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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

Nat Young, c. 1968

by Albert Falzon

Nat Young, c. 1968

Robert Young grew up in Collaroy, Sydney, where he gained the nickname Gnat. Having grown, and changed his name to Nat, he won the 1963 Australian Invitational Surfing Championships at Bondi at the age of 16 and the world championship competition at San Diego in 1966. In 1967, on Maui with Ted Spencer, George Greenough and Bob McTavish, his intimidating physical presence, shortened board, and brilliantly aggressive, ‘animal’ style worked together in a sensational performance that was described by John Witzig, with some arrogance, in the American magazine Surfer. It’s Young who dazzles in the water at the beginning of Morning of the Earth before coming in to feed his chickens, his red setters gently nosing around and Stephen Cooney shyly standing by. Falzon’s photograph has never before been printed uncropped. The hitherto-unseen figure in the foreground serves to demonstrate that when Young was around, everyone else looked sort-of less-than- present; comparatively unfocused; a bit drab.

John Witzig's Arcadia: a chat in the photography studio
Video: 5 minutes 41 seconds

Arcadia learning resource

A great addition to themes such as Australian History, Sport, Australian Studies, Cultural Studies, English and Visual Arts. For Year 9 – 12 students.

Related information

Arcadia learning resource

Learning resource archive

A great addition to themes such as Australian History, Sport, Australian Studies, Cultural Studies, English and Visual Arts. For Year 9 – 12 students.

Nat Young

'How to be a surfing legend'

Portrait story

Albert Falzon's photograph of Australian surfer Nat Young captures what it is to be a surfing hero.
Hugo at home (Hugo Weaving)
Hugo at home (Hugo Weaving)
Hugo at home (Hugo Weaving)
Hugo at home (Hugo Weaving)

Nicholas Harding

28 Portraits

Previous exhibition, 2017

Nicholas Harding: 28 portraits features paintings of Robert Drewe, John Bell and Hugo Weaving alongside gorgeously coloured recent oil portraits, delicate gouaches and bold ink and charcoal drawings.
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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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