Simon Benson and Leigh van den BroekeAUSTRALIAN surfboard ­diplomacy will be deployed in Washington, DC when Prime Minister Tony Abbott meets President Barack Obama.A Sydney-made board, in the colours of Obama’s Air Force One plane and bearing the Presidential seal, will be Mr Abbott’s official gift.Bennett Surfboards’ Brookvale factory manager, Greg Bennett, said he thought it was a hoax when the PM’s office called about making a custom-made long board for the President — in a week.“It was a tall order,” Mr Bennett, 53, said.It was a similar story for the Prime Minister’s office, which had to call the White House in advance to get approval to use the Presidential seal before the design was finished.Mr Bennett is no stranger to high-pressure orders. He was commissioned by Manly Council to build a board for Prince George in April.Former PM Julia Gillard’s gift of a Sherrin football (which sells for up to $180) pales in comparison to the nine-foot board, which had to be transported in the wee hours to Parliament House.“We left at 4.30am and drove down there and then when we got to parliament we went to the underground car park, through a security door and then straight up through the middle of parliament so no one could see the board,” said Tom Wentworth, who oversaw the board’s production.“We put it up in the PM’s tea room and then Tony came in. We had a few photos and had a laugh about surfing.”
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