Koby Abberton, Professional Surfer and Social and Community Entrepreneur

Koby Abberton is simply one of the greatest big wave surfers that the world has ever seen.

Media Man Australia was delighted to do an off the record interview with Koby at Bondi Beach (Bluetongue Beer launch) on the 30th November 2006.

Koby Abberton (sometimes credited as the Son of Beaches) was born in Maroubra beach, Sydney, Australia and is an Australian former professional surfer perhaps best known for his high profile surfing, as the face of Oakley surfwear and his inclusion in the legal battle surrounding his brother, Jai Abberton, who was accused of killing Anthony Hines in 2003.

Biography

Early life

Koby Abberton was born in Maroubra beach in Sydney, Australia to a heroin addicted mother and a criminally inclined father (who was not his biological father but instead his mother's boyfriend), living the "housing commission capital of Sydney". Abberton states that his home birth was not a result of specified choice, but as a method of avoiding the hospital where he says his mother "knew she'd get in trouble for being on heroin". Abberton is one of four children and brother to Jai Abberton,Sunny Abberton and Dakota Abberton all surfers.

Career

Abberton describes the start of his career as the time when his "life got better." Following a disagreement between his birth mother and her boyfriend of the time, Abberton, nursing an injury after a blow to the head with a baseball bat provided by his mother's boyfriend, re-located to older brother Sunny Abberton's house. Of the argument Abberton says "I just started crying. He [Sunny Abberton] said "Don’t worry, just try to forget about it and put everything you’ve got into your surfing. That’s our way out of this life," and that's when it all started." Abberton pursued his surfing career, going on to achieve sponsorship and international recognition for his abilities and achievements.

Personal life

Abberton briefly dated actress Tara Reid before engaging in relations with Australian model Saskia Neillson, an Elite Model Agency signed model from Australia's Sydney.

Currently, Abberton is dating Australian surf model and aspiring actress Tahyna Tozzi with whom he shares a home in Santa Monica in the United States.

Bra Boys

Australia's infamous Bra Boys are a nationally and internationally known group of close-knit friends bound by their love of surfing and the beach. Often the center of negative Australian press and the assumed (sometimes factual) blame for local crime and bad social behavior, the Bra Boys insist they are not a "gang" in the typical sense of the word and are instead a potentially well known group of friends made up of some otherwise recognized members including all three Abberton brothers and a string of Rugby League players and other fellow surfers.

Bra Boys Documentary

Abberton is also well known for the autobiographical documentary "Bra Boys" narrated by actor Russell Crowe which detailed the lives of infamous Australian gang the "Bra Boys" and aired nationally in Australian cinemas.

Other projects

.The Mavis Abberton Foundation

The Mavis Abberton Foundation was set up by the Abberton brothers in an attempt to protect children of drug-dependent parents and children whose parents are in jail. The Foundation was named after the Abberton brothers' grandmother Mavis, who provided as their mother for most of their childhood while their own parents were incapable of providing a stable and guided environment. The Foundation attempts to suppress the prevalence of "lost children in broken-homes" and promotes a solace for those who may otherwise resort to drug dependency and criminal activity as a result of their environment.

MyBrothersKeeper/MBK Clothing

Inspired by the friendship and brotherhood codes instilled by the Bra Boys, the Abberton brothers created a clothing line to reflect the importance of solid bands between friends and family entitled MyBrothersKeeper Clothing, sometimes referred to as MBK Clothing.

MyBrothersKeeper is a reference to the unspoken motto of the Bra Boys and can be somewhat translated as the unconditional love, respect and support of those close to you regardless of race, gender and age.

'Official members' of the Bra Boys gang such as Koby often have the MyBrothersKeeper slogan permanently tattooed on their bodies, however the tattoos are not a reflection of the clothing line as the clothing line is in fact a reflection of the Bra Boys themselves and their moral and ethical codes of friendship.

Members of the Bra Boys and those who have purchased items from the MyBrothersKeeper clothing range are often referred to by the Bra Boys as MBK Soldiers.

Controversy

The murder of Anthony Hines

In 2003, Abberton became entangled in a court case resulting from the death of a notorious Sydney underworld figure Anthony Hines. His older brother, Jai Abberton was acquitted of the murder early in 2003 even though he admitted to shooting Hines. Despite his brother's acquittal of criminal charges, Koby Abberton still faced a set of criminal charges and the prospect of jail, as police had charged him with hindering their investigations.

During this time, Abberton faced the loss of a string of lucrative sponsorship deals he had contracted through his professional surfing career. Appearing in court on August 5th of 2003 on three counts of false statements to police, Koby pleaded not guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder but changed his plea to 'guilty' when in court a second time on March 21st of 2004.

On November 24th, Koby was found guilty of perverting the course of justice by NSW District Court Acting Judge Brian Boulten who continued Abberton's bail on the condition he surrendered his passport.

Following his sentencing in which Abberton received a 9 month suspended jail sentence, Koby Abberton channeled his attention towards the Abberton brother's charity, The Mavis Abberton Foudation, inspired by the Abberton brothers Grandmother, Mavis Abberton.

Following brother Jai Abberton's criminal investigation and Koby's suspected personal involvement in the murder of Anthony Hines, surfing sponsor and surfwear giant Oakley stuck by their sponsored surfer. Abberton once again secured his already established $300,000 a year endorsement deal with the company.

Cronulla Beach riots, 2005

The Abberton brothers and numerous members of their notorious 'surf gang' received negative press in Australian news and entertainment publications following the racially charged 2005 Cronulla riots originating between opposing ethnic mobs on Cronulla beach in Sydney, Australia, motivating further rioting of the same racially charged nature on a string of other popular Sydney beaches, said to be an attempt to address the reported incidents of assaults and intimidatory behavior by groups of non-locals, some of whom were identified in earlier media reports as Middle Eastern youths from the suburbs of Western Sydney.

The Abberton brothers and infamous "Bra Boys" were labeled as playing 'catalyst' to the riots with Koby Abberton singled out as the main culprit. Later, Abberton dispute the claims he had attempted to fuel the riots, going on to tell The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper that he was "ashamed to be Australian that day" and had attempted, alongside his brothers and other Bra Boys to deflect and suppress the racially charged riots. (Credit: Wikipedia).

Profiles

The Bra Boys

Maroubra Beach

Surfing

Social and Community Entrepreneurs

Websites

The Bra Boys (movie in 2007)

Maroubra Surfers Association

News

1st January 2007 - Koby Abberton judged at Bondi Blonde Bikini Contest alongside Paris Hilton and Jack Singleton

Media Man Australia congratulates Koby on both in his success in pro surfing and his fantastic work with the community