17th September, 2024
Kiama-based business Creative Kooks has repurposed 173 broken and discarded surfboards, with help from the Illawarra community.
Owner Mathew King is aiming to save 300 surfboards from landfill.
“I started Creative Kooks because I wanted to give back to the sport that I love – knowing that once a surfboard is broken, there’s not much you can do with it,” Mathew says.
The idea behind Creative Kooks came to Mathew after a rainy day at home with his daughter.
“I was a stay-at-home dad at the time and I had this old surfboard. My daughter was two at the time and I was just looking for something to do,” Mathew says.
“So we pulled out pens, and we both sat there and drew on it. I’m not an artist and she was a two-year-old toddler that was just going nuts on it – but it was enough to entertain us for an hour or so,
“I thought it was really cool, and I just decided, why not bring it to the community as well?”
Creative Kooks is available to book for ‘Riding the Wave of Sustainability’ workshops that engage participants through fun and creativity. Mathew incorporates basic yoga and mindfulness exercises, as well as balance board work to simulate the surfing experience before participants paint and draw on donated surfboards.
Mathew describes his work with early education centres, such as Big Fat Smile, as his “bread and butter”.
“It is always fun because [the children] are always stoked with what they’ve created. We really try to teach the kids that even though it’s broken, there is still a purpose for it.”
Mathew donates the repurposed surfboards to the daycares and preschools, to be displayed as artwork for parents to see.
Creative Kooks also hosts workshops for older participants at music festivals, fundraisers and other local events.
“They have the chance just to be a bit playful and creative. I think that we all as adults, kind of lose that spark,” Mathew says.
“Sometimes they haven’t drawn for a long time, so when they get the opportunity to draw on something, especially a surfboard, they drop their guard because it’s broken they don’t feel intimidated,
“If I gave him a blank piece of paper and told them to draw something, they’d probably be a bit standoffish.”
Participants can win painted surfboards from these events via a QR code. Mathew says this system ensures the boards do not go to waste.
“With a QR code, I know that someone actively wants to win it,” Mathew says.
“It’s not just a random draw where someone might win the surfboard and just throw it out later. People have to actively scan it and write their details in. So that’s enough for me to know that they actually want it.”
Initiatives such as Creative Kooks reflect an overall shift toward sustainable practices in the local area, and Mathew says every broken board counts.
“I definitely don’t ever call myself an eco-warrior or anything like that. I’m definitely not perfect.
“I’m just trying to give back to the sport that I love and I think if everyone did their small part, we’d all make huge change.
“I’m giving people an option to be able to get rid of their old boards and I’ve been pretty lucky, the community’s been so generous.”
The community can help Mathew reach his goal of 300 surfboards saved from landfill by inquiring through the Creative Kooks website. Anyone is welcome to donate broken or discarded boards, book workshops, or reach out to learn more.
