Photo of Barry ‘Magoo’ McGuigan, South Bondi, late 1950s, courtesy of Debbie and Magoo McGuigan
Long before surfboards went shorter, lighter and watertight or were covered in fibreglass, like the balsa malibu shown here at Bondi, Magoo and his mates were chasing waves up the coast with a truck load of plywood toothpicks. I’d always thought toothpicks were kept close to their respective lifesaving clubs and typically ridden straight out the front. But according to Barry, good waves out of town like those at Toowoon Bay on the central coast, were great for adventurous Sydney-siders, especially those like himself who surfed outside the club scene.