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Newspapers : 1967.

1966
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1968

Introduction.
See

The Sun
Sydney, Tuesday, January 3 1967, page 11.


Safari in Action Again

The Sun’s Surf Safari is back in action today after a week's break.
The safari team, headed by former world champiton, Midget Farrelly, will travel from beach to beach giving tips on boardriding.
Today it went to Coogee.
Tomorrow the team will be at Maroubra.

Other localities will be mentioned in “The Sun” each day.
Farrelly is assisted by South Coast Rider, Bobby brown and former Australian (junior) champion Robert Conneeley.

RECORD

The Safaris started a week before Christmas and have proved a great success.
The crowd record is held by Cronulla where more than 500 people attended.
Farrelly, Conneeley and Brown were eager to get back on the job following their week's rest.
Farrelly who suffered minor injuries in a car accident about a week ago has recovered and was “on deck” for today’s Safari.

-JC, March 2014.


The Sun
Sydney, Tuesday January 10 1967, page 6.



Surf Safari draws big crowd

More than 100 people attended “The Sun’s” Surf Safari today at North Wollongong, despite a blustery southerly and overcast sky.
The Safari team, Midget Farrelly, Bobby Brown and Robert Conneeely had to struggle throuth the crowd when they arrived.
There were hundreds of children keen to learn the finer points of board riding.
The crowd was so big the BMC Mini Zebra which carries the public address system had to be moved twice.
This was to enable as many as possible to see and hear the team.
Many youngsters climbed on to the roof of the vehicle to get a better view.
Others were held on the shoulders of adults.
Earlier, when the team visited the Council Chambers, the Mayor, Alderman A.Bevan gave the team members a badge on behalf of the city.
Tomorrow the team will be at Bronte and on Thursday at Newcastle.


-JC, March 2014.

The Sun
Sydney, January 13 1967, page 10.?


2000 WATCH SURF SAFARI

More than 2000 people watched “the Sun’s” surfing team in action at Newcastle Beach yesterday.
The half hour long demonstration was the highlight of the Safari.
Beach inspectiors cleared a special area in the surf so the team could ride without interference.
The stars, Midget Farrelly (a former wold champion and Sun-Herald columnist), Bobby Brown and Robert Conneeley turned on a great exhibition in the 5-6ft surf.
The waves were well shaped and the three surfers thrilled the crowd with some spectacular footwork and great nose-riding.

SIGNED

On practically every ride, each of the stars was able to stand on the nose of his board for several seconds.
Towards the end of the exhibition, Bobby Borwn caught one of the best waves of the day and performed a double spinner (turning around twice on his board).
The three riders were enjoying the surf so much beach master Rose Kelly had trouble in calling them out at the end.
Once again the team was besieged by autograph hunters before and after the Safari.
Several girls asked for autographs on their arms while others asked for the stars to autograph their school Shakespeare books.
The team will be at Newport today.
On Monday the Safari will be at Whale beach.

-JC, March 2014.

The Sun
Sydney, January 13 1967, page 60?

On the Boardwalk
with Murray Trembath

NOSERIDING CRAZE IS BIG MONEY


Nose Riding looks like being the newest craze – for the next few months, at any rate.
The average surfer in America apparently went for it in a big way during their last summer.
The “top notchies” weren’t exactly knocking it either.
Well, would you- if you had the chance to win some of the loot being offered in the diffirent contests.

First prize in the Tom Morey contest alone was $US 2000
Nose riding is only a small part of surfing for the rider, but for the person on the beach it is probably the most spectacular.
For the judge it is easier all round since all he needs is a stop watch and a good eye.

Windandsea hoped to have the honour of staging the first noseriding contest in Australia but Queensland Caloundra Surf Riding Club got in before it last weekend.
This contest was won by a 16 year old school boy, Andy Geddes, with a total time on the nose of 12.5 in his best three rides.
Longest individual ride was 5.2 s.

Windandsea’s contest will still go on- probably in April and 40 of the country’s top riders will be invited to compete.
It will be interesting to see how many of those who have ‘knocked’ nose riding will accept when they hear of the high prize money that is likely to be offered.

