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An-eighteen-year-old member of the Scarborough Surf Lifesaving Club,-is confident that he will win today's State Surf-board Championship.

A good-looking, 5ft. 11in,10st. 7lb. lad, he has been with the club for the last three years.
Most of this time has been devoted to his paddleboard.

Last year he was runner-up to George Bevan of Sydney In the State Championship, and this year has won three out of the five surf carnival events.
Also this year he was a member of the Scarborough senior R and R team.

He schooled at Scotch
              College and represented them at rugby, swimming and lifesaving.

Although Bob swims all the year round, he still finds time to be assistant scoutmaster at the Scarborough Troop.
During the "wet winter nights" he builds a miniature railwayat home.

An apprentice fitter
                and turner who neither
              smokes nor drinks, he, at
              the moment, does not feel
              inclined to alter his un-married status for "sometime-I'm too young."

Trove
1955 'Know Your Sportsmen', Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954), 13 February, p. 40. , viewed 26 Jul 2016,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59701451

The Argus
Melbourne, 22 February 1955, page 7.

SYDNEYSIDERS SALUTE OUR TORQUAY SURF THRILLS

Two Sydneysiders who will go home praising our beaches are John Agnew and Janelle Biggs.
Argus photographer Frank Grant's picture shows John and Janelle riding their surfboard on Torquay's creamy surf and both are loving it.
They enjoyed yesterday's surf so much that they've booked in at Torquay for another surfing holiday next summer.

Trove
1955 'SYNDNEYSIDERS SALUTE OUR TORQUAY SURF THRILLS', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 22 February, p. 7. , viewed 28 Jul 2016,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71634894

The World's News
Sydney, 19 March 1955, page 27.

Australiana Lifesaver

...

First surf board

FIRST attempt at using a board for surf riding was made at Manly Beach (Sydney) in 1910, when four members of the local surf club experimented with a solid board about 7ft long, 3ft wide, and rounded at one end.
Their attempts to stand on the board were unsuccessful, but they were able to shoot small waves while lying on the board.
At the end of 1914 the Hawaiian swimmer, Duke Kahanamoku, used a board at Freshwater (NSW) and early the next year demonstrated board riding at a-surf carnival at Deewhy, shooting breakers nearly 20ft high and for up to 150 yards.
On a few occasions a young lady went out with the Hawaiian and stood on the board with him when a wave was taken—a remarkable balancing feat because Kahanamoku used a solid board, only 8ft 6in long, made of sugar pine.
By 1933 Australian surfers had invented the hollow surfboard, and four years later the modern, streamlined board made its appearance on our beaches.
It was not until 1945 that the Surf Life Saving Association decided officially that surfboards could be used for rescues.
Kahanamoku's original board is now in the possession of Freshwater Surf Club.
—D.Y. (NSW).

Trove
1955 'Australiana Lifesaver', The World's News (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 1955), 19 March, p. 27. , viewed 26 Jul 2016,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article133915179

The Canberra Times
5 April 1955, page 1.

SURFBOARD TO AID DISABLED SHIP

LISMORE, Monday.

A Byron Bay lifesaver tomorrow will attempt, to take spare parts by surfboard to a Brisbane fishing boat disabled in rough seas off Byron Bay.

 
 
The life-saver, Hal
                  Hankin, is former Far North Coast surfboard champion.
 
The crew of
                        the disabled vessel, the 32ft. Marjan, was taken
                        off by another fishing boat-today.

.Rough seas pounding the Byron Bay coastline have prevented any vessels going out to sea.

It is proposed to
                  lash 1cwt. of machinery, which is being rushed from
                  Toowoomba by road, on to the surfboard.
 
 

Hankin will
                  endeavour to reach the 45ft. Tamoi, which is anchored
                  about a half nille offshore.
 
 

The skipper of. the Marjan is aboard the Tamoi.

  Tonight fishermen
                  considered that a surfboard
                  entering the water from the end of Byron
                  Bay jetty, could negotiate the rough seas.

                Trove

                1955 'PLAN TO USE SURFBOARD TO AID DISABLED SHIP', The

                  Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 5 April, p. 1.
                , viewed 02 Jan 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91196141

The Argus
Melbourne, 21 June 1955, page 18.

Torquay gets surf carnival

                  Torquay was last night decided by preferential voting,as the site for the international surf carnival during the Melbourne Olympic Games.

The vote was taken
                  at a meeting of the
                  Surf Lifesaving
                  Association of Victoria.

The carnival will be held November 25, 1956.

