Surfing became a popular trend in the 1960s, and companies have since used surfer imagery to market their products in magazines and advertisements.
Some WA surfers were lucky enough to exploit their good looks on the meat market and supplement their meagre incomes through the media, fashion photo-shoots and by strutting their stuff on the catwalk.
Brent Stewart
Trigg surfer Brent Stewart featured in promotional photo shoots by photographer Ric Chan in the 80s.
1980s Brent Stewart modelling shoes for Slazenger in West Coast Surfer Mag. Photo Ric Chan.
JacquiBrown
Trigg surfer Jacqui Brown went on to become a popular painter/artist in the South West region.
1985 Jacqui (far right) with surfing friends at Trigg. Image courtesy of Stirling Times.
2017 Jacqui painting Margaret River. Jacqui pic.
Jodie Cooper
Jodie Cooper from Albany, West Australia is a former champion pro surfer. She won 13 international pro surfing events, including titles in Australia, Japan, Hawaii and mainland United States and was runner-up on a further 13 occasions between 1983 and 2002.
1987 Ansett inflight mag Panorama cover featuring Jodie Cooper surfing Haleiwa Hawaii
In 1991 Jodie starred as a surfing stunt double for actress Lori Perry in the Hollywood action film Point Break starring Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Perry and Gary Busey.
1991 Point Break movie poster ex Wikipedia.
2019 WA surfer/adventurer/author Patsy Anne Wootton with Jodie Cooper at the WA Women in Surfing Exhibition. Bruce King pic.
Natalee Fuhrman
Karrinyup surfer Natalee ‘Nat’ Fuhrmann won three consecutive Women’s Wave Ski World Championships and dominated the Women’s Wave Ski World Tour in the late 1980s and early 1990s. At this time she worked in the media and had numerous sponsors. Nat now runs The Bike Kiosk in Mandurah.
Nat is the recipient of the ‘Sports Medal of Australia’ for her achievements in surfing.
Nat: “I won the 1990 World Cup on Huntington Beach, California. In 1991, I won the world title at Duranbah, Queensland, then in 1992, I defended my World Cup at Pointe De La Torche, in northern France.
I was three times Australian Champion, three-times New Zealand Champion and a winner of the Canadian Open.
During this period, I also won State Wave Ski Titles and represented WA in the 1991 Australian Malibu Titles held in Queensland.
1988 Nat on the cover Surf Ski Quarterly NZ magazine.
1990 Nat 96FM surf reporter. Sunday Times Ken Matts pic
1991 Nat photo shoot at Trigg for her sponsor Smoking? no way!
1992 Nat TV leisure presenter at Channel 9 and GWN. West Australian newspaper article.
1992 Nat’s TV Channel 9 publicity photo.
1994 1994 Nat’s photo on the cover of Australasian Post.
Gary Greirson
WA surfer Gary Greirson became a professional TV model in the 80s and earned big $’s advertising Beer & Electrical goods in TV advertisements. Gary worked for a modelling agency and his fashion shots appeared in magazines & newspapers.
Gary:“These were just work shots for which I was well paid. I don’t have any pics of when I was on the catwalk. I did a high paid TV commercial for Emu Export beer in 1984 but have no photos as it’s on video tape.”
1980s Gary Greirson fashion photo shoots. Photos courtesy of Gary Greirson and Bill Plowman from the Daily News.
Gavin McCaughey
In the 80s Trigg surfer Gavin McCaughey played in the The Real McCoy’s band in Perth night spots.
1980s The Real McCoy band at the Candy Store in Mt Lawley. Gavin on the right. Gavin McCaughey pic.
1980s OZ singer Colleen Hewett with the Real McCoy boys at the Sheraton. Gavin on the left. Media image.
Phil Scott
Scarborough surfer Phil Scott was also a talented footballer for Scarb (amateurs), Subi (WAFL) & West Coast (AFL).
1988 West Coast Eagles player review. WA Media image
Noakes & Thorson
The following photos by Ric Chan appeared in advertisements published in WA’s West Coast Surfer magazine in the 80s..
(Left) 1980 Graham Noakes advertising his Margaret River business. (Right) 1980 Frank Thorson (Mitch’s dad) advertising his Rottnest Bakery.
Ric Chan
In the 70s & 80s Ric Chan was busy juggling his career activities. During the day he worked as a photojournalist for The Independent Newspaper and as a professional model. At night time he was a DJ at Gobbles night club.
1980 Ric Chan & Sharon Stackpool modelling in a Mazzucchelli Jewellers Perth advt.
Rich Myers
In the 80s Californian pro-windsurfer & top surfer Rich Myers (Yallingup resident since 1990) was introduced to modelling through his windsurfing exposure in the USA. His image was featured in various US Magazines & Newspapers, covers, pictures, interviews & editorials.
He became a member of the Screen Actors Guild and appeared in TV commercials and had bit parts in ‘The Young & the Restless’, ‘The A-Team’ & T J Hooker TV series. He was the feature surfer in surf movies ‘Follow the Sun 11’ and ‘Tales of the 7 Seas’. Rich also featured in windsurfing videos.
1980s pro-windsurfer Rich Myers featured in a Malibu Men Calendar. Image courtesy of Rich Myers.
Rich: “While the calendar wasn’t a big hit with the girls, it was very popular with the Gay community in San Francisco” 😊
Surfing became a popular trend in the 1960s, and companies have since used surfer imagery to market their products in magazines and advertisements.