SECRET

Don’t ever try to keep a secret in Wollongong.
After Wednesday, I’d confidently say you’ve go Buckley’s chance.
On that day “the Sun’s” safari team went to the southern city and received a tremendous reception.
After a final appearance at the Big W department store in Warrawong the team; Farrelly, Brown and Coneeley decided to head for Sandon Point.
The swell was small but a 4ft wave was breaking when they arrived.
Not a soul was in sight when they paddled out.
Yet withing half an hour more than 50 kids arrived and were sitting on the Point watching.
None ventured into the warer.
By this time the surf had improved 4-6ft and Brownie was in his element.
Farrelly and Conneeley were also turning it on.


- JC, March 2014.

The Sun
Sydney, Friday January 20 1967, page 58.



The Sun
Sydney, Friday January 27 1967, page 62.

On the Boardwalk
with Murray Trembath

ONE OF THE GREATEST BUNGLES


Organisation of this year’s State championships will go down as one of the greatest surfing bungles of all time.
If the whole matter wasn’t so serious, it could be funny.
The titles were set down for this weekend, but came in the middle of the week and nobody had clue what was going on.
Even the people responsible , the contest committee of the NSW Surfrider’s Assoiciation, were lost.
Luckily, a meeting was scheduled for Wednesday night and after a lot of stirring and harsh words, a new plan was proposed.

The titles wil now be held at Avlon on February 18-19.
Only heats and rephages will be held that weekend to select the top 15 seniors 15 juniors and 6 girls.
These will comprise the State team to go to Bells Beach at Easter for the Australian championships.
The finals of the State contest will be run at a later date.
Entry forms will be available at board shops and wil have to be sent in by February 13.

CLOSE DUEL

St. George went down to Mid Steyne in a good 6ft surf at Mid Steyne last Sunday.
The contest was close with the Saints winning three of the five heats.
Mid Steyne’s team depth was the deciding factor and they finished up with 379 points to Saints’ 3601.
Mid Steyne’s Kevin Platt top-scored on the day with 37 points, with Bobby Brown (34) and Frank Latta (33) from Saint George next.
If you’re thinking its a bit strange Kevin Platt scoring higher than Brown- don’t.
THAT Bobby Brown is not THE Bobby Brown.

There happen to be two Bobby Browns at Cronulla and both are good riders.
To avoid confusion, maybe one of them might consider changing his name to Cedric, Cecil, Alfred or even Slick, Curly or Toes.

BOB EVANS is on a real winner with his latest surf movie: “High on a Cool Wave” at present showing at the Union Theatre.
The film has good dialogue, humour, action and most of all, tremendous surf.
The first half is shot up around Noosa and Double Island Point where Nat Young, Bob McTavish and belly boarder George Greenough really turn it on (?).
The second half has a few old shots, and more recently the world championships in California and surfing in Hawaii.

The shots of Peter Drouyn surfing Sunstet and Pipeline at 8-10- ft on his 9 ft board are probably the best in the film.
Drouyn’s last ride at Pipeline has to be seen to be believed.


SHORT SETS

Windansea has lost both the Dee Why Shield and the Air New Zealand Trophy for failing to have contests within specified periods of time.
The next teams in line will compete for the trophies.

- JC, March 2014.


The Sun
Sydney,
Friday February 3
1967, page 60.

On the Boardwalk with Graham Cassidy
STARS TURN ON THE BIG FIREWORKS

A big holiday weekend crowd was treated to an impromptu feast of riding at North Avalon last Sunday.
Midget Farrelly and Nat young both decided to get in a bit of practice – and picked the same beach to have it.
What a battle royal it was.
They fought it out wave by wave, the superb riding keeping the crowd entralled.
The pair rode so well that any newcomer to the beach would have thought it was a premature start to the Australian championships.

