Bra Boys

The Bra Boys are a gang centred on surf culture, founded and based in Maroubra, an eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales in the 1990s. The gang has gained notoriety through violence and alleged links to organised crime, as well as some community activism. The Bra Boys achieved national and international media attention in 2007 with the release of a feature-length documentary entitled Bra Boys: Blood Is Thicker than Water, written and directed by members of the group, and narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe.[1]

Origins

The Bra Boys are held together by surfing as well as community ties to the Maroubra area.[2] The group is often linked with the Maroubra Surfers Association, with which a number of its members are associated. In an interview on Triple J radio, Koby Abberton pointed out that "Bra" is a reference to the gang's suburb, Maroubra,[3] and partly after the street slang for brother.[1] Some members of the gang tattoo "My Brother's Keeper" across the front of their chest,[4] "Bra Boys" and Maroubra's postcode "2035" on their backs.

With a reputation of being territorial, the group is known to have taken control of a Sydney reef break, known as 'Cape Solander', located in Kurnell, and renaming the break 'Ours'.[1] In July 2007, The Sydney Morning Herald reported an altercation that took place between professional bodyboarder Mitch Rawlins and a group of several Bra Boys members, including Koby Abberton. Rawlins was allegedly approached by a Bra Boy member and told to "fuck off". It is believed an argument broke out and then turned physical with Rawlins being punched in the head. A spokesman for the Bra Boys confirmed there had been "some sort of small incident" but denied any major violence.[5]

Notoriety and violence

Prominent Bra Boys members include rugby league players Reni Maitua, John Sutton, as well as the Abberton brothers, Sunny, Jai, Dakota, and Koby, with the last being the most notorious of the brothers.[6]

Criminal matters

In late 2002, around 160 members of the gang attending a birthday party at the Coogee-Randwick RSL Club were involved in a brawl with off-duty Waverley police officers leaving a Christmas party on the same premises. News reports numbered the combatants in the incident at around 120, with 30 police officers left injured after the event.[7]

In 2005, Jai Abberton was acquitted of the 2003 murder of stand-over man Anthony 'Tony' Hines.[8] However, his brother Koby was handed a suspended nine-month jail sentence after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice with regards to the same matter.[9][10]

In November 2008, Koby Abberton was jailed for three days by a US court after being found guilty of assaulting an off-duty police officer in a fight outside a nightclub in Honolulu, Hawaii.[6]

In November 2009 Jai Abberton was jailed for eight months for breaching a good behaviour bond.[11]

In 2009 a syndicate with alleged links to members of the Bra Boys were caught smuggling cocaine following interceptions of conversations dating back to 1997. It was alleged that syndicate members were granted security passes to restricted areas within Sydney Airport, bypassing Australian Customs, that enabled them to smuggle prohibited narcotics from Los Angeles concealed in on-board catering refuse.[12]

2005 Cronulla race riots

In the lead up to the 2005 Cronulla riots in Cronulla, Koby Abberton spoke to The Daily Telegraph about the assault of a lifeguard that sparked the incident, claiming:

"The reason why it's not happening at Maroubra is because of the Bra Boys. Girls go to Cronulla, Bondi, everywhere else in Sydney and get harassed, but they come to Maroubra and nothing happens to them. I read all this stuff about kids getting harassed because they want to have a surf and I say 'are you kidding?' The beach should be for Aussie kids. But if you want to go to beaches and act tough in groups you better be able to back it up. If these fellas come out to Maroubra and start something they know it's going to be on, so they stay away."[13]

Members of the Bra Boys joined in the racial violence when the riots spread to Maroubra soon afterwards.[14] Afterwards the Abberton brothers then held a joint media conference with members the Comanchero Motorcycle Club (a bikie gang, who include many Lebanese as their members) to help ease tensions, declaring peace.[15] "I think that this is the start, the boys have agreed to come down and talk to us, to start some dialogue between the groups, you know, to try and ease some tension", said Sunny Abberton in a group interview on The 7.30 Report.[16]

General community activism

In August 2005, the Bra Boys led a 100-person non-violent protest against plans by Randwick Council to introduce parking meters near the local beaches.[17]

MBK Clothing

Inspired by the friendship and brotherhood codes instilled by the Bra Boys, the Abberton brothers created a clothing line entitled MyBrothersKeeper Clothing.

Documentary

A 90-minute documentary film about the surf gang entitled Bra Boys: Blood is Thicker than Water premiered in Sydney on 7 March 2007 and was released on 15 March 2007. The film details a story of the Bra Boys from the viewpoint of the gang, particularly the Abbertons. Sunny Abberton wrote and co-directed the film with Macario De Souza. Actor Russell Crowe provided narration. The film's official cast included 49 well-known surfers from Bra Boys members Evan Faulks and Richie 'Vas' Vaculik to eleven-time world champion Kelly Slater[18] and surfing legends including Mark Occhilupo, Bruce Irons, and Laird Hamilton.[19]

Australian reviewer Margaret Pomeranz gave the movie an overall positive review, while her At the Movies co-host David Stratton criticised Sunny's amateurish direction and questioned how objective a documentary can be when it is directed by its subject.[20]

