This article originally appeared on VICE Sports Australia.Over the weekend, the fifth consecutive Australian Indigenous Titles were held at Victoria's Bells Beach. The Aussie Indigenous Titles first began back in '92, but after a debacle with funding and support in 1999, it was discontinued.That is, until Surfing Victoria and the local Indigenous surfing crew down at Bells got involved. We spoke to eight-time Victorian Indigenous Champion, who is also one of the main organisers of all the Indigenous surfing events around Australia, Jordie Campbell.
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Jordie, You've been the Indigenous Champion eight times?
Yup. Well, I've been the Victorian Indigenous Champion eight times. The event that was on over the weekend was the Australian Indigenous Titles. I started doing the Victorian Titles nine years ago – five years ago we brought in the Australian Titles again, and I started working on organising it all.
Yup. Well, I've been the Victorian Indigenous Champion eight times. The event that was on over the weekend was the Australian Indigenous Titles. I started doing the Victorian Titles nine years ago – five years ago we brought in the Australian Titles again, and I started working on organising it all.
Summer Simon, Open Women's Winner. Photo Courtesy : Surfing Victoria.
What's the thought process behind holding it at Bells?
Originally the Australian Indigenous Titles were held up at Fingal, and that stopped about 21 years ago. Through Surfing Victoria, a few of us got together and decided that it was time we brought back the event. Bells seemed like the place for it. There's a lot of cultural significance for the local Indigenous people – a lot of trading and stuff went on there.The day that we decided to re-start the event, after a surf with some young Indigenous kids. We were talking about the glory days and started listing all the Indigenous surfers there are in Australia, and we got thinking that some of the best surfers out of the country are Indigenous anyways! So that went to the CEO of Surfing Vic, and he said that they could make it happen if we got behind it and did the organising.
Financial backing was definitely a part of it, and there wasn't anybody to run it. I know that the last event ended on a bit of a sour note. That's why we do the smoking ceremony before the event kicks off now… to kind of cleanse the event and ward off any bad spirits.
Originally the Australian Indigenous Titles were held up at Fingal, and that stopped about 21 years ago. Through Surfing Victoria, a few of us got together and decided that it was time we brought back the event. Bells seemed like the place for it. There's a lot of cultural significance for the local Indigenous people – a lot of trading and stuff went on there.The day that we decided to re-start the event, after a surf with some young Indigenous kids. We were talking about the glory days and started listing all the Indigenous surfers there are in Australia, and we got thinking that some of the best surfers out of the country are Indigenous anyways! So that went to the CEO of Surfing Vic, and he said that they could make it happen if we got behind it and did the organising.
Why'd the Australian Indigenous Titles stop in the first place?
Financial backing was definitely a part of it, and there wasn't anybody to run it. I know that the last event ended on a bit of a sour note. That's why we do the smoking ceremony before the event kicks off now… to kind of cleanse the event and ward off any bad spirits.
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With Surfing Vic, we're lucky that there were enough passionate people inside the office that wanted to get it back going again. The Victorian Titles have been running for 18 years now – absolutely forever it feels like. From around 30 people at the first event, we now have up to 200 people. Through it's growth we've been able to start a really successful Indigenous program, where we do everything from entry-level surfing to high-performance to SUPing, to regional events.
Smoking Ceremony, Photo Courtesy : Surfing Victoria.
Do you see it as giving a different kind of pathway to Indigenous kids?
Yeah. The program we run here uses surfing as a pathway to give these kids a better future. A lot of them have nothing, or very little, and in a way there's no success in their life. Surfing is a way that they think… Oh wow, I can do stuff, I can be successful in things! There aren't many kids at the moment that have gone on to be super successful surfers, but there's a lot of kids who have gone on to be super successful people. Every single one of the kids who has gone through our surfing development program now have full-time employers, and are on a pathway to a better future.It's quite funny. A lot of people I'll talk to don't understand how taking an Indigenous kid surfing will help them in their lives. But if you don't surf you can't really understand how it can be such a great healing process. Unless you've been involved in something like that it's really hard to explain – that's why I like to explain it as a pathway. For a kid who hasn't had any success and doesn't have any guidance, it's easy for us to become a mentor to them in the surf – we're not harassing them about what's wrong in their lives. Through surfing people open up to us, because we're approaching them in a different way.
Yeah. The program we run here uses surfing as a pathway to give these kids a better future. A lot of them have nothing, or very little, and in a way there's no success in their life. Surfing is a way that they think… Oh wow, I can do stuff, I can be successful in things! There aren't many kids at the moment that have gone on to be super successful surfers, but there's a lot of kids who have gone on to be super successful people. Every single one of the kids who has gone through our surfing development program now have full-time employers, and are on a pathway to a better future.It's quite funny. A lot of people I'll talk to don't understand how taking an Indigenous kid surfing will help them in their lives. But if you don't surf you can't really understand how it can be such a great healing process. Unless you've been involved in something like that it's really hard to explain – that's why I like to explain it as a pathway. For a kid who hasn't had any success and doesn't have any guidance, it's easy for us to become a mentor to them in the surf – we're not harassing them about what's wrong in their lives. Through surfing people open up to us, because we're approaching them in a different way.