Midget, with his grand 30 yard nose rides across the wall and Nat with his powerhouse manoeuvres in “the soup” were a delight.
Although the “clash” was quite coincidental one could have got the impression it was set up by the ASA to stir interest in the championships.
This was not the case.
It all started abnout 1.30 pm when the beach was crowded.
Midget arrived and immediately became the centre of attraction.
The former “golden boy" hit the water with his stringless board and the beach came alive.

Shortly after Nat appeared.
At this stage there were about 50 riders in the water.
The surf had crept up around the 5ft mark and was very “shapey”.
The two stopped at nothing – head dips, five over 10, classic standing islands.
The off-the-cuff encounter was a terrible indication of what we can expect in the championships.

And while on the championships, Rob Conneeley returned on Tuesday from a long weekend joint to South Australia, with a warning not to take the southern boys too lightly at the Bells Beach contest.
Rob had the opportunity to spy on the SA surfers when he competed by an invitation in a meet which was part of an annual festival held at Port Lincoln.
He won the contest after a touch and go fight with two locals.
Rob made the trip south with two Manly riders, Graham and David Treloar.
The contest was held at Mount Greenly Beach, 650 miles south of Adelaide, Rob tells me.
To add to the successs of the carnival, the SA surfriders association netted over $800 and 4000 spectators.

SHORTS

Surfers riding Byron Bay on Monday didn’t even flinch when told cyclone “Dinah” was fast approaching.
That night though they brushed the cobwebs off their gunboards.

Victorian riders must be feeling the cold early, a leading Brookvale wetsuit manufacturer this week dispatched a large consignment of suits and vests to a number of Melbourne retailers who are being besieged with orders.


-JC, March 2014.

The Sun
Sydney,
Friday February 10
1967, page 5.


SURFER WINS HER HEART

Martia Gomez, 19, a beauty contest winner from the Phillippines, took one look at Sydney’s beaches and decided she must learn to ride a surfboard.
“The Sun” obliged and yesterday arranged for Maits to have a surfing lesson at Manly from former world Champion and Sun Herald columnist, Midget Farrelly who headed the recent Sun Surf Safari team.

SHE SOON LEARNED

Although she is a good swimmer, Maita had never been in the surf.
She made good progress under Farrelly's tuition.
Maita’s ambtition now is to take a surfboard home to Manilla when she leaves Sydney next month
.

-JC, March 2014.


The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 25 March, p. 22.

The oldest
surfie of
them all
MELBOURNE, Friday.
. — Ben Bcndall, of
Caloundra, Queens
land, known as, the
"grandad of the waves"
is by far the oldest
competitor at ~thc Aus
tralian surfboard chani-J
pionships being held at
Bells Beach, near Tor-1
quay,-Victoria.
Now 591, he began surf
board riding at the age
of 52.
He came fourth in the
senior Australian cham
pionship last year, and
was second in ihe rccent
Queensland championship.
He finished fourth in the
first round'of the current
championship 011 Tues
day - and -will - compete
again tomorrow.
He said today he loved the
sport and he and his wife
practised every day.
"It's a great sport", he said.
i "I have made wide in
• quirics and ! am certain
we are the oldest couple!
surfboard riding . any-j
where in the world".
1967 'The oldest surfie of them all', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 25 March, p. 22. , viewed 11 Sep 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article107033773

The Canberra Times
11 August 1967, page 1.

