Frother of the Month – Robin Austin

By Christie Bennett on November 14, 2012 in People

Bondi’s man grommet Robin Austin knows magazines. As this month’s Frother of the Month, he’s now in one…

Name: Robin Austin

Age: 42

Goofy or Natural: Goofy

Board Shaper: Andrew Harris

Board Dimensions: 5’11” x 18 ¾” x 2 ¼”

Where is your local break and how often do you get out there?

Bondi. Too often.

Did you grow up in the area?

I grew up in North Bondi.

Can you tell us about your day job?

I work at ACP magazines and my official work title is ‘Design Director, Digital Magazines’. Basically what that means is I oversee the design and build process for about ten iPad magazines. This includes titles such as the Australian Women’s Weekly, Gourmet Traveller, Qantas Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar Collections, Wheels Magazine, Myer Emporium and some other projects I can’t tell the world about. As far as jobs go, it can be stressful but it’s really rewarding and I work with a great team.

Have you ever worked on a surf mag?

I have indeed. Obviously my childhood dream was to work on surf magazines and I got to do a two-year stint at Waves magazine.

Would you encourage groms to get into design after school? Why?

Some grommets would suit the job but it’s not for everyone. It seems like a cruisy job but the long hours and deadline pressure are killer. They’re definitely not good for surfing time.

We know you’ve got some wheels; how do you get around town?

No cool wheels for me now unfortunately. I gave up the race car dream to have kids. I was the art director of Wheels magazine for years and I got to drive a lot of great cars in a lot of great places when I was working there. Right now I’m looking for a nice straight shell to build a hill climb/circuit car out of, but don’t tell the missus!

What’s your favourite Australian surf break?

I really can’t tell you where it is, but it’s sand bottom and when you surf there you’re happy to see anyone paddle out.

What’s your favourite International surf break?

J-Bay. Nothing comes close.

Have you go any surf trips planned in the near future?

I’m doing a boat trip to west Java next year.

Have you got any last words for readers of The Beast?

The beach is the fountain of youth!