Alabaman and Floridian, Bill Conner, started his career making leather sandals on the gold coast of Australia in the early 70s. At some point, he pivoted to hats. "Why make hats instead of sandals? Because you only have to make one." Paul Hogan supercharged demand for his craftsmanship unintentionally, or at least the costume designer on Crocodile Dundee did, when the movie came out. European demand surged when Matt Nicholson repped his skills to Herod's and Galleries Lafayette. He retired after 50 years, surfing Broken Head, wearing his white helmet (not a BC model). At times early on, he surfed from Byron to Burleigh by himself for years, ahead of the crowd. Enjoy.

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