“In the not-so-small world of surfing, Phil Jarratt has seen it all. Luckily for us, he’s a fearless, funny storyteller, with a reporter’s unsentimental eye and an endearing modesty. But his memoir is, above all, a haunting self-portrait: the boy practising drop-knee cutbacks in his mother’s full-length mirror in mid-century Wollongong becomes a man.” William Finnegan, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Barbarian Days Life of Brine is the memoir of Phil Jarratt, one of the world’s best-known chroniclers of surfing culture whose lifelong pursuit of the perfect wave has placed him in the midst of some of the most exciting moments in surfing’s modern history. Jarratt, who has courted controversy in his long career as a journalist, editor and documentarian, pulls no punches as he rides an exhilarating wave of nostalgia from the sixties up until now, through the heady days of drugs, alcohol and excess in Bali and Biarritz and other exotic locations in between. Filled with debauchery, reflection and insight, this is a book that will be devoured by surfers young and old.
Biography of well known environmental crusader, Australian of the Year, solo circumnavigator of the world and well liked larrikin. Traces his life from his beginnings in Sydney in the 1940s to the loss of a fortune that was made as a builder-developer in the 1970s; from clawing his way back to become one of Australia's most intrepid solo yachtsmen, to the realisation of his dream to 'clean up Australia'. Phil Jarratt is the author of fourteen previous books and his book credits include co-authorship of the bestsellers 'Home: the Evonne Goolagong Story' and the 'Wide World of Sports Encyclopaedia of Australian Sport'.
Bali: Heaven and Hell is a lively cultural and social history of Australia’s favourite holiday island. Detailing the island’s tumultous and often violent past, its mythology, religion and politics, and the last 50 years of western colonization and modern development. It is a place that both appeals and repels. Together with substantial knowledge and research of the island’s early history, Phil Jarratt has plenty of personal first hand experience from the early 70s Bali and so takes the reader on a fascinating and personal journey back into another time and place. Extensive interviews with participants from this time in Bali feature to provide a unique first hand view of the dramatic changes and developments that have taken place. There is no doubt that Bali is a popular destination for holiday makers from around Australia and represents many different things –for numerous young it is their first destination overseas, for some it is a spiritual destination, for some just a place to go and get sun, sex and cheap booze etc., for some a luxurious high end experience, for others a profitable business opportunity. In any regard it has an enduring appeal with many making a regular pilgrimage there despite the dark and dangerous things that have occurred there.
Salts and Suits is the amazing true story of how a group of young beach bums turned their passion for riding big waves into the world's fastest growing leisure industry, surviving wipe-outs, drug busts, rip-offs, recessions and the constant pressure to act and dress like grown-ups. Still the darlings of Wall Street despite recent downturns, surfing's biggest brands have crossed the billion dollar threshold by thinking big and staying cool ... and that's a hell of a balancing act. Drawing on more than 200 interviews with industry figures and the idiosyncratic founders of the leading brands, Phil.
This comprehensive history of Noosa comes straight from the heart. Award-winning writer Phil Jarratt has lived in the seaside town for more than 30 years, and has played many roles, as both communicator and protagonist, over its transition from sleepy village to iconic resort. In many ways it is a love letter to his adopted home, but the Noosa story is not always a pretty one, and Jarratt does not flinch from the harsh realities of the cruelties inflicted on the Kabi Kabi First Nation, nor from the wild years when Tewantin was a playground for cashed-up gold diggers, nor from the unscrupulous development deals of the Joh era. But this is a history filled with admiration for the fighters of the past, and hope for the future.
A lively account of the little known story about the birth of surfing in Australia and the early beginnings of our beach culture and sporting heritage. The story centres on the meeting of a young Australian girl, Isabel Letham and the legendary Hawaiian swimmer and surfer, Duke Kahanamoku who visits Sydney on an exhibition swim in 1914.The narrative begins in Hawaii, tracing the renaissance of surfing after decades of missionary prohibition, and the rise of the Waikiki beach boys as tourism begins to transform the pineapple port of Honolulu.that summer at Boomerang recreates pre-World War I Australia and tells a tale of our collective loss of innocence via the story of the charistmatic Duke Kahanamoku - Hawaii's best surfer and swimmer, who comes to our shores one summer and picks an average Aussie girl out of the audience to ride his long board with him. When he lifts Isabel onto his shoulders to ride the wave into shore before a packed beach, it's a symbol of the seismic change that is already rippling through the nation as the rules and regulations of the 19th century give way to the anything-goes beach culture we recognise today.The story centres on Sydney, Australia, but moves between Honolulu, Hawaiii, Stockholm and the Olympics in 1912, and even California (where the Duke eventually goes in search of a Hollywood film career, followed by Isabel). But many more characters from history people these pages - such as novelist Jack London, our first sport promoter Hugh 'Huge Deal' Mcintosh as well as other sporting greats - as one season, one summer, epitomises the end of an era and the birth of a new one.
The Joy of Living is a story that touches the soul and gives us heart-warming, fascinating and deep insights on the hard road from diagnosis to treatment and eventual survival from throat cancer. Barry Eaton, author and radio presenter, describes the careful preparations he made for his journey, using his experience and understanding of the spirit world to deal with and survive the ordeal. Balancing holistic and spiritual methods with modern medicine, he found the means of coping as well as developing a deeper understanding of his life’s purpose. Barry tells his story in his own inimitable style as a broadcaster, sprinkled with amusing anecdotes and recollections. Dealing with customary fears surrounding cancer, Barry’s story unfolds with insights from his partner Anne and son Matthew, as they support him through his emotional roller-coaster journey.
