A special gourmet dinner by five of Margaret River’s top chefs has raised $26,000 for SurfAid.

Award-winning chef Russell Blaikie, of Must Margaret River, assembled the star team - Dany Angove (Leeuwin Estate), Aaron Carr (Vasse Felix), Jake Drachenberg (Clairault) and Tony Howell (Cape Lodge) - to join him at Must in creating the unique experience for 100 diners on Thursday night 13 October.

SurfAid founder Dr Dave Jenkins, who gave an update of SurfAid’s field work and the challenges of working in the islands off Sumatra, said it was a very special event.

“We especially thank Russell and all the chefs for donating their wonderful skills and the generosity of the sponsors, staff of Must, volunteers and all who attended for supporting our work.  We very much look forward to coming back next year,” Dr Dave said.

The stellar team prepared a five-course meal - canapés, three degustation courses and dessert - which was served alongside premium Margaret River wines and beverages from the region which is as well known for its sensational food, wine and produce as it is for its spectacular surf.  The diners were entertained by live music from Perth songstress Bianca Jade and enthusiastically joined in the auctions.

Russell Blaikie said he was struck by the generosity of the chefs who joined him for the first Surfing Chefs for SurfAid dinner.



“Dany, Jake, Tony and Aaron put their very best food on the plate for the SurfAid cause that we have all become so engaged with. And the spirit of generosity has spread to the wider community in Margaret River with wineries, beer makers, artists, growers and so many more businesses kicking in products, services and pledges to make the event such a success. The response from the crew attending was awesome; the chefs were swamped with food groupies.”

Blaikie said the chefs involved have already committed to next year's event. “Now the challenge is to roll the Surfing Chefs concept out to surf communities around Australia,” he said.

Photos by: Lauren Trickett - backroommedia.com.au

Thanks to everyone who came down to the Newcastle SurfAid Benefit night at Nobbys Beach Surf Club on Friday night. There were good vibes and great tunes throughout the evening with amazing music from local band Benjalu and special guest Mark Richards, 4 x world champ. Cheers to our sponsors Nando's Australia, Corona, Uluwatu Surf Villas, Resort Latitude Zero, Daniel Joyce Design, John Earl, Dragon Alliance, Arnette Australia and Billabong Australia.

A Special thank you to Merewether Boardriders, Chris Tola, Brad Garrard, Bar Reef Boardriders, Hunter Business Boardriders and all the crew from Nobbys Surf Club. Finally, a big thank you to everyone who donated and signed up to be a monthly giver! All of your support goes such a long way. See you next time Newcastle. We can’t wait to come back.

The Board Art Benefit is a charitable event designed to bring surfing's leading artists together at Sacred Craft's Art Grotto and give them the opportunity to create live art on surfboards in support of SurfAid. The finished surfboard art will be auctioned at later SurfAid events; raising much-needed funding so SurfAid can continue to deliver its community-based health and emergency response programs in the Mentawai, Nias, Telo and Banyak islands.

By Jennifer Savage

DEL MAR, CA - From a surfer's perspective, no wave is born perfect. Various forces – wind, geography, tide – combine to forge that iconic curl that sets hearts racing. Add the fact that different surfers subscribe to varying ideals. One person envisions perfection as double-overhead pitching barrels, while another hopes for shoulder-high and playful. Some waves serve as launch ramps for taking flight, others offer up a canvas for graceful lines.

Similarly, surfboards aren’t one-size-fits-all. Neither is art. But at the Board Art Benefit at Sacred Craft Surfboard Expo, Saturday, Oct. 8 and Sunday, Oct. 9 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, surfboard shapers and artists will focus on combining functionality and aesthetics to create something close to perfection. Event organizer Matt Beard explained, “The surfboard is the tangible object through which the intangible joy of surfing is channeled.” Hence, the “sacred craft” of shaping such objects. Proceeds from the boards benefit SurfAid International, a non-profit humanitarian organization whose aim is to improve the lives of people living in isolated regions that also serve as surf destinations.

