Koby Abberton (born 2 June 1979 in
Maroubra,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
), an
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n former professional
surfer, is a member of the Australian surf gang the
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 commun ...
. He rose to local prominence in 2006, when he was found
guilty
Guilty or The Guilty may refer to:
* Guilt (emotion), an experience that occurs when a person believes they have violated a moral standard
Law
*Culpability, the degree to which an agent can be held responsible for action or inaction
*Guilt (law) ...
of
perverting the course of justice
Perverting the course of justice is an offence committed when a person prevents justice from being served on themselves or on another party. In England and Wales it is a common law offence, carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Statu ...
in an incident surrounding his brother
Jai Abberton
Jai Abberton (born in Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra, New South Wales), an Australian former professional surfer, is a member of the Australian surf group the Bra Boys. He rose to local prominence in 2005, when he was charged but found Acqu ...
, who was charged but found
not guilty of the 2003 murder of stand-over man Anthony 'Tony' Hines.
Together with his brothers, Abberton achieved national and international 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 Bra Boys. 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
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
,
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
.
In 2021, Koby appeared on the TV show ''
SAS Australia''.
Biography and surfing career
Abberton was born in the south-eastern
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
beach-side suburb of Maroubra to a
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
-addicted mother and a criminally inclined father (who was not his biological father but instead his mother's boyfriend), living in the "housing commission capital of Sydney". Abberton states that his home birth was not a result of specified choice, but as a method of avoiding the hospital where he says his mother "knew she'd get in trouble for being on heroin". Abberton is one of four children and brother to Jai,
Sunny, and
Dakota Abberton
Dakota Abberton (born in Maroubra, New South Wales), an Australian surfer, is a member of the Australian surf gang the Bra Boys. Together with his brothers, Koby
KOBY (940 AM) was an American radio station broadcasting an Oldies format. ...
, all surfers.
Abberton describes the start of his career as the time when his "life got better." a disagreement with Abberton's mother's boyfriend, who Koby said when he got home one afternoon, chased him out of the house with a baseball bat. He then chose to re-locate to his older brother Sunny's house. Of the argument Abberton says "I just started crying. He
unny Abbertonsaid "Don't worry, just try to forget about it and put everything you've got into your surfing. That's our way out of this life," and that's when it all started." Abberton pursued his surfing career, going on to achieve sponsorship and international recognition for his abilities and achievements.
In November 2010, Abberton was announced as one of 24 alternates to the 26th Annual ''
The Eddie
"The Eddie" is a big wave surfing tournament held at Waimea Bay on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The tournament is named for native Hawaiian, champion big wave surfer, and life-saving Waimea Bay lifeguard, Eddie Aikau. Created in 1984 at nearb ...
'' at
Waimea Bay
Waimea Bay is located in Haleiwa on the North Shore of O'ahu in the Hawaiian Islands at the mouth of the Waimea River. Waimea Valley extends behind Waimea Bay. ''Waimea'' means "reddish water" in Hawaiian.
History
Captain Charles Clerke ...
, Hawaii. The event was to be held on one day, between 1 December 2010 and 28 February 2011, when waves exceed the 20-foot (6.1 metres) minimum threshold to contend for the US$98,000 prize purse.
Bra Boys and acting career
The Bra Boys are held together by
surfing
Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...
as well as community ties. 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, Abberton pointed out the "Bra" is a reference to the gang's suburb, Maroubra, and partly after the street slang for brother.
Some members of the surf tribe
tattoo
A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of tatt ...
"My Brother's Keeper" across the front of their chest.
A key motivation for Abberton to start the Bra Boys was his personal experience with heroin:
"When I was about 14, our crew started the Bra Boys, and basically started controlling the place. We said there's not going to be any heroin in Maroubra anymore, because we didn't want drugs in the place."
In 2004, Abberton starred in a 40-minute short
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...
called ''Second Thoughts'', released on video, that was directed and produced by Timmy Turner. The film was shot on location in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
and Abberton acted as himself. The film had a surfing theme.
The Abberton family were featured in a 2005 episode of
ABC TV ''
Australian Story
''Australian Story'' is a national weekly current affairs and documentary style television series which is broadcast on ABC Television. It is produced specifically by the ABC News and Current Affairs Department. The program first aired on 29 ...
'' where Abberton again performed as himself.
Abberton, together with his brothers, were featured in the autobiographical documentary entitled ''
Bra Boys: Blood is Thicker than Water'', written and co-directed by Sunny Abberton and narrated by actor
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...
. The award-winning documentary detailed the lives of the Abberton family and the Bra Boys.
Controversy
The murder of Anthony Hines
In 2003, Abberton became entangled in a court case resulting from the death of a
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
underworld figure, Anthony 'Tony' Hines. His older brother, Jai, was charged with the 2003
murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
of Hines and was acquitted 2005, claiming self-defence, even though he admitted to shooting Hines.
