an Historic Houses Trust blog
Bondi footage generously supplied by Marilyn Moseley
A brief cut-and-pasting from a box load of 1960s 16mm footage shot by local artist and photographer Charles “Bill” Moseley at Bondi Beach, Sydney, along with a minute or two of footage shot inside the harbour at Neilson Park, courtesy of his daughter Marilyn Moseley.
Micheal Holden’s Plywood Ockanui c1960s, photo Michael Holden
Northern beaches surfer Michael Holden built this ‘finned’ hollow surfboard, known locally as an ockanui, in the early 1960s. What’s interesting is that styrene foam had pretty much made balsa and hollow boards antique by then, with local board makers churning out smart new fibreglass ‘pigs’ and hot-doggers in their thousands as each summer rolled around. It suggests that thrifty kids, armed with cheap plywood and their dad’s shed tools, persisted with home-made hollow boards for several years after Gidget and the foam explosion of 1959. According to Michael… 3 of us made 3 boards end 1961. We went to Bilgola with pen, tape measure and paper and drew up the dimensions of a board on the beach. The old fasioned plywood board with stringers etc. I understand the others no longer exist. The first try was in the surf at Whale Beach with no wax, so a real problem…
1970s fish eye view of Sydney’s Kings Cross Coke sign by unknown photographer sourced in Drew Kampion Stoked 1998 edition
Finally tracked down an image of the great Coke sign in Kings Cross, Sydney, during the late 1970s. This is apparently the most costly billboard real estate in the world, perched high above the William Street tunnel over Darlinghurst Road. The pic was mis-credited in Drew Kampion’s Stoked as taken in London (attributed to Jeff Divine) although older Sydney surfers will know better.
Colour advertisement in The Australian Women’s Weekly September 1950, courtesy Dale Egan
Board rego sticker on the tail of a beautiful Gordon Woods 1957 balsa ‘pig’, private collection, photo Gary Crockett
By 1960, the explosive appeal of board riding, the fast-growing number of new boards hitting the beaches and the rowdy behaviour of surfers had given Sydney lifesavers enough headaches to mount retaliatory action. For surfers, it was maddening enough to have to pay the council to surf but even more infuriating was that fines for riding an unregistered board went straight to the lifesaving club. Anger turned to action in 1963 with the establishment of the Australian Surfriders Association, led by Sydney surfing ambassador Bob Evans and backed by several rising stars and movers. Their aim was to promote surfing as a responsible, positive lifestyle and, more importantly, to restore unhindered access to Sydney beaches. Despite the tireless efforts of the ASA and its role in staging the World Surfing Championships at Manly in 1964, it wasn’t until 1967 that the system was abandoned.
Bob Hitchens painting of North Narrabeen SLSA clubhouse c1970, photo courtesy Bob Hitchens
A lovely picture that shows great affection for this tired, battered and rank old building, according to artist Bob Hitchens, who surfed and travelled with the Northy mob from the late 60s. The building shown here, soon to be demolished, is perched above the beach overlooking the main break at North Narrabeen. The two lone roof-racked cars, a 66 Corolla and EH Holden, bake on the ashphalt as their owners enjoy a few uncharacteristically uncrowded late morning waves.
photo Gary Crockett
I’ve received a few digs over my ‘ill-treatment’ of this cool little trinket – I admit the stirrer/tarnished metaphor of Manly is a bit oblique but I reckon it stands up. This is one spunky spoon, from its scooped and scalloped shell-like bowl to its brightly enamelled, foam-filled crest.
[old caption: Not much to add…stirrer, sweetener, mixed up, confused, tarnished, shiny, lopsided, vain, ambivalent Manly… Difficult to date, probably mid 60s, full of spunk so who cares?]
Scrapbook page image courtesy Bruce Usher
Several people have asked about the blog’s banner image. Here’s where we borrowed it from – one of the salt encrusted mid 60s photo albums of Bruce Usher, a northern beaches surfer, still clicking and switch-footing today, who’s been a big supporter of the exhibition so far. Find out more about Bruce and his great work at bruceusher.com.au.
Photo Gary Crockett
A well known collectable but a ripper just the same. General consensus locates this juicy wave at Fairy Bower, only reversed. The early 60s photo has also appeared on biscuit tins and a board game box. Thanks again to Matt Holle for spotting this in a Sydney market.
“Morning of the Earth” Woollen Mat courtesy of Vintage Surf and Skate Emporium Anna Bay, photo Gary Crockett
As far as movies go, this one stands up fair and square as a life changer. For Albe Falzon, making it was a personal dream realised and for most of us watching it in the early 1970s there was now a new world to be dreamed into life. Scruffy surfer mobs crowded in rank club houses, school halls and cinemas didn’t always know where the shimmering green banks ridden by Nat Young, Chris Brock, Baddy Treloar and Terry Fitzgerald were breaking or where the rootsy country action took place, although most would have guessed the mesmerising Michael Peterson series was shot at old Kirra and of course Rory Russell’s curtain closer tube rides were archetypal Pipeline. The signature shot however, with ex-US big wave thriller Rusty Miller and Sydney teenager Steve Cooney on the rocks at Uluwatu in Bali silhouetted in a burning orb, lit a hungry fire of escape in many, many hearts. And for many it still burns.