Plenty of people paint on surfboards, but pulling this many shapers and artists together for a one-time unique creation experience offers a new twist. For Beard, an accomplished surfer and artist based in Northern California, what began as a simple idea took two giant leaps into reality when one of surfing’s leading artists, Phil Roberts, enthusiastically agreed not only to participate, but brought surf legend Gerry Lopez along as the other half of the artist-shaper partnership. Within days, the list of participants included not only Roberts and Lopez, but Rick Rietveld, Drew Brophy, Tyler Warren, Jed Noll and a host of others. With such heavy-hitters on board, the Board Art Beneft went from being “just an idea,” Beard said, “to a full-fledged event with an all-star cast.” Soon, almost all the artists involved announced partnerships with some of surfing’s greatest shapers.

“At that point, the Board Art Benefit was no longer just an art event, but something that stood poised to deliver not only great art and great boards, but something far more than the sum of those parts,” Beard said. “A handshaped board from Gerry Lopez is valuable, an orignal painting from Phil Roberts is perhaps even more valuable, but having them both together? That makes it so much more unique and compelling.”

About the participants:

Winning the Pipe Masters. Consider the partnership between artist Phil Roberts and legendary surfer, shaper and Pipe Master himself, Gerry Lopez. Roberts is a prolific artist whose work hangs in the homes of collectors all over the world. Lopez has been making surfboards for decades, and so respected is his knowledge that today his hand-shaped boards sell for double-to-triple their standard market value. Prior to this event they have made three boards together, which now belong to Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow and Jeremy Flores, the last three consecutive Pipe Masters. Those less likely to win the Pipeline Masters will now have a chance to purchase a board by Roberts and Lopez.

El Segundo. From the seedy underside of the Los Angeles coastline comes the perfect pairing of artist Damian Fulton and shaper Tyler Hatzikian. Hatzikian is revered for his fearless approach to the hammering surf of urban L.A. Fulton’s artwork is a window to the underbelly of this world, lined with a surf stoke that reflects the human capacity to cope with adversity.

Maui and Son of a Living Legend. The iconic artwork of Rick Rietveld propelled Maui and Sons into prominence throughout the 1980s. Rietveld is still going strong and creating some of the most powerful works in his awe-inspiring career as an artist. Jed Noll, the son of surfing’s living legend Greg Noll, will be creating Rick’s board for the event. Greg Noll was a pioneer of the surfboard-centric surf industry that Sacred Craft is celebrating. Both Jed Noll and Rietveld are renowned for their respective expertise and flawless craftsmanship in all that they do.

Humboldt. Event organizer and artist Matt Beard is partnering with Yohei Shiraishi of Taiyo Surfboards, one of Humboldt County’s prominent board builders who melds a craftsman’s approach with a forward thinking emphasis on using local materials.That means not relying on poly-anything, just real wood making up Shiraishi’s hand-built hollow boards. Well known for his timeless renditions of the northern coast of California, Beard hopes to render a piece for this event that would have even the most cold-loathing Hawaiians scrambling for their 5-mils.

The full list of Board Art Benefit artists & shapers:

Phil Roberts and Gerry Lopez
Damian Fulton and Tyler Hatzikian
Rick Rietveld and Jed Noll
Erik Abel and Robert Weiner - Surfing Magazine's 2011 Shaper of the Year
Drew Brophy and Ron House
Heather Ritts
Spencer Reynolds and Jeff "Doc" Lausch
Wade Koniakowsky and Mike Hynson
Tyler Warren
Robb Havassy and Rusty Preisendorfer
Ron Croci and John Birchim
Norm Daniels
Matt Beard and Yohei Shiraishi

Check out the Board Art Benefit in the Art Grotto at the Sacred Craft Surfboard Expo at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on October 8-9, 2011.  Learn more about the event and the artists at Board Art Benefit or contact SurfAid at 760-753-1103.