The latest addition to my “Portraits of Surfers” series, this time featuring Matty Mason (@mattymason66 ).
I first met Matty a loooong time ago—maybe 1989 or 1990(?)—in the water at Cayton Bay, which, by pure chance, is where this portrait was taken. I distinctly remember him (and his omnipresent partner in crime, Coxy) being the loudest and proudest in the water, and by some margin. Also—and I could be wrong about this—but I seem to recall Matty wearing the brightest coloured wetty I’d ever set eyes on … and there were a lot of brightly coloured wettys at that time. Fast forward a few decades and Matty is still a regular fixture in the line-up (as too is Coxy) … and he’s an absolute legend.
Shot on a cold spring day during the judging of the Champfest surf contest. Thanks for the portrait, Matty.
#portraitsofsurfers
Champfest ‘26: surf comp / party / gathering of friends … in memory of our late friend and NE local surfing icon, Champ who we very sadly lost late last year. It would have blown his mind to see everyone come together just for him, and he’d have LOVED the comp too. What a great weekend. Thanks everyone for coming, and an extra thank you to those who put the extra hours in to organise. What a fantastic community we have. We’re very lucky.
Love ya, Champ. x
Dad, you were the best. The best at sailing, navigating, and reading tides. The best at laughing. The best at not being able to sing a note. The best at woodwork and varnishing. The best at posing for the camera. You were the best at many things as far as we’re concerned. But most of all you were the best dad / husband / grandad / great grandad that any of us could have ever hoped for.
I love you. 💔
Trevor Beckitt
16 February 1940 – 21 February 2026
Having been smothered by a blanket of anticyclonic gloom for what feels like forever, I thought I’d share an arbitrary dump from the archive, including glimpses of a time when the sun actually shone. Enjoy. ☀️
Local crew: top marks if you can guess who that is in frame 7.