Perpetually broke, he would eat a spider for a beer, or drink mud from a puddle for a bite of a pie. The history of Australian surfing has been full of pioneers, outlaws, hooligans, and mavericks. This lavishly illustrated book, with profiles of 100 legends of Australian surfing from 'ancient history' (pre-1950s) to the current day, is the perfect gift for any surfer or surf aficionado. Featuring many rare and archival images, along with hundreds of gorgeous contemporary surf shots, Australia's Hottest 100 Surfing Legends is a feast for the eyes. Packed with behind-the-scenes anecdotes from insider author Phil Jarratt, this is a riveting account of the pioneers behind Australian surfing's past, and the mavericks who are now moulding its future.
The remarkable, true story of surfing legend Jeff Hakman, "Mr. Sunset" lyrically captures the camaraderie, adventure, and innocence of the surfing subculture in its formative years. A heartfelt biography which presents an insider's view of the Californian and Hawaiian surf culture in a way it's never before been told. 200 photos.
Back in the late 1960s, a young Australian surfer started fooling around with a design for the perfect, functional surf trunk. The trunks (or boardshorts, as they were called in Australia) he made were not perfect, but they were the best yet, and they quickly captured the attention of many of the world’s best surfers. In 1976, two young American surfers brought the brand to the US, at first selling imported pairs from the back of a truck as they traveled from beach to beach and from surf shop to surf shop. Within a decade the company was growing so fast its shares were offered to the public. Within another decade, it was the biggest and most successful boardsports company in the world.
The definitive guide to Australia's surfing history, published in conjunction with Surfing Australia. Australian surf culture is over a century old, and it still hasn't grown up. From its roots as an illegal pastime to its current incarnation as a professional sport, surfing's enduring appeal has always been the carefree, quintessentially Australian lifestyle that goes with it. Australian surf culture has always had competing impulses of chaos and order. For every Boot Hill Gang there is a Surf Life Saving Association; for every tragic drug disqualification, a World Title winner. From Tommy Tanna, Alick Wickham and Freddie Williams's pioneering surf lifestyles to the hedonism of 1950s beach culture, the Coolangatta Kids of the 1970s, to the eventual professionalised machine that surfing in Australia has now become, this is the complete, no-holds-barred history of both sides of the story. With forewords by Mark Richards and Layne Beachley, Australia's World Champion surfers, this book is the definitive history of surfing in Australia.
Biography of the Methodist minister who founded the Wayside Chapel, Kings Cross, Sydney. Tells of his childhood in the bush, his marriage and family life, his time in America, his crusade against drugs, and his ministry in Kings Cross. Includes index. The author is a journalist and reporter, and co-author of 'Coming Clean, Home: The Evonne Goolagong story'.
For a century now, Bali has been the subject of a beautiful mythology created by movies and music, but there are few factual accounts of its transformation from besieged peasant colony to booming tourist mecca. It’s a tale begging to be told: a story of survival in the face of genocide, natural disaster, terrorism, cultural imperialism and corruption on a grand scale. This updated edition includes a new chapter on Jokowi and the Bali 9 executions. Go behind the smiling face Bali has presented to generations of tourists and expats with Phil Jarratt, award-winning author of over 30 books including Surfing Australia: A Complete History of Surfboard Riding in Australia and That Summer at Boomerang. ‘… page-turning story of treachery, deceit, debauchery and wholesale slaughter, set against the idyllic backdrop of a paradise on earth.’ – David Hill, Chairman, National Geographic Channels US ‘… a far more complex, contradictory and interesting picture than the standard journalistic cliché of paradise lost.’ – The Sydney Morning Herald ‘… will make even Bali “regulars” rethink how well they know it. With a surfer’s humour and a journalist’s balance Jarratt explores Bali’s bloody history, pre-terrorism, its spiritual life and where Australia’s affinity with Bali began.’ – Australian Associated Press ‘Should be compulsory reading for those who frequent the island.’ – ReadingTree.com
This comprehensive history of Noosa comes straight from the heart. Award-winning writer Phil Jarratt has lived in the seaside town for more than 30 years, and has played many roles, as both communicator and protagonist, over its transition from sleepy village to iconic resort. In many ways it is a love letter to his adopted home, but the Noosa story is not always a pretty one, and Jarratt does not flinch from the harsh realities of the cruelties inflicted on the Kabi Kabi First Nation, nor from the wild years when Tewantin was a playground for cashed-up gold diggers, nor from the unscrupulous development deals of the Joh era. But this is a history filled with admiration for the fighters of the past, and hope for the future.
The Joy of Living is a story that touches the soul and gives us heart-warming, fascinating and deep insights on the hard road from diagnosis to treatment and eventual survival from throat cancer. Barry Eaton, author and radio presenter, describes the careful preparations he made for his journey, using his experience and understanding of the spirit world to deal with and survive the ordeal. Balancing holistic and spiritual methods with modern medicine, he found the means of coping as well as developing a deeper understanding of his life’s purpose. Barry tells his story in his own inimitable style as a broadcaster, sprinkled with amusing anecdotes and recollections. Dealing with customary fears surrounding cancer, Barry’s story unfolds with insights from his partner Anne and son Matthew, as they support him through his emotional roller-coaster journey.
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