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Photo Courtesy : Surfing Victoria.
Do you have to be from Victoria to be a part of the program?
Not at all. It's just that this is where we're based – but if a kid or a group of kids come down from… anywhere… we're going to take them surfing and make them a part of it. We want to extend our reach, it's just hard over such a big place.
It's funny, I've been asked that question so many times in the last month. The thing is, the Australian Indigenous Title is our way of showcasing what we can do in the water. Australian Indigenous people have been great athletes, great players – but our surfers are less known. And we have some of the best surfers in Australia right now – Otis Carey, one of the best freesurfers to come out of the country, Soli Bailey, who won the event last year and is on a fast-track path to qualifying for the World Tour, Robbie Page, who's an ex-legend World Tour surfer that won the Pipe Master. So I think that this event, for us, is an amazing way to showcase our talent. Australian Indigenous were "water people" well before white people even came to the country. It's our way of showing that.I was speaking to Mark Simmons, who's from the South Coast of NSW, and he works for Parks Victoria doing a lot of cultural stuff. He goes out to a lot of cultural sites and he said that he's seen a lot of rock paintings, thousands of years old, that show Indigenous people surfing. So Indigenous people were definitely riding waves a long, long time ago.
Not at all. It's just that this is where we're based – but if a kid or a group of kids come down from… anywhere… we're going to take them surfing and make them a part of it. We want to extend our reach, it's just hard over such a big place.
This is a bit of a broad question, but, what does surfing mean for the Indigenous people? I mean, Indigenous people started surfing before anyone in the world… there's definitely a special connection…Parity Meets Progression Looking At Pay Equality In The World Of Pro Surfing
It's funny, I've been asked that question so many times in the last month. The thing is, the Australian Indigenous Title is our way of showcasing what we can do in the water. Australian Indigenous people have been great athletes, great players – but our surfers are less known. And we have some of the best surfers in Australia right now – Otis Carey, one of the best freesurfers to come out of the country, Soli Bailey, who won the event last year and is on a fast-track path to qualifying for the World Tour, Robbie Page, who's an ex-legend World Tour surfer that won the Pipe Master. So I think that this event, for us, is an amazing way to showcase our talent. Australian Indigenous were "water people" well before white people even came to the country. It's our way of showing that.I was speaking to Mark Simmons, who's from the South Coast of NSW, and he works for Parks Victoria doing a lot of cultural stuff. He goes out to a lot of cultural sites and he said that he's seen a lot of rock paintings, thousands of years old, that show Indigenous people surfing. So Indigenous people were definitely riding waves a long, long time ago.
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And do you know Russell Moloney, the surfer who won the event this weekend?
Yeah, really well! Russell was the first champion at Bells – five years ago he won the event. Then he got a wildcard into the Australian Titles and won that event, and then he went onto World Titles and I think he got fourth in Peru. Russ is a very significant person in Indigenous surfing. He's been in every single final at Bells since we started running the event. They call him "the black Kelly Slater". He's an amazing mentor for everyone who comes through the programs
Yeah, really well! Russell was the first champion at Bells – five years ago he won the event. Then he got a wildcard into the Australian Titles and won that event, and then he went onto World Titles and I think he got fourth in Peru. Russ is a very significant person in Indigenous surfing. He's been in every single final at Bells since we started running the event. They call him "the black Kelly Slater". He's an amazing mentor for everyone who comes through the programs
Russel Molony, Mens Open Final Winner, Photo Courtesy : Surfing Victoria.
Is he bald like Kelly?
Haha, yeah, he is! He's the "Ice Man" too… he can just sit there and wait it out in a heat, just like Kelly.Is there anything else that you think is important to note about Indigenous surfing, in Australia, right now?
I guess the only thing left to say is that this isn't short-term – we're all thinking long-term here. We're not going anywhere. We're just going to make the event bigger and better.
Haha, yeah, he is! He's the "Ice Man" too… he can just sit there and wait it out in a heat, just like Kelly.Is there anything else that you think is important to note about Indigenous surfing, in Australia, right now?
I guess the only thing left to say is that this isn't short-term – we're all thinking long-term here. We're not going anywhere. We're just going to make the event bigger and better.
John Craig, Masters Final Winner, Photo Courtesy : Surfing Victoria.
Full Results:Open Men's Final1st Russel Molony, 17.87 points2nd John Craig, 16.27 pointsOpen Men's Semi Final 11st John Craig, 14.43 points2nd Otis Carey, 14.40 pointsOpen Men's Semi Final 21st Russel Molony, 16.66 points2nd Noah Munro, 14.77 pointsMaster's Men Final1st John Craig, 14.67 points2nd Scott Winch, 7.43 points3rd Robbie Page, 7.20 points4th Alan Campbell, 6.00 points
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Open Women's Final1st Summer Simon, 11.33 points2nd Leilani Smith, 8.50 points3rd Jasmine McCroquodale, 6.56 points4th Jalaan Slabb, 1.80 pointsLongboard Final1st Tom Avery, 13.50 points2nd Robbie Page, 10.00 points3rd Rhys Collins, 6.73 points4th Ash Zunker, 4.70 points