From a Windsurfing perspective - what does it mean to be Australian?

Ok this one has the potential to get emotive... hold your fire - this one has always perplexed me.

Can anyone tell me how JP Australia is Australian?

Please correct me if i am wrong:
As fas as i know there is no r and d done here.
No dollars are spent in OZ.

I dont see any aussie shots in brochures and web videos

With one notable exception - no aussies are employed by JP Australia...and he lives in Hawaii.
I am not seeing any aussie footage from the brand.
Development work is done in Hawaii and Europe.
Head office is in Europe.
One of the most successful windsurfing brands in the world.
Windsurfers in Europe (especially Germany and Poland) are household names- yet in OZ even world champs are unknown - not even b grade celebrity. And locally windsurfing has an image that barely registers on the radar - yet in Europe its prime time TV.

Before i get slaughtered on this one -this is not a stir up - reckon JP make some nice product - and i am all for a global outlook - and have no problem with world brands.
People all over the world have equal rights to employment opportunites- be it China, Thailand , Ghana or Australia.

Could it be that Australia has an idealised image overseas as being "hardcore" - an image that international brands want to tap into. And should they tap into that image without contributing to the Aussie scene to the extent that they derive their image from it?

Looking at our windsurfing culture i think we can lay claim to some "hard coreness" in wave riding - a legacy delivered by talents such as Dave SHeen,Pat Redman, Sir Polakow himself, Blair Simpson, Ty Bodycoat - absolutely incredible wave sailors.

however - with a few exceptions- our freestyle and jumping status is relatively "softcore. "

And what about racing?


To analogize the other way - we see Holden introducing their latest Commodore as euro styled (and i really really love the way they look - especially the wagons! i want one!) - do we always want something thats not from where we are... ?

Can everyone afford a product that is made in Australia?

JP Australia is a brand name.
Kentucky Fried Chicken is not all made in Kentucky.
Bondi Swimwear is not made in Bondi.
Vegemite is not an Aussie product
Aeroplane Jelly had no Aeroplanes in it
Billabong is not made nor sold in Billabongs
Uncle Tobys is not made nor owned by anyones uncle named Toby

Theer is another thread here that names Aussie manufactured brands associated with windsurfing. They are many and varied. We should rejoice in the fact that there is still a place for Aussie made and not bemoan the ones that have been lost.
Cheaper manufacturing leads to reduced costs - anecdotally at the cost of quality.

If you want to buy an aussie made board - you can
If you want to buy an aussie made sail - you can

The ball is in your court.

JB

I never actually looked closely before, but my board has "JP-Austria" written down it. WTF?

Reflex Films said...



Could it be that Australia has an idealised image overseas as being "hardcore" - an image that international brands want to tap into. And should they tap into that image without contributing to the Aussie scene to the extent that they derive their image from it?

Spot on. The one and only reason. Sad, but reality.

I agree that its criminal how guys like Polakow are virtually unknown in their own country despite being among the most talented athletes on earth (aside from sailing, what the crazy f*cker can do on a motorbike), while the general population worships sh1t-for-brain footy and cricket players who sh1t in hotel hallways (you non-east coasters are missing out on some classic sports news of late).

Gestalt said...

evlPanda said...

I never actually looked closely before, but my board has "JP-Austria" written down it. WTF?

that's funny because in austria around the tourist areas they sell a road sign with a kangaroo on it and a line diagonally through it.

the slogan is austria not australia

Another thing that is funny is that my "Never used, 2007 Naish" slalom fin looks exactly like a "Used North Shore Maui, circa ????" fin.

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing/Accessories/~rkt96/2007-Naish-Slalom-Fins.aspx

I'm debating whether I can be bothered returning it or not. My unconditional trust in other windsurfers has been broken

The current owner of the trademark JP Australia (logo) is Neil Pryde Limited 20/F YKK Building Phrase 2 No. 2 San Lik Street Tuen Mun HK. They acquired the marks from Jason Nicholas Polakow XX/XX The Esplanade, TORQUAY VIC 3228 AU by Deed of Assignment dated 1 January 2004. See:

http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/atmoss/falcon_details.show_tm_details?p_tm_number=807142&p_search_no=1&p_ExtDisp=D&p_detail=DETAILED&p_rec_no=43&p_rec_all=116

Jason applied to register the mark in 1999.

let me guess, they make.....straps?

