"It’s destructive, it’s likely to suffer wear and tear and depending on how subtle it is it may not be noticed at all!"
We live in charged times, as you know, but statues, or other public art, celebrating important surf figures have mainly been spared from wild polarization. Those both left and right appreciate the Duke Kahanamoku monument there fronting Waikiki and also the Kelly Slater one in Cocoa Beach. Yes, notable surf figure statues have a way of bringing us all together, or rather did until somebody carved an image of Bernard “Midget” Farrelly into a Sydney rock thereby breaking all hell loose.
But let us sally forth to Palm Beach where sides are dug in and dug in deep.
The piece setting everyone off was commissioned by Northern Beaches Council and produced by local stonemason Newton Bishop after “lobbying from the Midget Farrelly Recognition Committee (MFRC).
Beautiful though some are calling it vandalism. A rage-filled mob descended upon the a shire forum, spewing things like, “Whilst my wife and I both support the idea of a sculpture commemorating Midget Farrelly, we are totally against defacing the rock. We believe this would be an act of vandalism to a natural rock which itself is a Palm Beach icon.”
And also, “I agree that Midget Farrelly should be recognised at Palm Beach, but carving a statue into the natural environment doesn’t seem the right way to do it. It’s destructive, it’s likely to suffer wear and tear and depending on how subtle it is it may not be noticed at all! Surely a sculpture/statue etc next to Black Rock would be a more appropriate memorial?”
The council tried to ameliorate the populace by declaring, “(The tribute proposal) is supported by world champions Kelly Slater, Layne Beachley, Tom Carroll and Barton Lynch.
A who’s who, for certain, but tensions remain extremely high as none of the above are artists or environmentalists (save Lynch of course).
Where do you fall on the matter? Yay or nay?
Ready… fight!
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It won’t last. Erosion will quicky turn it into a blobby mess.
It doesn’t look that good
Whenever someone steps out and actually creates something, you’ll get 100 lazy ass people who suddenly emerge from clouds of pot smoke and bitch about it. Then they go back to doing nothing again.
That’s what I think.
Cunts been defacing rocks since the stone age what’s the big deal.
Carve some meth head cunt with a knife next to him and you’ve got true contemporary Australian art.
In Australia carving beautiful art into a rock is vandalism, until some drunken bogan draws a dick on it. Then it’s art.
Somebody get Andy C. a sharpie.
Australia should add three more surfers and thus create the Australian Mt Rushmore!
I propose:
wobbly drunk Mick Fanning
Fat Occy
And Ross Clarke Jones*
*Ross Clark Jones not be a likeness but the actual Ross Clarke Jones, in a perpetual state of ketamine paralysis.
Or I dunno, your three add ons maybe?
Just put Nat Young up front, blocking out the others identity.
Where’s Tyler Wright?
heading the tear it down committee?
Well, you know, her opinions are IMPORTANT!
If an Australian hick high school dropout who, at 30, has done nothing but surf for her whole life, can’t tell us exactly how to think and what we should do in every corner of life, then I don’t know who could!
Kel is already putting in plans for a mausoleum in Cocoa Beach.
Who the fuk goes to Palmy anyway.
Bus loads of home and away tourists and thats about it.
A small plaque in the Bayside Diner would keep Alf and Ailsa Stewart happy.
Or they could do it at Yabby Creek instead!
Alf needs to be on the rock givin Midg an earful
Blood and Sand #riverboyz4life
I am loath to admit understanding this reference.
🤣
these whiners would’ve complained about the Egyptian hieroglyphics
surf like an Egyptian!
Fuck you, now I have to find another song to displace that in my head.
You’re welcome 🙂
Your stare was holdin’
Ripped jeans, skin was showin’
Hot night, wind was blowin’
Where you think you’re going, baby?
You know that fits the tune of Cities in Dust by Siouxsie and the Banshees?
whingers—Aussies and Kiwis whinge. It’s a special kind of complaining wholly different from whining, and it’s of a kind and nature which only those whinging shackle draggers can perform.
Have a whinge why dontcha!!
Is it a portmanteau of “whine” and “minge”?
What does whinging actually sound like?
Ha! whining about whinging!
I always thought he was a bit of Rock Spider
Midget get my rocks off! Wait, those words came out in the wrong order.
Getting my rocks off to midgets
Pinned in my world