East Timor Story
Brandt Hill
Introducing Surfing to East Timor
On a warm summer day in 2025, retired Australian Army helicopter pilot Brandt Hill visited CSM and was impressed with the surfing history on display. Upon chatting with the staff on hand, he asked if we had ever heard about surfing in East Timor. We shook our heads – Indonesia – yes! East Timor – not so much….
He promised us a story and pictures when he returned home from his vacation. This is what he shared.
The story of East Timor’s first surfboards by Brandt Hill
East Timor (Timor-Leste) is a beautiful Southeast Asian nation that occupies the eastern half of the island of Timor. Located northwest of Australia, it is surrounded by beaches and coral reefs, and the island is teeming with marine life. Rich in history, cultural remains on the island have been dated back 42,000 years! The small country gained independence from Portugal in 1975, and from Indonesia in 2002.
I was a brand-new Australian army helicopter pilot, and a member of 161 Reconnaissance Squadron, when I arrived for the first of three deployments to East Timor in 1999. The International Forces Group, organized and led by Australia, was tasked with restoring peace and security to the country, and protecting its people from the heavy-handed Indonesian militia. We were there to help oversee East Timor’s transition to independence.
The detachment commander, Matty Barker, and I were stationed in Suai, a large village on the south coast of Timor-Leste, 138km to the southwest of the capital, Dili, and close to the border with Indonesia. Matty B and I were both surfers and enjoyed exploring the local beaches and sights. We would often drive to the local Suai market on the weekend, with other members of the squadron, mostly to buy coffee beans and talk to the locals. The people were very poor, and recovering from the devastation inflicted by the Indonesian militia, and it was nice to be able to inject some money back into the community, and support their recovery. It was during this time that Matty B and I came up with the idea that we should get some surfboards made. Asking around, we were introduced to Primus – the local – and only! – carpenter in Suai!
Primus & his young family spoke very little English, so we brought him copies of Tracks surfing magazine to show him pictures of the various boards, and to help convey our idea.
Primus and his family were fascinated, almost hypnotised by the pictures in the magazine. It was at this moment I was reminded how privileged and lucky we are in the western world.
After using lots of funny animated hand gestures, describing the purpose of fins, the motion of the waves, etc, we left Primus with the magazines and returned to our base camp, hoping we possibly persuaded him to make us a prototype.
A few weeks later, and to our surprise, Primus presented us with the first 6-foot timber surfboard he made. The board was shaped entirely by hand, as there was no electricity.
We immediately commissioned him to make us two more, this time asking that they be 9 feet long – the measurement pretty much determined limited by the length of timber planks that were available in country. A couple of weeks later Primus proudly presented us with the next two: 9 feet long and hand carved, each board sporting three huge wooden fins. They were very heavy, and would probably rip your leg off should you wipe out!
The boards were made entirely using hand tools that were part of his equipment. Three planks of scavenged timber were joined side by side using tongue and groove craftsmanship, tightly secured with lots of glue and screws. The tops of the boards were engraved by hand with the words ‘Primus Surfboards’ & ‘Bero Suai’ running down each rail. Earlier we had asked Primus if there was a local word for “surfboard,” and after some careful thought, he decided ‘Bero’ was most fitting. As I recall, we paid $100USD each for the boards, which didn’t seem like much to us, but was a lot for the local Timorese, and more than what Primus asked for.
We were just happy to be contributing back into the community.
As far as we can determine, Matty B and I believe these are the first surfboards ever made in Timor-Leste. We haven’t found any evidence to suggest otherwise. As for riding the boards – unfortunately, we never did. Although I’m still tempted, just for the experience. We decided to display the boards instead. And while the area is still not known as a major surfing destination, like some parts of Indonesia today, I understand it is starting to offer some surfing opportunities, along with diving & snorkeling – Atauro island on the north side is an underwater paradise!
We are a lot older now, but Matty B and I still proudly display our surfboards from Timor-Leste. We often think of Primus, his family, and all the people of Timor-Leste. We hope the world is being kind to them, and that they are happy and doing well.
CAPT. Brandt Hill (retired)
MAJ. Matt Barker
Off-duty members of the 161 Reconnaissance Squadron headed out for dinner one evening in Suai, carrying one of the boards overhead, 2002.
