"Westerly has been living in public housing on Australia’s Gold Coast. She is alone, poor, and often taunted by her neighbours.”
Fifty-five years ago, Peter Drouyn was the best surfer in Australia, better even, than the icon Nat Young. But how do you want to say it? Drouyn was, by nearly all accounts, an asshole swollen by ego and torn apart inside an infinite sense of injustice.
But then,
“In 2002, Peter suffered a traumatic surfing accident that nearly drowned him. Not long after, Peter’s feminine side fully emerged. ‘It was a supernova,’ said Westerly. ‘It just kicked in one night, and suddenly Peter went, Westerly was there.’
Six years later,
“Peter Drouyn announced on Australian national television that he was living as a woman. His new name, she said, was Westerly Windina. Since then, Westerly has been living in public housing on Australia’s Gold Coast. Her life is not easy. She is alone, poor, and often taunted by her neighbours.”
Now that’s a story, right? Surf hunk to showgirl!
Now, and after so much ado I’d forgotten about it, almost a dozen “epic” years, the documentary of Westerly’s journey, including her flight to south-east Asia for gender reassignment surgery, is just about to light up screens.
The Life and Death of Westerly Windina premieres on October 19 at the Palace Theatre in Byron Bay as part of the Byron Bay International Film Festival.
As an addendum to all this, I interviewed Drouyn a couple of times and found a delightful egoist preparing, it seemed at the time, for his greatest performance. At one point, he confided in me when I asked him about the time he posed nude for a women’s mag that his balls were so big, like basketballs he said, that he could sit on them.
Little did I know!
Wrong
Pffft
empathetic now?
How did it feel when your balls were cut off and panties actually fit?
The craziest part… Is that “Peter” is another name for penis.
Very thought provoking
Nice! From one of my top 50 favorite LPs of all time.
my use of confusion does not apply to all but there are certainly people who from birth who struggle in their environment to be accepted as equals…..constant evolution of our civilization is an adventure in itself…..God is the only real judge!
good one with the SWT…..but with small 1/4 squash tail ..no break and if they do easy to fix and you don’t have to reshape the tail….and I think based on being towed behind a jetski at speed, with Pintails/roundtail/squash /Swallow…and then the SWAT….the turbulence that comes off the tails is quite amazing to see….the SWAT looks the prettiest…now there’s some Tech,LOL
Found some good sci-fi. Vintage hardcovers from the 50s. Should be able to fit in my carry-ons. Sometimes on buying trips, I’ll ship a box home. Gets there in a few days. Would be fun to meet up someday.
Nah, stayed in East Bay. Mrs. Occ wasn’t feeling great. Did some book shopping at Moe’s in Berkeley. Driving to Santa Cruz tomorrow.
Having a few friends who’ve transitioned, I quite agree. Certainly a lesson in acceptance. As it’s said, true friendship is unconditional.
yeah I get it , I knew peter quite well had a few adventures , have been surrounded by gay people my whole life , including surfers etc…..I feel for their confusion, do not pass judgement, or try not to.
Being taunted by the neighbours seems a small price to pay for cutting off your schlong ?
It eventually always blows onshore….
Excellent book, looking forward to the grand finale on film, well done brisick for staying the journey.
damn interesting story,,,as peter was a pretty fiery guy in and out of the water , lived in a time when he was considered an excentric genius…….then he went down anther part of life , balls and all…..pun intended……was sad to watch him outside the Surfing awards thingy……seemed like he had the plague…….anyhow nice to see australia’s white colonialist scam called Surfing Australia…at least let him in!
Thumbs up for calling out Surf Australia only surf life saving oz is a bigger bunch of white middle class beach nazies.
nah wait till you see what SA has done to the Koori’s…promises , promises and more broken promises…and the diverted budgets etc…..not sure if the clubbies even pretend to let blackfellas into their sect…..
Great point
Braindead, yes.
My buddy’s PTSD is on a level that even I can’t comprehend. It happened in Afghanistan, I can’t say where/when/what. Let’s just say, it’s probably 3rd level of hell what he and (_____) went thru. Well, he can’t shake it. He has moments when he’s talking to you, and he just breaks down and starts crying. It doesn’t happen unless it’s somebody visiting him that was there. I’ve lost my ability to cry, so I’m able to still visit him. Others, can’t spend more than 30 minutes with him because they break down and ball. It’s heart wrenching.
Some weak pos crying about mutilating their genitals, should be in an institution for the mentally f ill! Not among us fawning pity on it, because it’s retarded.
“Westerly” has since detransitioned and is now back to being Peter.
Actually detransitioned years ago…
Why has the surf media avoided talking about that?
https://www.instagram.com/drouynpeter?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
As per the name of the documentary then.
So not only can a man be a woman and then be a man again. They can be alive then dead, when still alive!!!
What a time to be alive/dead/ woman/ man!!!!
Ayyyyye here he is!!
Xox
Imagine if every pro male surfer who suffered a surfing accident became a woman. The lure of women’s surfing may not be so attractive for Sacha and others planning that route to fame and glory. Re-Reassignment would become a thing though.
Oh yeah, become a chick to surf contests at shitty beach beaks for free T-shirts and leashes.
The threat is real.
Maybe true. But not gonna work in the future location of pro surfing in Abu Dhabi and other Middle Eastern destinations. Where lay days are not acceptable in any form or shape.
Just sayin’
Sometimes massive balls are a medical problem due to some sort of trauma. Hydrocele.
And… are ladies really interested so much in the size of Teh Balz, as much as The Old Chap?
I downvoted because swollen balls 😥
Thinking of dem nips, I wonder if you can have balls that look too close together?
We all want a happy little pretty girl as a friend… don’t go changing THATS DEMONIC!We all want a happy little pretty girl as a friend… don’t go changing THATS DEMONIC!