Press release from Little Hobo Project
The Yallingup Surfilm Festival will host the Australian Premiere of a film currently taking the USA film festivals by storm Gum for my Boat. The festival weekend will take place at Madfish Winery in Yallingup Western Australia from the 22-24 January. This film has inspired the unique search to find the Aussie Surfer who unbeknown to him has helped changed and shape the lives of Bengali street kids.
The title of the film Gum For My Boat was inspired by Jafar Alam (photo), known as the first surfer in Bangladesh. The local’s intrigue begged him to buy the board from a traveling Aussie surfer in Bangladesh over a decade ago. He then went about trying to teach himself to surf without proper guidance and struggling without a leash. His luck finally changed when he met Tom Bauer, the founder of the non-profit Surfing the Nations organisation who works to develop sport in underprivileged countries. Tom immediately befriended Jafar and keeping in contact through e-mails Jafar requested “Gum For My Boat”. It took Tom several weeks to realise Jafar was actually asking for ‘wax for my board’. Surfing has had an amazing impact on many of the street children’s lives as it introduces new opportunities. Please help YSF10 find the surfing traveler that started it all!
American filmmaker Russ Brownley is currently in Australia and met with Ozzie Wright to find the man that helped spread global surf culture, changing the lives of many underprivileged kids in Bangladesh.
Please see the attached photo of the first known surfboard to make tit to Bangladesh, it is a Loco Board and was shaped in Ballina NSW.
Vision available at:
http://www.coastalwatch.com/news/article.aspx?articleId=7016