2025 SURF TOWN WRAP

Whilst the listening base of SURF TOWN has grown this year, reaching 42 countries across 174 cities/locations, the real thrill for Keith has been the guests that he has had the privilege of interviewing over the last twelve months. Our sport has a deep culture and lifestyle that has defined so many people. To chat with some of them and to hear their stories and stoke really does highlight that. Listeners feel it too, tuning in from countries like Bangladesh, Vietnam - indeed from every continent. So a big thank you to all our guests and listeners across 2025. With more guests already lined up for 2026 it promises to be another exciting year. The best of the holiday season to all our SURF TOWN listeners and guests from the SURF TOWN team of Keith and Lee. See you all next year.

MICK BERRIDGE ...

Not many Aussie surfers can say they have surfed in the deep, frigid north of the Atlantic Ocean. We’re mainly warm water creatures who mostly head into the Pacific or Indian Oceans for our tropical surf adventures - certainly not into the icy Norwegian coastline, that's for sure. And definitely not to surf amongst Orcas, floating ice in sub-zero double figures … and most definitely not in the dark of the night under northern lights. But SURF TOWN’S guest Mick Berridge had. And lived to tell his tales.

DAVID BELL -

David is the producer and presenter of the surf-themed CRESCENT SWELLS surf radio. With over 174 shows, David digs deep to produce a weekly radio show featuring traditional surf guitar and drums, reggae, and indie/roots music heavily infused with the feel and sound of the beach lifestyle and music. CRESCENT SWELLS features many new artists that may not have the chance to be heard on mainstream radio. Whilst currently heard on three Australian east coast community radios, CRESCENT SWELLS can also be heard on the mixcloud streaming service found on the World Wide Web https://www.mixcloud.com/david-bell45/. It’s still early days for David’s surf music show, but with so much great music showcased, it’s not unreasonable to envision that surfers across our global surfing landscape will be tuning in en masse for an injection of audio surfing soul. Along with a discussion concerning how CRESCENT SWELLS started, David also shares how he discovered surfing and its impact on his life.

BEAU YOUNG's tribute to JOHN PECK ...

Beau Young, 2000 & 2023 World Longboard champion, joins Keith to share his heartfelt tribute to John Peck, who passed away recently at the age of 81. John gained fame within the surfing world when photographed in the early 1960's surfing Pipeline crouching low and grabbing the rail of his surfboard. It remains one of the great iconic photos of surfing. Like many surfers of that era, John embraced the counterculture's emphasis on seeking a higher consciousness free from the bind of consumerism. Turning to psychedelics, a hippie/surfer lifestyle and involvement with The Brotherhood of Eternal Love to grow his awareness, led John into a loss of freedom - but ultimately into a much healthier and natural way of living. John's renewed lifestyle and his embrace of the longboard renaissance brought him back into prominence. Plus influence, as he shared his understanding of living and surfing on a higher plane beyond the material world. Beau held John in high regard, calling him a guru, yogi, guide, inspiration and friend.

STEPHEN COONEY -

... Stephen Cooney was introduced to the surfing world as Steve Cooney, the very young surfer who mesmerized us all in the seminal surf movie MORNING OF THE EARTH. Very few, if any of us, will ever forget the footage of his surfing those amazing Uluwatu waves. But of course, there is so much more to Stephen than that young grommet streaking across perfect Bali waves. Some of which is shared in his recently published book UNEARTHED - The story of one kid's surf Journey. And it's been quite a journey, that's for sure. Stephen started surfing early, surrounded by some of Sydney's greats, including Nat Young, David "Baddy" Treloar and his older brother Butch. After the release of MORNING OF THE EARTH, Stephen spent years working for TRACKS magazine and in publishing. Many photographs from those surfing years are featured in his memoir - hence the title UNEARTHED. The book can be purchased online via Cyclops Productions. See the link below:

https://www.cyclopsproductions.com.au/shop/p/unearthed-the-story-of-one-kids-surf-journey

DEREK CRISP -

... Not many surfers have been caught trying to hijack a submarine for a joyride. Nor be counted amongst the first surfboard manufacturers on New South Wales's Mid North Coast, open one of its first surf shops, along with running a marlin fishing charter boat in far north Queensland for Hollywood stars. Plus a career as a publican for one of central Queensland's largest pubs, but 90-year-old Derek Crisp can - and more. He only made about 50 boards back in the day, but that was all part of Derek's big life. While the many decades have now slowed and mellowed him, he's rightly remembered around Port Macquarie as the Godfather of local surfing. When surfboard riding took off in Port in the late 1960's and 70's Derek was right there making sure those first surfers had everything they needed to paddle out.

JOHN BRASEN -

... John is the editor and publisher of Australia's premier longboard magazine, PACIFIC LONGBOARDER. The long-standing magazine's byline is: For The Love of Surfing. Any conversation with John makes it evident that his life is one defined by the love of surfing - so choosing that byline for his magazine wouldn't have been that hard. And it is John's magazine, well, to be more exact, John's and his wife Sharon's. PACIFIC LONGBOARDER is not owned by a large publishing corporation that has a surfing magazine in its "lifestyle" portfolio. It is proudly the Brasen's magazine and it's proudly very much a surfing magazine - and that shows. Each edition is loaded with photos, profiles, news, articles and updates of what's happening in the longboard scene, pretty much globally. Nowadays with so many women riding longboards they are well represented in PLB just as much as the men. John is a Woolgoolga guy from New South Wales' mid north coast, a small coastal town with solid local values that shine through in this episode. Just like his magazine.

www.pacificlongboarder.com

THE AUDACIOUS SURF TALES OF VLADIMIR BORIS WAXANOV - Stories 7 & 8

...Finally, some good news, Vladimir has surfaced - well, sort of. He has been talking with his sister, Olga, whom Keith has also been talking to, so the relayed message is that he is fine, but he does have to lay low for a while. Without revealing his location, all he would say is that he is in the "Stans" somewhere. Either Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan. Plus, he has been listening to the SURF TOWN interviews, which he loves - and the reading of his short stories, which of course he's stoked about. Keep going, Keithovich he relayed. So here is a double dose of his audacious tales, both laced with a decent dose of Aussie irreverence. Oh, and Olga is pregnant with twin boys who are going to be called Caesar and Napoleon. As you do ....