Bra Boy: Surfer, fighter, larrikin

by Richie 'Vas' Vaculik, Sean Doherty

To outsiders, Maroubra seemed like another world. It was Sydney's toughest beach, ruled by a tribe of tattooed surfers named the 'Bra Boys', already notorious for mixing mateship with mayhem. But to young Richie Vaculik, Maroubra Beach was his playground and the Bra Boys were like family. He'd grow up to become their Minister for Good Times and a central character in the Bra Boys' story as they became famous and infamous in equal measure. Richie's 'poor risk assessment' and fearlessness were legendary in the surf but also landed him in trouble with the law.

Bra Boy is Richie's account of those wild days, when fuelled by adrenalin and anarchy he took on monster waves, monster nights out and several levels of authority. It's also an account of how he turned his life around, took up mixed martial arts, was signed by the UFC and fought on the biggest card in the sport's history. Gripping, outrageous and hugely entertaining, it's a story told with Richie's trademark humour and an insight uncommon on the street. As his mate reckons, 'He's the only guy I know who gets punched in the head and gets smarter.'

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 27, 2016

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richie writes with humour and I liked that. Apparently he is well known and has had a lot of coverage in the media for his surfing and fighting, as well as Television appearances, and a notorious arrest in Queensland that was covered by the media, but I didn’t know who he was when I picked up the book. He seems like a nice guy - a young ratbag but grew to have some good insight and awareness of himself and his wider circle. The chapters are a series of stories, not necessarily in chronological order and cover different themes - like a chapter about a friend who died, or a chapter about an incident at a bar. - essentially stories about his life including growing up, his family, surfing, bra boys, jobs, travels and other capers.
You might struggle with some of the language if you are not a native Australian or familiar with Australian English. Richie writes like he talks and uses a fair amount of slang as well as colloquialisms Which add to his charm. Despite being an easy and interesting read, It did for some reason feel like I was taking a long time to read it and I probably could have lived without a couple of chapters about his career as a professional fighter which didn’t appeal to me as much as the surfing stories or family stories. It was a fun read. Probably ideal for a plane ride or holiday read.

[Kieron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great entertaining read.