Surf City, Sydney

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.

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.

Warriewood 13 year old, Dale Egan holding his brand new Kieth Paull board, with spray job by brother Shane Egan, in 1973. Photo courtesy Dale Egan.

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.

Steve Abbott with Bob Hitchen’s Keyo pintail, Narrabeen 1971

Steve Abbott made regular weekend ‘excursions’ in the early 1970s from his land locked western suburbs home to hang out with chums at North Narrabeen and surf from dawn till dusk. He and his mate Bob Hitchens resisted moving to the coast until they’d got their trades and careers underway, balancing their weekday grind with regular coastal escapes and extended south coast trips when possible. Steve looks pretty keen on the Keyo here although in a couple of years he’d marry Bob’s sister Donna. This great ‘transitional’ era pintail was probably made around 1969.

Kay Jarman, Newport c1974, photo courtesy Kay Jarman

Newport Beach youngster Kay Jarman can barely contain her excitement, let alone get her arms around her newly painted, second hand, Shane Standard workhorse, just bought from friend Nick Carroll around 1974. With the beach across the road and the encouragement of fellow locals Derek Hynd, Mick Newling and the Carroll boys, it was inevitable this sports-mad tearaway would excel on a board. Thinking back on those teenage years, Kay can’t imagine her world – then and now – without the leveling, healing effects of surfing and still reckons its the best medicine for worldly and inner woes.

Gary Crockett on the job at Pekutatan Bali, April 1980

I know its off-track, but couldn’t help posting this scrap from the Herald (dated as shown), almost 2 years before Duke Kahanamoku lit a spark with well publicised surfboard demos around Sydney. We all know board riding was well under way here when the Duke hit the waves but its interesting to see that at least 2 summers earlier surfers were stirring up beach goers and getting ‘among the thick of the bathers’.

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