spray. TC speaks to me “Come back, core disciple, you must spread the word’. Monasterial chanting. the Surfers of Fortune symbol. Cryptic! Suddenly I come back. White light. The paramedic holds me down “don’t move your neck boy”. Im on a stretcher “lucky you had the Gath on…coulda died”. Ill never forget that spiritual apparition…heres @thomasvictorcarroll, doing some high pressure gutter maintenance of his own.
-gold.
2. The History Of Punk
Some of the most random and fascinating images drawn from archives all around the globe with great snippets of Punk history. Love IT!
3. Kook Of The Day
Such a good waster of time! Feeling blue? Need a bit of a self esteem boost at the expense of others? - Well this account is for you!
4. Kook Slams
1.1 million of us can't be wrong can we? Much in the same vein as Kook Of The Day, everyone loves a blooper right!
5. Aperture Foundation
Awesome inspiring work from the world's leading photographers. Aperture Foundation is a great portal to finding great photographers and beautiful work.
From The Bookstore
Yes indeedy, the aforementioned NZ Surf The Collection Vol 1 limited edition and there is only 190 left in stock. They'll be gone first round of season change shop orders for sure. Have you got your copy yet, or just have no clue what I'm banging on about? Well click here to get through to the book's web page.