RipCurl and their millions and their accountants

[Larry]

I've heard from impeccable sources that RIPCURL have asked the very early winners of Bells to be at an event later this month where they will be presented with a trophy bell - No doubt the corporation will segue the presentations into some type of marketing campaign later - However it seems as though the old boys will only get their bell if they stump up the fare and accommodation costs themselves.

This is good tightarse corporation budgetting, because, as we all know, you only get to have hundreds of millions if you don't give any away - to other people.

Well done RIPCURL, pity about the ill feeling you have created amongst some - and good luck in getting Conneely to fly himself over from Margaret River for a belated gong.

[g_u_m_b_y]

they did that last year or the year before.

[mustkillmulloway]

i see your point laz....but ALOT surfers make there own $$$ out there old victorys /profiles

and last i saw...rip curl was a listed company not a charity

so if they can't afford go......why give a fig :?

[Larry]

fair enough Fong, but some of these old boys are looking at a 70th birthday coming soon, others have copped a fair hiding from cancer, others live way out behind the line - I'm just imagining the goodwill and relevance Ripcurl probably hope to engender when they wheel these old lads up onto the stage and present them with a bell that probably cost them about $25 to make.

In times when much larger global corps (like Nike) are looking to get their brand on professional surfers, the older more established ones (like Ripcurl) are digging down as deep as they can to establish unbeatable roots in the sport.


anyhow, that's my take - being a non-logo kind of person

[BA]

Poor old Rip Curl. Can't see their way to putting up $100 odd bucks for a Jet Star flight into Geelong and a night at the caravan park. Poor buggers must be doing it tough.

I better go to the Manly shop and buy some gear to help them out.

[getxo]

Larry, I'm a bit of a fence sitter - never a good long term position - on the issue of whether these surf industries have delivered relatively cheap quality product and should therefore get credit where it is due, or whether they need a kick in the arse for their lack of vision and corporate responsibility activity. Anyway, perhaps a good follow up is for the Larrys and others to contact Rip Curl directly and have it out with them to establish whether your hearsay is correct and, if so, to push them to correct it. I can't see them holding out on an issue like playing tight wad with past Bells winners who ought to be subject to lavish corporate hospitality. What do you reckon?

[Larry]

That might be a little difficult to achieve getxo, we all know what happens when you ring a large company with a beef, it's a nice way to meet ladies if you can get past the answering system - but the chances of anyone there putting their hand up on the issue are pretty small - these places are about the only way we have of putting theses issues across - with the risk of all the young stirrers here getting involved and turning the thread into a smartarse contest ( go away you blokes, ... don't come in yet!)

No doubt there are some cubists at Ripcurl who come by here from time to time - but what sort of money would you put on them asking the boss to read this sort of criticism -

I just don't buy their stuff, ever.

[WANDERER]

Coneely is still alive

[WANDERER]

anyhow, that's my take - being a non-logo kind of person

no frills?

[Larry]

Bonza Bob is alive and well and renting rooms at Margaret River, there is a website somewhere and I've heard that its a nice spot, close to that secret spot over there.

[2nd Reef]

Coneely is still alive

He had a big spread in The Australian Surfers Journal back when it was in print. Think Jimmy O'Keefe wrote it. Always seemed to be the bridesmaid did Bonza, but after reading the story I'd consider him to have lived a blessed life.

Opening spread had a shot of him in the throat of a f*cken massive wave at Boat Ramp Bomby taken just a year or so earlier. He would've been over 50. Seriously Wands I'm talking 15-20 feet. No tow-in either.

[WANDERER]

Coneely is still alive

He had a big spread in The Australian Surfers Journal back when it was in print. Think Jimmy O'Keefe wrote it. Always seemed to be the bridesmaid did Bonza, but after reading the story I'd consider him to have lived a blessed life.

Opening spread had a shot of him in the throat of a f*cken massive wave at Boat Ramp Bomby taken just a year or so earlier. He would've been over 50. Seriously Wands I'm talking 15-20 feet. No tow-in either.

I remember reading something in the last two years (think the story was titled 'a life in the sun' or something similar) at that stage he had some issues with melanoma.

[2nd Reef]

Yep, that was it. Great read.

Haven't heard anything since then. Guess Laz would know.

[Larry]

A million years ago at Bondi, when we were all as young as you blokes, young Bob thought he might try an upside down take-off, fin up!

The plan was to paddle with the fin in front of your face, but Bob had it the other way around and there was an event that still has him buying drinks for anyone who can button him down in the pub.

Seems everything slipped on take-off and the fin did a handsome little number on his testicular handbag - ripped a nice gouge there - then the nurse had all the problems in the world trying to bandage the thing up.

laugh ?? ... we never stopped.

[spook]

instead of whingeing about this, why don't you do something - call up some surf rags and ask em to run a story.
failing that, try and get some letters published. you seem to know what's going one behind the scenes so why not try and get your point across?

or you could just not bother cos it's all too hard

[Larry]

Go away spook - you are a bothersome person

[ric_vidal]

So what are we talking here Laz. 36 year history of the event. How many past winners, how many one it multiple times. Say 30 individuals?

$25 trophy? You haven’t bought a trophy in a while?

Airfares, accomm for a couple of nights, piss-up at $100 a head.

Reckon $20-30k should cover it. You’re right they can afford it.

[BA]

instead of whingeing about this, why don't you do something - call up some surf rags and ask em to run a story.
failing that, try and get some letters published. you seem to know what's going one behind the scenes so why not try and get your point across?

or you could just not bother cos it's all too hard

Or he could post it on a website that probably gets a 1000 hits a day and is probably read by some in the industry.

Oh, hang on.