Surf fan Gary Hill: “I love Slater so much I put him on my surfboard”

THIS surf fan has come to the Quiksilver Pro in search of the one thing missing from his Kelly Slater dedicated surfboard — a signature.

Gary Hill, 67, from Newcastle with his surfboard that has a picture of his surfing hero Kelly Slater on it. Gary is hoping for a signature from Kelly during the Quiksilver Pro. Pics Tim Marsden

THERE might be no bigger Kelly Slater fan than Gary Hill.

The 67-year-old amateur photographer has traversed the world to shoot the man he dubs “the greatest surfer of all time”.

This year the Newcastle local packed his caravan and drove nine hours to the Gold Coast in the hope of getting the 11-time world champion’s signature on a specially made surfboard.

Hand-shaped by renowned Newcastle shaper Pieter Stockert, the surfboard features an enlarged photograph of Kelly Slater which was taken by Hill.

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While he has received offers of up to $3000 to sell the board, Hill is adamant the item is not for sale.

“Once I get the signature it will go straight up on the wall in my house,” Hill said.

“The only person I will let surf it is Kelly (Slater) himself.

“He is a lovely person to talk to. I’ve surfed all my life and I think he is just one of the best. He is a legend.

“But this is the last time I will come up here to see him surf so I definitely want to make the most of it.”

Gary Hill, 67, from Newcastle with his surfboard that has a picture of his surfing hero Kelly Slater on it. Gary is hoping for a signature from Kelly during the Quiksilver Pro. Pics Tim Marsden

Kelly Slater in Round 1 of the Quiksilver Pro at Snapper Rocks.

The photo was taken by Hill himself during Slater’s heat in the 2013 Quiksilver Pro.

“I was standing on the rocks with my camera and he was paddling in to the shore,” Hill said.

“I snapped as many photos as I could and this was the best shot.”

It too more than a year for Hill’s vision to become a reality, after sourcing materials from the USA to ensure the photo print can be glassed on to a board.

The board is one of a kind however Hill is also the proud owner of something similar he made two years ago, which also features Slater’s signature.

“I made a collage of more than 80 photos I took of him surfing all around the world, including Hawaii,” Hill said.

“I showed it to him for him to sign a couple of years ago and he was pretty impressed with it and was asking how I made it.”