JayBee said...

Can everyone afford a product that is made in Australia?

JP Australia is a brand name.
Kentucky Fried Chicken is not all made in Kentucky.
Bondi Swimwear is not made in Bondi.
Vegemite is not an Aussie product
Aeroplane Jelly had no Aeroplanes in it
Billabong is not made nor sold in Billabongs
Uncle Tobys is not made nor owned by anyones uncle named Toby

Gutted...I was always looking forward to visiting Electrolux so I could see where my fridge was made

Something to consider. I can only talk from my experience in the consumer electronics industry - which is more or less non-existent now (I am no longer in this industry any more). Overseas manufacturers - particularly those that come from 2nd or 3rd world countries - don't play by rules. From my experience, I've cracked open a random electronic equipment (that has compliance markings on it) and found non-compliance. If these products came from an Australian company, they would be fined into oblivion. Just consider that aussie products will cost a bit more, because those companies follow rules. I think it's in our best interests to have a diverse economy; not such uranium, cattle, tourism etc.

Many yanks here have this view that Australia is extreme and exotic - poisonous animals, the little they've seen of rugby on TV, strine, the desert and so on. But that would be difficult to tap into financially. It's only a fanciful view, doesn't mean they'll dish out $$ for that. For instance, it doesn't make them eat at the (rather daggy) Outback Steakhouse restaurants.

Ditto JP boards. I was trying to buy one in my recent round of purchases, but I buy Australian or Australian-pretending, in this case, only when the price is right. Was not the case.

I bought a Windguinity-sold (from Sydney), China-made sail many months ago, which I'll peddle in a couple of freestyle comps this year, with a fake AUS number. That's about it.

(One guy I know here in thems parts was saying that he a was a bit of an Aussie because he owned a JP board. Bit of a w*nker would be more like it.)

... then he/she said...
however - with a few exceptions- our freestyle and jumping status is relatively "softcore. "

Yes, sad. That was the subject of a thread a few months ago.

Gestalt said...

i'm extreme and exotic and i'm australian.

sorry, i couldn't resist that one.

And you believe JP is made in a little factory in Torquay hey Gesty...

aus301 said...

Gestalt said...

i'm extreme and exotic and i'm australian.

sorry, i couldn't resist that one.

And you believe JP is made in a little factory in Torquay hey Gesty...

no.. Gesty was

Haircut said...

Mark _australia said...

Well if you like the boards, you like them. If you don't, you don't. They could be called anything and that would not change whether they work for u or not.

yeah i agree. but gees I wish they would remove the words "pro edition" off them. Sounds a bit too try hard and i feel like i'm sailing a software package

Hmmm.... I think pro edition is OK.... better by far than things like V6 and V8 and Streetracer and Drops 2 stroke and 4 stroke. Oh and Wave Guerrilla with tiger stripes.... err would that not be camo? I've never seen Guerillas wearing orange tiger stripes.....(somebody will come up with a pic now to prove me wrong hahaha)

whippingboy said...

25% of Australias' current population were born overseas !

Therefore Australia's not even 100% Australian.

Where did this stat come from? Sounds dodgy.
But I know for a fact that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the population.

I can't let that one go by.

Telstra's service ain't too bad, it's just that everything about it is overpriced to hell!

Back off on Holdens!! (and Falcons for that matter) Their performance models stack up very well when tested in placed like the UK and the US against their domestic and imported products. They are actually unbelievable value for money for the performance, safety and utlility you get. Do some serious comparisons and you will find the same.

sailquik said...


I can't let that one go by.

Telstra's service ain't too bad, it's just that everything about it is overpriced to hell! Bullshlt - their service sux

Back off on Holdens!! (and Falcons for that matter) Their performance models stack up very well when tested in placed like the UK and the US against their domestic and imported products. They are actually unbelievable value for money for the performance, safety and utlility you get. Do some serious comparisons and you will find the same.

I have, HSVs are very poor quality and $70-80k for a Commonwhore, WTF.
Also they are worth $30-40k in a couple of years