Koori MUA Challenge Surf Comp

Date: 28 September 2001

Koori & MUA surfers stage dramatic protest
in defence of our coastline, sand, sea & surf

THE Koori-MUA Challenge surfing contest will kick off on Port Kembla Beach tomorrow morning (Saturday, September 29) at 8am followed by traditional Aboriginal welcoming dances & the now traditional MUA oily protest.

MUA surfers Gary Colwell and Dave Williams are covering themselves in 'oil' to show the world how a shipping disaster would impact on our beaches.

Over 100 surfers, including top professionals Koori shortboard champ Paul Evans, local champ, wharfie Luke Doering, Koori longboard champ Tom Avery and WA state champ Ken Dann are competing in the two day event which will break at 10am for Aunty Mary from ATSIC and MUA branch secretary Mark Armstrong to officially welcome visitors. The speeches are followed Koori dances and the dramatic protest by surfers Gary and Dave who will emerge from the waves covered in slick.

"Who of us has forgotten the Gigi2 which broke up in port here back in November, 1996, nearly killing two men," said Mark Armstrong. "Or the Bunga Teratai that was stuck on our Great Barrier Reef only last year, or the Kirki oil tanker which broke up off the west coast in 1991 almost wiping out every beach and cray fishing area for hundreds of miles. Yet substandard foreign ships are getting permits to trade on our coast over the internet without an inspection. The federal government issues permits like confetti. It's a scandal."

The union hopes the dramatic images of the Kirki and Gigi disasters, the oily protest and the surfers covered in slick will combine to bring home to Australians the threat substandard shipping poses to our beaches.

"As an Indigenous Australian and Professional Surfer, I support the MUA in keeping our oceans clean around Australia," said Paul Evans.

The MUA and the International Transport Workers' Federation are sponsoring the event is under the banner 'slick,slap, slop don't let this happen to your beach, ships of shame - oil spills, pollution, people smuggling'. It is also timed to coincide with World Maritime Day.

Other sponsors are Surfing Australia, NSW Sports and Recreation, Win TV and ATSIC.

Contacts: Mark Armstrong, MUA Branch Secretary, mobile: 0419 693346
Zoe Reynolds, MUA media mobile: 0417 229873
Mick Williams, Surfing Australia event director (MUA),
mobile: 0417 247787

For further information

Contact:	Zoe Reynolds
Union:	Maritime Union of Australia
Phone:	0417 229873
WWW:	http://mua.tcp.net.au/

LaborNET is proudly created, designed and programmed
by Social Change Online for the Labor Council of NSW
[Credits] [Site Matters]