P McGuinness

A no-holds barred memoir by Gary 'Kong' Elkerton: champion surfer, world class party animal, and, in his own words, 'a half-mad ball of pure aggression'. In the world of pro-surfing, personalities don't come any bigger than Gary 'Kong' Elkerton. Born in Ballina and brought up on a prawn trawler, Gary took to surfing when school, discipline and other conventions failed him. Cutting a swathe through the industry, living the life, getting the girls, taking the drugs - it all added up to a very good time until he woke up one day and found his nickname and reputation had become the 100-pound gorilla on his back, one which it was going to be very tough to rid himself of. What do you do when everything around you, including the industry you're in, encourages your bad behaviour and then punishes you for it?An eye-opening wild ride and a great Australian story.