Torquay wiil also be the site of the Australian surf Championships, which will be held one week later, on December 2.

— JUDY JOY DAVIES.

Trove
1955 'Torquay gets surf carnival', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 21 June, p. 18. , viewed 26 Jul 2016,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71889328

The Argus
Melbourne, 2 July 1955, page 34.

JUDY JOY SAYS ...

...

ONE of the most unusual sporting events our overseas visitors and Olympic competitors will see during the Melbourne Games will be a sport we Australians take for granted.

Our visitors'
                  interest will be
                  attracted by the surf

                  carnivals at Torquay
                  during the Olympic Games.

Although not a part
                  of the Games, the
                  surf carnivals will
                  include international
                  events and the Australian

                  championships.

Apart from the South Africans and some Americans, most of our visitors will never have seen surf, let alone a surf carnvial.

The thrill of
                  watching swimmers
                  battle through heavy
                  surf, men riding,
                  surf boards on the crests of waves, or surf boat crews straining to take their boats out past the breakers will be a new enjoyment for our visitors, and also a wonderful advertisement for Australia. 
 
 
 

JUDY JOY DAVIES.

Trove

1955 'JUDY JOY SAYS...', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 2 July, p. 34. , viewed 26 Jul 2016,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71665302

The Detroit Tribune
August 6, 1955, page 3.

RED CROSS SAFETY NOTES

Air mattresses, inner tubes, and other devices to help keep you afloat in the water are lots of fun but potentially dangerous if not used properly, Frederick K. Cody, Water Safety Chairman of the Detroit Red Cross Chapter, cautioned today.
“If you can't swim, never go in water above your shoulder lever, even when you have something to keep you afloat,” Mr. Cody warned.
“Inner tubes, mattresses, and other floating devices can slip away easily, leaving the non-swimmer help less and in panic.”
“Consider the safety of others, too.
If you are using an air mattress or surfboard to ride the waves, make sure no one is in your path.
You may strike them and cause injury.
“Follow the regulations for use of flotation devices in pools and other swimming areas.
These rules are made for your safety,” Mr. Cody concluded.

The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, August 06, 1955, Image 3
Image and text provided by Central Michigan University, Clark Historical Library
Persistent link: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn92063852/1955-08-06/ed-1/seq-3/

Worker
Brisbane, 19 December 1955, page 4.

A NEW THRILL

GROUP-CAPTAIN John Cunningham, commander of the jet airliner Comet III, spent a while riding a Bondi surfboard before flying back to England.
Group - Captain Cununingham, used to travelling at 500 m.p.h. by air, said later:
'It was my first real go on a proper surfboard.
'I was not good enough to go solo.
'I was accompanied by an expert surf board rider, Brian Hill.
'I lay on the board flat on my stomach and hung on grimly while a terrific wave took us back to the shore.
'I am sure we were travelling at some great speed, I enjoyed every moment of it.
'I would like to do a lot more surboard riding.
It is a wonderful change from flying.'

Trove
1955 'NEWS AND VIEWS', Worker (Brisbane, Qld. : 1890 - 1955), 19 December, p. 4. , viewed 28 Jul 2016,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71404082

The Argus
Melbourne, 26 December 1955, page 14.

Wicked day at Paradise

BRISBANE Sunday:
Severe blue-bottle
                  stings, shark alarms,
                  and dangerous surf on several
                  beaches near Surfers Paradise
                  marredChristmas Day
                  on the South
 
 

Coast.
...

William Swannie, 30,clerk, of Brisbane, had hisnose broken and his face badly cut when he was struck by a surf board at Kirra.

Trove
1955 'Wicked day at Paradise', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 26 December, p. 14. , viewed 26 Jul 2016,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71788565

The Canberra Times
27 December 1955, page 2.

SNOWY WORKER DROWNS

SYDNEY, Monday.

A 2d-year-old New Australian was swept out to sea at Mona Vale Beach to-day and is believed to have drowned.

The migrant, Hermumt Kasbach, of Cooma, worker on the Snowy River scheme, was spending: his Christmas holidays in Sydney.

Police have been told he could not swim.

Kasbach was caught in a rip and swept over 100 yards out to sea when a wave threw him from a surf board.

A friend, John
                  Wright, went to his
                  rescue and reached
                  Kasbach as he lost
                  consciousness.
 
 
 

However, a wave parted'(the two men and Kasbach disappeared.

Trove
1955 'SNOWY WORKER DROWNS', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 27 December, p. 2. , viewed 26 Jul 2016,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91214737