2026 SERVICE TO THE INDUSTRY AWARD

A night to remember

Twin Towns on the Gold Coast came alive with laughter and old stories as the Australian surf industry gathered for the 2026 ASI Honours Night, held during RAT Show #3, to celebrate the life of Shane Stedman, recipient of the 2026 ASI Service to Industry Award.

It's hard to think of anyone more fitting for the honour. Long before "Shane Stedman" became a household name in Australian surfing, he was quietly building an empire from a shaping bay. At the peak of his board-making business, as Luke shared on stage, Shane was turning out 100 boards a week, backed by a tightly run crew of shapers and surfers who'd come in between sessions to get the job done, with Shane himself staying on at the factory alongside them.

It was an honour to welcome Shane’s children, Luke and Bonnie Stedman, who accepted the 2026 ASI Service to the Industry Award on behalf of their father and shared personal memories reflecting his kindness, generosity, humour and his unmistakable zest for life.

This year's Honours Night moved away from the usual awards format entirely. Vaughan Blakey brought a storytelling style to the stage, guiding a lineup of guests through decades of memories to capture the man Shane was, through the eyes of his children, colleagues, friends and mentees.

The award was accepted on Shane's behalf by his children, Luke and Bonnie Stedman, who spoke about their father with the kind of warmth, humour and honesty that set the tone for the evening: not a retrospective of a career, but a celebration of a life lived with purpose, adventure and an infectious enthusiasm for the people around him. Luke recalled advice his dad gave him early on: "Dive into the deep end of the pool, don't be afraid, and get the job done." Bonnie remembered his resilience just as clearly: "The majority of dad's ventures were a flop. This one wasn't working, what's the next thing. I never saw him down." Luke agreed, adding that his father was always good at finding the positives in every situation, treating setbacks as lessons worth the investment rather than losses.

Joining Vaughan on stage throughout the night were Phil Jarratt, Rabbit Bartholomew, Matt Hoy and Jon Laurenson, each with decades of friendship and history with Shane. Between them, they painted a picture of a man whose influence went well beyond the boards he shaped: a mentor to young surfers, a champion of the industry, and someone whose optimism, generosity and sense of humour left a mark on everyone he met. Luke shared one story that had the room in stitches: Shane once docked one of his shapers five cents for a board that wasn't finished on time.

As Phil Jarratt recalled from the day they first met, Shane greeted him with characteristic cheek: "I haven't heard of you, but you've heard of me. That's a start." A line that got a big laugh on the night, and one that captured exactly the kind of self-assured humour Shane carried through decades of building one of the most significant businesses in Australian surfing.

His family described him simply as a force of nature. Rabbit remembered him as the biggest personality in the room. Jon Laurenson closed out his stories with a line that stuck with everyone: "Be eternally grateful and stoked."

Thank you to Luke and Bonnie Stedman, Vaughan Blakey, Phil Jarratt, Rabbit Bartholomew, Matt Hoy and Jon Laurenson for sharing their memories of Shane so generously, and to the RAT Show #3 team for bringing the industry together to make the night possible.

A full recording of the evening will be available soon on Vaughan Blakey's podcast, Ain't That Swell.

As Luke put it best: "I know if my dad was here, he would want to look at you all and say, just keep doing what you love, keep enjoying yourself and help each other out. He loved being part of a big community."