Some WA surfers were lucky enough to exploit their good looks on the meat market and supplement their meagre incomes through the media, fashion photo-shoots and by strutting their stuff on the catwalk.
Brent Stewart
Trigg surfer Brent Stewart featured in promotional photo shoots by photographer Ric Chan in the 80s.
1980s Brent Stewart modelling shoes for Slazenger in West Coast Surfer Mag. Photo Ric Chan.
Jacqui Brown
Trigg surfer Jacqui Brown went on to become a popular painter/artist in the South West region.
1985 Jacqui (far right) with surfing friends at Trigg. Image courtesy of Stirling Times.
2017 Jacqui painting Margaret River. Jacqui pic.
Jodie Cooper
Jodie Cooper from Albany, West Australia is a former champion pro surfer. She won 13 international pro surfing events, including titles in Australia, Japan, Hawaii and mainland United States and was runner-up on a further 13 occasions between 1983 and 2002.
1987 Ansett inflight mag Panorama cover featuring Jodie Cooper surfing Haleiwa Hawaii
In 1991 Jodie starred as a surfing stunt double for actress Lori Perry in the Hollywood action film Point Break starring Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Perry and Gary Busey.
1991 Point Break movie poster ex Wikipedia.
2019 WA surfer/adventurer/author Patsy Anne Wootton with Jodie Cooper at the WA Women in Surfing Exhibition. Bruce King pic.
Natalee Fuhrman
Karrinyup surfer Natalee ‘Nat’ Fuhrmann won three consecutive Women’s Wave Ski World Championships and dominated the Women’s Wave Ski World Tour in the late 1980s and early 1990s. At this time she worked in the media and had numerous sponsors. Nat now runs The Bike Kiosk in Mandurah.
Nat is the recipient of the ‘Sports Medal of Australia’ for her achievements in surfing.
Nat: “I won the 1990 World Cup on Huntington Beach, California. In 1991, I won the world title at Duranbah, Queensland, then in 1992, I defended my World Cup at Pointe De La Torche, in northern France.
I was three times Australian Champion, three-times New Zealand Champion and a winner of the Canadian Open.
During this period, I also won State Wave Ski Titles and represented WA in the 1991 Australian Malibu Titles held in Queensland.
1988 Nat on the cover Surf Ski Quarterly NZ magazine.
1990 Nat 96FM surf reporter. Sunday Times Ken Matts pic
1991 Nat photo shoot at Trigg for her sponsor Smoking? no way!
1992 Nat TV leisure presenter at Channel 9 and GWN. West Australian newspaper article.
1992 Nat’s TV Channel 9 publicity photo.
1994 1994 Nat’s photo on the cover of Australasian Post.
Gary Greirson
WA surfer Gary Greirson became a professional TV model in the 80s and earned big $’s advertising Beer & Electrical goods in TV advertisements. Gary worked for a modelling agency and his fashion shots appeared in magazines & newspapers.
Gary: “These were just work shots for which I was well paid. I don’t have any pics of when I was on the catwalk. I did a high paid TV commercial for Emu Export beer in 1984 but have no photos as it’s on video tape.”
1980s Gary Greirson fashion photo shoots. Photos courtesy of Gary Greirson and Bill Plowman from the Daily News.
Gavin McCaughey
In the 80s Trigg surfer Gavin McCaughey played in the The Real McCoy’s band in Perth night spots.
1980s The Real McCoy band at the Candy Store in Mt Lawley. Gavin on the right. Gavin McCaughey pic.
1980s OZ singer Colleen Hewett with the Real McCoy boys at the Sheraton. Gavin on the left. Media image.
Phil Scott
Scarborough surfer Phil Scott was also a talented footballer for Scarb (amateurs), Subi (WAFL) & West Coast (AFL).
1988 West Coast Eagles player review. WA Media image
Noakes & Thorson
The following photos by Ric Chan appeared in advertisements published in WA’s West Coast Surfer magazine in the 80s..
(Left) 1980 Graham Noakes advertising his Margaret River business. (Right) 1980 Frank Thorson (Mitch’s dad) advertising his Rottnest Bakery.
Ric Chan
In the 70s & 80s Ric Chan was busy juggling his career activities. During the day he worked as a photojournalist for The Independent Newspaper and as a professional model. At night time he was a DJ at Gobbles night club.
1980 Ric Chan & Sharon Stackpool modelling in a Mazzucchelli Jewellers Perth advt.
Rich Myers
In the 80s Californian pro-windsurfer & top surfer Rich Myers (Yallingup resident since 1990) was introduced to modelling through his windsurfing exposure in the USA. His image was featured in various US Magazines & Newspapers, covers, pictures, interviews & editorials.
He became a member of the Screen Actors Guild and appeared in TV commercials and had bit parts in ‘The Young & the Restless’, ‘The A-Team’ & T J Hooker TV series. He was the feature surfer in surf movies ‘Follow the Sun 11’ and ‘Tales of the 7 Seas’. Rich also featured in windsurfing videos.
1980s pro-windsurfer Rich Myers featured in a Malibu Men Calendar. Image courtesy of Rich Myers.
Rich: “While the calendar wasn’t a big hit with the girls, it was very popular with the Gay community in San Francisco” 😊
1980s Rich Myers windsurfing & fashion photo shoots. Photos courtesy of Ric Myers.
Celebrity pics
1989 Margaret River Pro event. USA competitor Kelly Slater (age 17) with Holly (age 10). Monkman family pic.
1997 Hawaii. Crystal Simpson (centre) with Kelly Slater & his partner. Crystal Simpson pic.
Thanks to the contributors
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