Country Energy Australian Surf Festival

Surfing New South Wales
Port Macquarie New South Wales
16 - 29 August 2009

Beyond the waves at Country Energy Australian Surf Festival

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 12 August, 2009 : - - Maroubra Beach, NSW -- 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 australiansurffestival.com.au
 
The Country Energy Australian Surf Festival is presented by Surfing Australia and Surfing NSW and is proudly supported by Country Energy, Events NSW, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Mercure Centro Hotel, Port Macquarie Hastings Council, Port Macquarie Tourism, Tourism NSW, Australian Sports Commission , Ocean & Earth, Coastalwatch, Sydney Weekender, Port Macquarie News, NBN TV, Star FM, Macquarie Hotel, Australia’s Surfing Life Magazine and Australian Longboarding Magazine.

About Country Energy: Country Energy manages Australia’s largest power supply network across 95 per cent of New South Wales’ land mass and offers retail electricity in  six  states and territories. As a leading Australian energy services corporation,  owned  by  the  New South Wales Government, Country Energy employs  around  4,200  people in regional and rural areas, serving more than 800,000 customers.
 
Previous reports:
# 1 : Country Energy Australian Surf Fest set for Pt Macquarie
# 2 : Australian Longboard Titles set for Country Energy Fest
# 3 : Australian SUP Titles to run with Country Energy Festival
# 4 : Coming soon  

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Michael Tyrpenou
Surfing NSW Media Manager
michaelt@surfingnsw.com.au

Peter Hunt
Surfing NSW Operations Manager
peterh@surfingnsw.com.au

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