Appearing in court on 5 August 2003 on three counts of false statements to police, Abberton pleaded
not guilty to being an
accessory after the fact
An accessory is a person who assists in, but does not actually participate in, the commission of a crime. The distinction between an accessory and a principal is a question of fact and degree:
*The principal is the one whose acts or omissions, ...
to murder but changed his plea to guilty on 21 March 2004. Despite his brother's acquittal of criminal charges, on 24 November 2004,
NSW District Court
The District Court of New South Wales is the intermediate court in the judicial hierarchy of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a trial court and has an appellate jurisdiction. In addition, the Judges of the Court preside over a ra ...
Acting Judge Brian Boulten handed Koby Abberton a
suspended nine-month jail sentence after being found guilty of
perverting the course of justice
Perverting the course of justice is an offence committed when a person prevents justice from being served on themselves or on another party. In England and Wales it is a common law offence, carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Statu ...
in the same matter.
During the time of these criminal proceedings, Abberton lost a string of lucrative sponsorship deals he had contracted through his professional surfing career. Despite surfing sponsor and surfwear giant
Oakley initially sticking by Abberton, they later withdrew a $250,000 annual sponsorship.
Cronulla Beach riots, 2005
The Abberton brothers and numerous members of the Bra Boys received negative coverage in Australian media following the racially charged
2005 Sydney race riots originating between opposing ethnic mobs on
Cronulla
Cronulla is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Boasting numerous surf beaches and swimming spots, the suburb attracts both tourists and Greater Sydney residents. Cronulla is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney ...
beach. The negative media coverage motivated further rioting of the same racially charged nature on a string of other popular Sydney beaches, said to be an attempt to address the reported incidents of assaults and intimidatory behavior by groups of non-locals, some of whom were identified in earlier media reports as youths of
Middle Eastern
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (European ...
appearance from the suburbs of
Western Sydney
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
. In the lead up to the riots, Abberton spoke to ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'' 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."
Following the riots, in which the Bra Boys did not claim any involvement, Maroubra was the target of retaliation by Middle Eastern gangs. The Abberton brothers then held well-publicised meetings with other 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 dialogue between the groups, you know, to try and ease some tension", said Sunny Abberton in a group interview on ''
The 7.30 Report''. Koby Abberton, his brothers, and other member of the Bra Boys were labeled as playing catalyst to the riots with Abberton singled out as the main culprit. Later, Abberton disputed the claims that he had attempted to fuel the riots, going on to tell ''
The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' that he was "ashamed to be Australian that day" and had attempted, alongside his brothers and other Bra Boys to deflect and suppress the racially charged riots.
Bankruptcy and assault charges
Abberton was declared
bankrupt
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debt ...
in 2006, with debts in excess of A$1 million. These included debts of A$940,000 to the
National Australia Bank
National Australia Bank (abbreviated NAB, branded nab) is one of the four largest financial institutions in Australia (colloquially referred to as "The Big Four") in terms of market capitalisation, earnings and customers. NAB was ranked 21st-la ...
, A$150,000 to the NSW Crime Commission, and A$50,000 in legal fees relating to his unsuccessful defence to charges of perverting the course of justice.
In 2008, Abberton plead guilty to assaulting an off-duty police officer in Honolulu. He was given a three-day custodial sentence.
Other projects
The Mavis Abberton Foundation
The Mavis Abberton Foundation was set up by the Abberton brothers in an attempt to protect children of drug-dependent parents and children whose parents are in prison. The Foundation was named after the Abberton brothers' grandmother Mavis, who provided as their mother for most of their childhood while their own parents were incapable of providing a stable and guided environment. The Foundation attempts to suppress the prevalence of "lost children in broken-homes" and promotes a solace for those who may otherwise resort to drug dependency and criminal activity as a result of their environment.
In 2007, it was reported that there were plans for an exhibition
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
match to be played between members of the Bra Boys and the
Compton Cricket Club
The Compton Cricket Club (CCC), or the "Homies and the POPz", is a cricket club based in Compton, Los Angeles County, California, USA. The CCC is the only all American-born exhibition cricket team. The CCC has toured the UK four times.
The ...
(CCC), a disadvantaged cricket team made up of former gang members from south central Los Angeles, to help raise the profile of the Foundation during the CCC's inaugural tour to Australia.
MyBrothersKeeper clothing
Inspired by the friendship and brotherhood codes instilled by the Bra Boys, a clothing line to reflect the importance of solid bonds between friends and family entitled MyBrothersKeeper Clothing, sometimes referred to as MBK Clothing. Official members of the Bra Boys, including Abberton, have the "MyBrothersKeeper" slogan permanently tattooed on their bodies. Members of the Bra Boys and those who have purchased items from the clothing range are often referred to by the Bra Boys as MBK Soldiers.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Koby Abbertonon
MySpace
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abberton, Koby
Australian surfers
Living people
1979 births
People from the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney)
Criminals from Sydney
Tow-in surfers
Sportsmen from New South Wales
Male actors from Sydney
Sportspeople from Sydney