Budgy nine: Arrested men have connections to northern beaches

MANLY-based swimwear company Budgy Smuggler has found itself at the centre of the diplomatic row with nine Australians arrested for stripping off to just their swim briefs at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

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AT LEAST one of the ‘budgie nine’ at risk of a jail sentence for wearing skimpy swim briefs in Malaysia is a volunteer lifesaver on the northern beaches.

It follows revelations that several of those arrested have links to the northern beaches.

One, Thomas Whitworth, is a volunteer lifesaver and patrol captain at Palm Beach and holds a publican license at the exclusive Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club.

In a blog for his job as chief operating officer at First Class Capital, he described how he liked to patrol the northern beaches in his budgie smugglers and was a “fitness enthusiast, beach lover and keen traveller”.

NRL star Sam Burgess flashes his Budgy Smuggler briefs. Pic: Facebook

Tony Abbott taking part in a surf patrol at Queenscliff Surf Club wearing his Budgy Smugglers.

The Budgy Smuggler brand, which gained worldwide publicity when former prime minister Tony Abbott was photographed wearing them, represents “being cheeky and having fun”, according to Jarrod Allen, head of research and development at the Wentworth St company.

He told the Manly Daily the firm did not know any of the men arrested and had no idea when they made the bespoke swim briefs with the Malaysian flag printed on them, how, where or when they were going to be worn.

One of the Australian men dances in Budgy Smuggler-brand swimsuits decorated with the Malaysian flag at the conclusion of the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix in Sepang. Picture: From video by Umar Akif Jamaludin.

The company encourages fans to send in a photo of themselves wearing the swim gear.

Many snaps are taken abroad in public places and at sporting events, and posted on the brand’s social media pages. The best photo of the month is awarded a cash prize. The Malaysian ‘stunt’ has not been posted.

Mr Allen said the company would not be making any comment on the Malaysian incident, which could see the Australians jailed if police charge them with “intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace” and “public indecency”.

But he did say the company often made bespoke Budgy Smugglers for bucks parties or sport groups.

Jarrod Allen, who works for the northern beaches-based Budgy Smuggler brand, in his budgy smugglers.

He said most of the NRL teams had bespoke swimwear, including the Manly Sea Eagles, the Australian cricket team and even the England rugby squad.

He said the product had become extremely popular and had doubled its sales every year for the past two years.

“Budgy Smugglers are all about enjoying yourself and having fun,” said Mr Allen.

He added that it looked like the nine Australians who stripped down to their budgy smugglers while celebrating Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo’s Malaysian Grand Prix win, had been having a good day at the races.

Yesterday Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull backed Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s stance on the situation, agreeing that the Australian Government could not just pull the men to safety.

The Australian men in happier times. Picture: Ranes Subramaniam (@ranes1985) / Twitter.

Ms Bishop said the group had obviously planned the stunt ahead of time.

“I don’t know that it will be seen as a lapse of judgment. It was clearly premeditated. They were wearing the budgie smugglers and had bought them in Australia,” Ms Bishop said.

The friends have engaged lawyers Tania Scivetti and Shafee Abdullah, specialists in defending accused drug traffickers facing the death penalty.

In custody are Jack Walker, Edward Leaney, Nicholas Kelly, Thomas Laslett, Thomas Whitforth, Brendan Stobs, Timothy Yates, James Paver and Adam Pasfield.

The men are believed to be friends from their time at Sydney University and the exclusive Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club. Mr Walker is a staffer for federal cabinet minister Christopher Pyne.