Koby Abberton

Koby Abberton
Born	Koby Abberton

Koby Abberton (sometimes credited as the Son of Beaches) was born in Maroubra beach, Sydney, Australia and is an Australian professional surfer best known for his high profile surfing career, as the face of Oately surfwear and his inclusion in the legal battle surrounding his brother, Jai Abberton, who was accused of killing notorious thug Anthony Hines in 2003.

Biography

Early Life

Koby Abberton was born in Maroubra beach in Sydney, Australia to a heroin addicted mother and a criminally inclined father (who was not his biological father but instead his mother's boyfriend), living 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 three children and brother to Jai Abberton and Sunny Abberton, both surfers.

Bra Boys

Australia's infamous Bra Boys are a nationally and internationally known group of close-knit friends bound by their love of surfing and similar residential locality. Often the center of negative Australian press and the assumed (sometimes factual) blame for local crime and bad social behavior, the Bra Boys insist they are not a "gang" in the typical sense of the word and are instead a potentially well known group of friends made up of some otherwise recognized members including all three Abberton brothers and a string of Rugby League players and other fellow surfers.

Bra Boys Documentary

Abberton is also well known for the autobiographical documentary "Bra Boys" narrated by actor Russell Crowe which detailed the lives of infamous Australian gang the "Bra Boys" and aired nationally in Australian cinemas.

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 jail. 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 enviornment. The Foundation attempts to supress the prevelance of "lost children in broken-homes" and promotes a solace for those who may otherwise resort to drug dependancy and criminal activity as a result of their environment.

MyBrothersKeeper/MBK Clothing

Inspired by the friendship and brotherhood codes instilled by the Bra Boys, the Abberton brothers created a clothing line to reflect the importance of solid bands between friends and family entitled MyBrothersKeeper Clothing, sometimes referred to as MBK Clothing.

MyBrothersKeeper is a reference to the unspoken motto of the Bra Boys and can be somewhat translated as the unconditional love, respect and support of those close to you regardless of race, gender and age.

'Official members' of the Bra Boys gang such as Koby often have the MyBrothersKeeper slogan permanently tattooed on their bodies, however the tattoos are not a reflection of the clothing line as the clothing line is infact a reflection of the Bra Boys themselves and their moral and ethical codes of friendship.

Members of the Bra Boys and those who have purchased items from the MyBrothersKeeper clothing range are often referred to by the Bra Boys as MBK Soldiers.

Personal Life

Romantic Relationships

In the past, Abberton has dated actress Eliska Amor and socialite Paris Hilton.

Currently, Abberton is dating Australian surf model and aspiring actress Tahyna Tozzi.

Controversy

Accessory after the fact to the murder of Anthony Hines

In 2003, Abberton became entangled in a court case resulting from the death of a notorious Sydney underworld figure Anthony Hines. His older brother, Jai Abberton was acquitted of the murder early in 2003 even though he admitted to shooting Hines. Despite his brother's acquittal of criminal charges, Koby Abberton still faced a set of criminal charges and the prospect of jail, as police had charged him with hindering their investigations.

During this time, Abberton faced the loss of a string of lucrative sponsorship deals he had contracted through his professional surfing career. Appearing in court on August 5th of 2003 on three counts of false statements to police, Koby pleaded not guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder but changed his plea to 'guilty' when in court a second time on March 21st of 2004.

On November 24th, Koby was found guilty of perverting the course of justice by NSW District Court Acting Judge Brian Boulten who continured Abberton's bail on the condition he surrendered his passport.

Following his sentencing in which Abberton received a 9 month suspended jail sentence, Koby Abberton channeled his attention towards the Abberton brother's charity, The Mavis Abberton Foudation, inspired by the Abberton brothers Grandmother, Mavis Abberton.

Following brother Jai Abberton's criminal investigation and Koby's suspected personal involvement in the murder of Anthony Hines, surfing sponsor and surfwear giant Oately stuck by their sponsored surfer. Abberton once again secured his already established $300,000 a year endorsement deal with the company.

2005 racially motivated Cronulla Beach riots

The Abberton brothers and numerous members of their notorious 'surf gang' received negative press in Australian news and entertainment publications following the racially charged 2005 Cronulla riots originating between opposing ethnic mobs on Cronulla beach in Sydney, Australia, motivating 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 Middle Eastern youths from the suburbs of Western Sydney.

The Abberton brothers and infamous "Bra Boys" were labeled as playing 'catalyst' to the riots with Koby Abberton singled out as the main culprit. Later, Abberton dispute the claims he had attempted to fuel the riots, going on to tell The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper that he was "ashamed to be Australian that day" and had attempted, alongside his brothers and other Bra Boys to deflect and supress the racially charged riots.

External Links

• Koby Abberton on MySpace
• MyBrothersKeeper Clothing Official Merchandise Website
• Koby Abberton on the Internet Movie Database