Surf City, Sydney

Mid 60s photo of Newport teenager Dorothy De Rooy, doing it, somewhere in Sydney, courtesy Dorothy Vidgen

Absolute pleasure to meet Dorothy Vidgen (formerly De Rooy) and Marilyn Birmingham at Newport today. Both were passionate board riders, totally involved in the mid 60s surfing world. While they were lucky enough to kick around their home breaks of Long Reef and Collaroy with a tight group of accepting and respected surfers, they also recalled a broader hostility towards women board riders and regarded themselves as pioneers. Even today Dorothy cringes at the way photographers favoured shots of her leaving the surf rather than ripping across the face of a wave. ‘You know’, she says, ‘I just loved surfing so much…’

Sourced in CJ “Snowy” McAlister’s photo album, courtesy Surfworld, Torquay

Here’s a couple of deadset surfer girls – Tanya Binning and Phyllis O’Donnell – posing for the great Sydney solid-board surfer and toothpick veteran ‘Snowy’ McAlister on an unknown beach in the mid 1960s. Not long after this, Binning graduated from a competitive teenage surf rat to a series of minor movie acting roles in London and New Zealand. O’Donnell’s ‘just do it’ approach to surfing, both before and after her world title victory in 1964, has continued to inspire generations of women to defy the odds and take up the sport. Huge thanks to Craig Baird of Surfworld, Torquay, for letting us check out this album.

Photo courtesy Stephen McParland

Here’s Concord surfer, surveyor and board builder Stephen McParland at work on what he reckons would have been a reject* blank from Dions, at Quintessance Surfboards, Cabarita, around 1974. Somehow Stephen found time to tape record bands, film mountains of surfing action, in between making boards, getting married, keeping ahead, to pull together the most staggering archive (and knowledge) of surf music and film in the known universe. Glenn A Baker reckons his contribution to music history and culture, mainly in print, is ‘titanic’. His output of books and reference works is mighty impressive- check em out here.

Poster courtesy Barry Magoo McGuigan

Here’s a rare one…Back in 1963, Hawaiian pro wrestler and Sunset Beach local Val Valentine brought this surf movie to Sydney, backed by local Freshwater stirrer Lester Brien, among others. Cigar smoking Valentine screened the movie around town before big crowds, adding a wide angle lens for large auditoriums like the Rose Bay Wintergarden and narrating live commentary over music played from a reel to reel. The movie included local stars in action on the Hawaiian ‘northside’ such as Dave Jackman, Mick McMahon and Tank Henry. (info sourced in Albie Thoms Surfmovies 2000)

A stash of surf mags, private collection

Every so often, whilst sifting through the leaf litter of surf culture, blown up in surprising corners of the garden, the numbers align and good things happen. Here’s a pile of pre-loved mags, hot from California in 1961, uncovered by chance recently on Sydney’s northern beaches. Severson’s Surfer lit the flame, inspiring the short-lived copy-cat Australian Surfer in 1962, along with his movies, the hoaky teen flick Gidget and the eventual mastery of foam and resin by local guys like McDonagh, Bennett and Woods. Pretty soon the whole thing was ablaze and surfing went from an underground cult to a big time scene. For me, its kind of like gold at the beginning of a rainbow.

photo of Graham Beatson and Donald Griggs 1963, courtesy Graham Beatson

Here’s Graham Beatson from Hurstville (left) and his mate Donald Griggs from Penshurst, joint owners of a flashy new 9’3″ Ron Surfboard in 1963. The Sydney teenagers were keen Cronulla surfers although, as you can see from their pompadors, the boys were equally hip to the rock and roll scene, along with, as Graham tells me, a spot of ball room dancing. There goes the so-called tribal boundaries between rockers and surfers of the early 1960s. Graham’s kept the receipt from the time he collected the board showing it cost the guys 34 pounds. Ron Surfboards were based in Belmore, back from the coast and, not surprisingly, were popular with kids from the western suburbs. Look out for Graham’s board in the exhibition.

Photo courtesy Ron Saggers

Here’s Ron Saggers hanging out the washing at Sydney’s Freshwater in the mid 60s. A few years earlier the 10 year old Ron and his photographer cousin Ron Perrott joined US film maker John Severson at the Sydney premier of Big Wednesday at ANZAC House in 1961 and recalled ‘reading something a few days later about some kind of damage being done to the entrance…’ Turned out that angry surfers unable to squeeze into the auditorium had taken matters into their own hands, along with foyer furnishings, doors and decorations. Not surprisingly, the RSL was appalled and cancelled further screenings.

And as Peter Bowes adds… I was there, it all happened – The glass doors were broken in the crush – Brennan got up on stage at the break and played the mob perfectly – the noise was huge – everybody was EXTREMELY excited – and nobody was pissed or stoned – all we wanted to see was big waves and hear loud music, and at at the same time. Severson and Cooper (in his silly hat) were gobsmacked.

Hugh McLeod with mum and little brother at Whale Beach 1964, Photo courtesy Hugh McLeod

Here’s Hugh McLeod at Whale Beach in early 1964 hoping that the faded Gordon Woods sticker on his Norm Casey malibu will give him a little more peninsula beach cred. Hugh’s just turned 13 and its his first board. In less than a decade, after cutting his teeth in graphic arts and advertising, Hugh will be adding much needed punch and polish to Surfing World magazine as art director, photographer and eventually co-owner with Bruce Channon until 1997.

Ad supplement in The Surfing World August 1967, thanks to Steve Abbott

British Nylon was still under fire from local wool and cotton growers although were making inroads into beachwear by the mid 60s with a range of hip fabrics and graphics like these. Number 8 ball busting front vent looks like business but the comp stripes on number 5 are packing more heat. My favourites are the sensible key pocket check of number 6.

Out the back at Bennetts Surfboards, Brookvale. Photo Michael Power

Greg and Barry Bennett dust off Dave Jackman’s 12 foot gun, built in 1961 by Barry Bennett for tackling monster waves like the one shown here in June 1961, when Dave Jackman made national headlines and brownie points with fellow surfers after cracking the fearsome Queenscliff bombora.

Teenage Weekly Supplement (page 5) in Australian Womens Weekly 20 September 1961, image sourced online via Trove