The documentary became Australia's highest-grossing non-IMAX documentary film[21] and won the Best Documentary at the 2008 Movie EXTRA Filmink Awards.[22] The movie saw a limited release in the United States that began on 11 April 2008 in 23 select locations in Southern California, New York and Hawaii.[19] The film was distributed in Australia by Hopscotch Films and internationally by boutique distributor Berkela Films.[23] The film was released on DVD on 16 August 2007 with extras including the documentary The Making of Bra Boys, extended surfing footage, coverage of the film's premiere, history of Australian surf culture, a fitness program presented by one of the Bra Boys, and music videos.[24]

The Bra Boys were made the subject of satire by The Chaser's War on Everything, episode 29, aired on 11 April 2007.[25] In the skit Julian Morrow approached gang members while wearing a pill-filled brassiere and sporting a tattoo similar to Koby Abberton's saying "mybrothersalibi". A gang member responded by slipping off one of his thong sandals and flinging it at Morrow.

Long-running Australian television soap opera Home and Away has produced a thinly veiled reference to the Bra Boys in the fictional storyline of "the River Boys" that was broadcast in Australia commencing 16 February 2011.[26]

The 2011 Chris Lilley mockumentary Angry Boys featured fictional surf gangs the Mucca Mad Boys and the Fennel Hell Men, which have been described as similar to the Bra Boys.[27][28]

gollark: That probably works best in advanced, functional economies like the ones you won't have after an apocalypse.
gollark: There are probably ways to keep them in line as long as you don't do anything horribly egregious.
gollark: They might complain and rebel.
gollark: You could have them make food if conditions allow it, but then you have to defend the land and it's inconvenient.
gollark: But you have to feed them and such, and that's inconvenient.

References
  1. Marks, Kathy (19 March 2007). "Sydney's notorious surf gang turns tide of violence into big-screen adulation". The Independent. United Kingdom. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  2. Carroll, Nick (9 March 2007). "Bra Boys World Film Premier in Sydney, Australia - Movie review". Surfing Magazine. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  3. Warhurst, Myf; Whalley, Jason; McDougall, Lindsay (7 May 2007). "Myf, Jay and the Doctor: Interview with Koby Abberton". Triple J (radio). Australia.
  4. Minion, Lynne (8 August 2009). "Brothers in Arms" (PDF). Canberra Times. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  5. Gilmore, Heath (15 July 2007). "Bra Boys say it's Ours and we'll fight for it". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  6. Hellard, Peta (21 November 2008). "Guilty Bra Boy Koby Abberton in Honolulu jail for three days". The Daily Telegraph. Australia.
  7. Kennedy, Les (24 December 2002). "Night the thin blue line ran into the Maroubra stomp". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  8. Wallace, Natasha (6 May 2005). "Surf gang member cleared of standover man's murder". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  9. "Bra Boys: The often maligned surf brotherhood's new movie". Surfer Magazine. 22 July 2010.
  10. Jones, Caroline (7 November 2005). "Sons of beaches". Australian Story. Australia. Archived from the original (transcript) on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  11. "Jail for Bra Boy Jai Abberton, Pussycat Doll Melody Jail for Bra Boy Jai Abberton, Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton dines with Sonny and Koby Abberton". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. 12 November 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  12. McKenzie, Nick (24 September 2009). "Cocaine gang had security clearance". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  13. McIlveen, Luke (9 December 2005). "A beast surfaces". The Daily Telegraph. Australia.
  14. Kennedy, Les (12 December 2005). "Race riots spread to suburbs". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  15. Silkstone, Dan (14 December 2005). "When two tribes go to war: a culture clash". The Age. Australia. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  16. Harley, Jonathan (13 December 2005). "Emergency powers to crack down on riots". The 7.30 Report. Australia. Archived from the original (transcript) on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  17. Cuming, Angela; Munro, Catharine (7 August 2005). "Rage over 7000 meters for beaches". The Sun-Herald. Australia. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  18. Howard, Jake. "Kelly Slater wins his 10th world title". ESPN Action Sports. United States. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
  19. "Bra Boys". Internet Movie Database. Amazon.com. 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  20. Pomeranz, Margaret; Stratton, David (14 March 2007). "Bra Boys". At the Movies. Australia. Archived from the original on 25 August 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  21. "Bra Boys breaks box office record". ABC News. Australia. 27 March 2007. Archived from the original on 8 December 2007.
  22. "'Bra Boys:' Best Documentary at Movie EXTRA Awards". Transworld Skateboarding. United States. 17 March 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  23. "Bra Boys: Blood is Thicker than Water". Berkela Films. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  24. Idato, Michael (27 August 2007). "Bra Boys - DVD review". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  25. "The Chaser vs. The Bra Boys - Hilarious Gags". The Chaser. Australia. 11 April 2007. Archived from the original (video) on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  26. Casamento, Jo (6 February 2011). "Bra Boys amused by Home and Away homage". The Sun-Herald. Australia. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  27. Quinn, Karl. "Angry Boys: Bold, smart, aggressive but not very funny. Yet".
  28. http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/lilley-keeps-his-feet-on-the-ground/story-fn6ck8la-1226032456574

Further reading
  • Doherty, Sean (2009). The Official Bra Boys Story: My Brothers Keeper (paperback). Harper Collins. p. 512. ISBN 978-0-7322-8554-8.
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