Bra Boys
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by user Surferpedia
The Bra Boys are a group of surfers from the Sydney suburb of Maroubra. The group is named after the Board Riders Association (BRA) though it is often thought that it is after their suburb: "Marou-BRA." Many members of the group have "Bra Boys", "My Brother's Keeper" and Maroubra's post code "2035" tattooed on their backs.
Notoriety
Prominent members include rugby league players Reni Maitua and John Sutton, Byron Ford and Abberton brothers, Sunny, Jai and professional big wave surfing champion Koby. In May 2005 Jai was acquitted of a 2003 murder of standover man Tony Hines. Koby was handed a suspended nine month jail sentence after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice in the same matter.
In late 2002, some members of the group attending a birthday party at the Coogee-Randwick RSL Club were involved in a brawl with a large group of off-duty Waverley, New South Wales, policemen and policewomen leaving a Christmas party on the same premises.
In August 2005, the group led a protest of 100 people against parking meters near the local beaches.
Following the 2005 Sydney race riots, in which the group was not involved but was subsequently targeted, the Abberton brothers held well-publicised meetings with other uninvolved groups to help ease tensions. "I think that this is the start, the boys have agreed to come down and talk to us, to start some dialect between the groups, you know, to try and ease some tension", said Sunny Abberton in a group interview on The 7.30 Report.
Background
The "gang", as Bra Boys tend to be called, harks back as early as the 1960s. It is rooted in the urban history of Maroubra, a coastal suburb of Sydney, Australia.
Traditionally those in the group shared a similar demographic: low socioeconomic class, and a high unemployment rate.
Domestic violence, drug, and alcohol abuse are still commonplace today. With proximity to the coast and the glamour of the beach lifestyle, surfing and the companionship of other youth in similar situations has thus been a natural escape. However, the Bra Boys still to this day have a longstanding reputation for asserting weak standover tactics against many individuals and small groups. This intimidating behaviour (seen amongst most gangs) has not only been reported at Maroubra but also at many other surfing spots up and down Australia's east coast. It is this aspect of the Bra Boys which has earned them great disfavour amongst the majority of Australia's surfing population.
References
- Sons of Beaches, Australian Story, ABC-TV.
- Koby Abberton, Surfer Magazine.
- Night the thin blue line ran into the Maroubra stomp, Les Kennedy, Chief Police Reporter, The Sydney Morning Herald.
- Rage over 7000 meters for beaches, Angela Cuming and Catharine Munro, The Sun-Herald.
- When two tribes go to war: a culture clash, Dan Silkstone, The Age.
- Emergency powers to crack down on riots, Reporter: Jonathan Harley, The 7.30 Report, ABC-TV.
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