The birth of Headworx is a lesson for every young entrepreneur with lofty ambitions. Think up a good name and then do some research. Thorough research.

Headworx clothing company started its life as Bang Bang clothing company in 1976, printing T-shirts out of a garage near Burleigh Heads. At the helm were Keith Halford and Michael Little, both bestowed with enough creative talent and commercial wherewithal to go far.

Unfortunately they were never going beyond Australia. Keith and Michael discovered another label called Bang Bang was operating out of South East Asia which precluded any international expansion. Bang Bang was shot down - yeah, boom boom - before they'd begun.

Michael Little subsequently sold his share of the company while shaper Murray Bourton, then running Pipe Dream Surfboards, and another partner joined Keith Halford in the venture. They changed the name to Headworx and set off on a trot.

In the beginning Headworx were well entrenched in the Queensland surf mafia, they sponsored local surfers such as Alby Ross, Russell Specht, and Darren Handley, while their advertisements ran regularly in Australia's Surfing Life. ASL and Headworx were an ideal fit, both Queensland-based operations challenging the Sydney dominance.

Keith Halford was in charge of design while Murray Bourton looked after the art direction and marketing, while also running Pipe Dream Surfboards. He could see a synchronicity between the companies and tried to "marry the two together".

"It was my job to make Headworx relevant," says Murray. "Something I had to do without a top tier surfer on the roster." At the time the big surf companies were flush with cash while Headworx was, "the poor cousin - we got all the hand-me-downs," Muzz says with a laugh.

That situation caused Murray to be creative and play to his strengths. "I'd always believed surfing was about travel and adventure anyway, not celebrity." So Murray planned adventure trips with Headworx surfers, riding (mostly) Pipe Dreams boards, which then ran as travel spreads in Australia's Surfing Life.

Locations ticked off included Timor, Sumbawa, and of course the Mentawais. In 1995 Murray authored an article about a trip to the recently discovered islands. It was the first reference of the Mentwais in an Australian publication, though the name was never mentioned - all the names were blacked out and no clues given. It's only hindsight that betrays the now-famous location.

"In a way, Headworx started the Search thing," Murray observes. "Rip Curl did it later with a much bigger budget, and then came the Quiksilver Crossing." The thought provides Muzz some mirth, he gives a sly chuckle, perhaps recalling past adventures, though he straightens when he thinks about where it's led. "The travel has gone crazy now. People everywhere. Surf camps everywhere."

On the home front, Headworx had grown beyond its Queensland roots and attracted a few bigger riders such as Tony Ray and Rodney 'Box' Kerr. They also dived into the 90s tribal look with gusto.

However, somewhere around the late-90s, Murray can't quite remember when, the whole thing came crashing down. "We were too focussed on the art and the marketing," is Murray's deliberately vague explanation of Headworx demise.

The joyride over, each partner went back to their roots, Murray to shaping boards and Keith to design and clothing manufacture.

However, Headworx didn't completely die. An English partner blew air on the coals and kept a small operation ticking over on the south-west coast of England. A 2004 press release puts it all into perspective: "Headworx has finally cracked the European market!"