Had you cast an eye upon the lineup at Margaret River Mainbreak just after 3pm on Australia Day, a tight circle of surfers straddling vintage boards may have piqued your curiousity.

And if the sight didn’t, then the sound of said group splashing and shouting sure would’ve, just as it did to the elderly tourists perched upon the landing at the top of iconic staircase which bridges the beach to the multi-million dollar carpark.

What are they doing?” asked the suitably dressed middle-aged (I’m guessing German) man.

“It’s a memorial service. They’re spreading some ashes,” I replied.

“Oh, was it a friend of theirs?” wondered the man’s (I’m guessing) wife.

“Well, no, not really, it’s a surfer by the name of Michael Peterson.”

“Was he famous?” she continued.

“Well yeah, he was, but he was from Queensland.”

“So why are they spreading his ashes here?” 

“Well, to tell you the truth, I don’t really know.”

And I was telling the truth, I didn’t know. Well, at least that was until I made contact with Sue 'Toots' Barrett, the local lady with an extraordinary tale to tell.

But first, a quick bit of history. MP first came to Margaret River in 1973 to contest the Australian titles, a typically West Australian rambunctious affair also contested at several breaks to the north and south of Mainbreak (turns out mobile events are nothing new).

MP at Margaret River in 1973 (Ric Chan/Surfing Down South)

At the peak of his otherworldly powers, MP seemed a shoo-in for the titles but according to a chapter from Phil Jarratt’s A Complete History of Surfboard Riding in Australia, it all came undone in the finals:

“In big, powerful waves the defending Australian champion was a contender all the way to the final where he was up against consistent Peter Townend and the powerhouse goofy-footer Richard Harvey. Agitated beyond belief, Peterson paddled up and down the line-up, snaking and hassling his rivals with a manic intensity. He was probably never going to beat the smooth, calculating Harvey, but a drop-in call by the judges put that beyond doubt. Furious, Peterson confronted the judges with a tirade of profanity-laden abuse, delivered in a rainstorm of white spittle.

“No one had seen anything like it in an Australian championships since Nat Young’s famous dummy spit at Greenmount in 1970…Peterson’s invective stopped as suddenly as it had started, and within seconds he was spinning wheels in the car park and on this way to the airport.”

Fast forward to December 2017 and an unexpected, and oddly under-reported, little story began circulating that Kelly Slater had sprinkled some of MP’s ashes out at Pipeline. This was five years after MP's sudden death.

Much was (deservedly) written of Slater’s good deed but little of how the hell MP’s ashes ended up in Hawaii in the first place. And now more of his ashes have appeared in Margaret River?

Fittingly, the paddle out came at the conclusion of Margaret River Boardriders’ annual Australia Day Single Fin classic. The lads also graciously helping out with the whole shebang.

Alas, enough from me. Let’s hear from Toots:

Anthony Pancia: So Sue, how did this come about?
Sue 'Toots' Barrett: It’s a pretty bizarre story but it all started last year at the Quiksilver Pro. I got introduced to Joan (MP’s mum) through mutual friends and we hit it off straight away. As soon as I said I was from Margaret River she said, “Oh, I’d love you to take some ashes over to Margaret River. Would you do that for me?” I said “OK, well, yeah sure.” It was almost spiritual and I just thought, it’s such a privilege so I wanted to honour that.

I did a road trip with the ashes down to Sydney stopping off at each break he loved, took some photos at each spot then flew back over to Western Australia.

I initially tried to get the ashes spread at the Margaret River Pro but there were a few too many hurdles, which I totally understand given the size of the event so I thought, I’ll have to turn to Plan B.

So that would’ve been April 2017. How, or why, did you end up taking them to Hawaii?
I told Joan I was going to Hawaii and she said, “Right, I’ll send you over some more ashes, can you organise something over there?” I was going to get Michael Ho, who was a friend of Michael’s to paddle them out, but because the Pipe contest was on, it was hard to get in touch with people. I did try a few avenues but it just didn’t work out. So, the second last day I was in Hawaii, I was going through the list asking who would be able to do this and I thought right, I’ll just go straight to Kelly.

Kelly’s not exactly what you’d call the easiest guy to get in touch with…
I know, I know. I’d actually met Kelly and hung out with him in France in ’92 when he won his first major event [the Rip Curl Pro Landes, Hossegor] but I hadn’t been in contact with him for 25 years, but I was just so determined to get it done. I finally got to meet him and fortunately he remembered me.

He does appear to have a sharp memory, old Kelly.
Yeah, anyway, so he said, “Yep, come back to my house and we’ll do it.”

It was quite a low-key event from what I can gather?
Yes, it was and it caught a few people by surprise, you know, “Hey I’ve got Michael Peterson’s ashes and I want to spread them at Pipeline” but that was very fitting. Kelly had no hesitation doing it though, because he had such admiration for Michael and a friend of the Peterson family. He was fantastic. He has so much going on but he took the time out to do that.

Joan Peterson, Steph Gilmore, Toots Barrett, and MP (in a mustard jar)

Can we just go back a couple steps though, your knowledge of Michael Peterson, did you see him surf? Did you ever meet him or anything?
No, but I knew a lot about him because I grew surfing up at City Beach and Cottesloe with older brothers. I’ve surfed since I was ten and always was into the surf scene so of course I knew about him because I am, you know, a bit older (laughs).

Oh you don’t look a day over 35! Can I ask how much of his ashes do you have? 
I have a mustard jar full. It’s quite bizarre because I was only expecting to have them for a couple of weeks but he’s been at my house for nearly a year now! I almost feel like he’s my friend because I talk to him and take him down to the beach, and just, you know, talk to him.

You’re spreading his ashes in the lineup at Mainbreak with the help of the Margaret River Boardriders. What do you know of Michael’s relationship with Margaret River?
Pretty sure it was ’73 when he came here for the Australian Titles. He got third [behind Richard Harvey and Peter Townend] due to an interference which he wasn’t too happy about. But I know he did say to his mum, he loved Margaret River but reckoned The Point was like a giant washing machine.

What’s your takeaway from this whole experience?
I actually can’t believe how it’s all unfolded. I’m just on a major high and so honoured to be doing it. It’s just like, wow. Wow.

//ANTHONY PANCIA