TIME TO TALK A BRIEF VISIT TO AN OLD FRIEND
By a Staff Correspondent
Robert Helpmann interrupts a shower to talk about ballet and himself.
Robert Helpmann, who pays
super-tax to the British Government,
came to the door wearing two white
towels and apologised for not hear
ing the triple door-knock.
He had been in the shower at the
time, getting ready to meet "an old
friend" - the Governor-General, Lord
Casey. "It's very difficult to hear the
door when the shower is running", said
(he 10-stone, eight-pound, one-time
pop-singer whose only record crept into
the Top Ten in Honolulu.
He is a surf board rider and a director
of the South Australian meat company
which his father founded. He is also a
very succcssful dancer, producer and
choreographer, which is why he pays
19/6 in the £1 on some of his earnings
to Mr Harold Wilson's Labour Govern
ment. In 1966 he was named Australian
of the Year by a committee headed by
the Viclorian Premier, Sir Henry Bolte.
Yesterday he arrived, virtually un
observed, in Canberra for a 24-hour
visit, to tie up the details of the 1970
Adelaide Festival (of which he is
director) and to meet some embassy
officials to wrap up plans for the 1968
South-east Asian tour of the Australian
Ballet (of which he is artistic director).
Films for money
He was the driving force behind the
ballet's six-nation tour of Latin America
which ended in July.
Mr Helpmann, 58, born at Mt Gam
bier, began ballet when he was 13 and
never looked back. He has choreo
graphed 11 of his own ballets and will
begin work on the 12th after four
months' filming at Pinewood and tak
ing the ballet on the South-east Asian
tour.
He leaves Australia on Saturday to
act in a musical film based on Ian
(James Bond) Fleming's stories for
children - Chitty Chitty Bang-bang.
"I do films just for the money", he
said yesterday during a 40-minute, four
cigarette talk in a Canberra hotel suite.
"1 wouldn't exactly be hard-pressed
financially without the odd film but films
do make things easier".
One qf his worries is that the Austra
lian Government does not increase its
grant to the Australian Ballet. "The
Royal Ballet gets £1.5 million a year;
the Paris Ballet gets £3 million and the
Bolshoi gets £4 million", he said. "For
us to put our ballet on a fully inter
national and respected footing we need
more from the Government. The
Government could certainly do more
for us".
Trove
1967 'TIME TO TALK A BRIEF VISIT TO AN OLD FRIEND', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 11 August, p. 1. , viewed 11 Sep 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106971176

The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 22 August, p. 3.

Charged
with
murder
SYDNEY, Monday- A
30-ycar-old man appeared
in Sutherland Court late to
day charged with the mur
der of leading Sydney surf,
board rider Bobby Brown,
at Cronulla Hotel on Satur-1
day.
Clarence Robert Tasker,
30, of Engadine, was re
manded until tomorrow and
refused bail.
He will be remanded to
morrow to the Coroners
Court on a date to be
fixed.
In a brief hearing today
the court was told that
Brown, 20, of Caringbah.
died in Sutherland Hospi
tal this afternoon after re
ceiving severe throat
wounds in an incident at
(the hotel.
Brown was rated among
the best surf board riders in
the world.

1967 'Charged with murder', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 22 August, p. 3. , viewed 11 Sep 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106972932

The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 23 August, p. 10. Death of
board
rider
SYDNEY, Tuesday. — A
leading Australian surf-
board rider died after his
assailant lunged at him with
a beer glass and cut his
throat, Sutherland Court
was told today.
The surfboard rider,
Robert Eric Brown, died
later in Sutherland Hospital
on August 19.
In court charged with
Brown's murder was
Clarence Robert Tasker, 31,
of Engadine.
Tasker was remanded to
George Street North Court
on September 19 and
allowed bail of $2,000.
The police prosecutor,
Sergeant F. H. Gardiner
told Mr J. Scott, SM, that
police would allege Tasker
lunged at Brown with a beer
glass after an argument had
developed in a hotel.
1967 'Death of board rider', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 23 August, p. 10. , viewed 11 Sep 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106973238


The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 28 October, p. 23.

SURF board, balsa, 9'10", $20.
93834.
SURFBOARD 8 feet 6, ideal
for learner $25. Phone 93748.

1967 'Advertising', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 28 October, p. 23. , viewed 11 Sep 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106994887

The Sun
Sydney,
Thursday November 2
1967, page 78.


On the Boardwalk
by Graham Cassidy

While the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer, so do boards continue to get shorter, wider lighter, and DEARER.

This could be call­ed progress on a grand scale.
But it needs no hammering home to guys and gals who had eyes and ears agog at every beach during the past three months.
While radical changes regarding brevity, width and weight have not stimulated objection, the spiraling of price tags has.
In fact, it is a case of "we can stomach the new styles, but not the surcharge."

Which means one and all concur over developments in appearance and performance of boards, but feel piqued over so-called unjustifiable price increases.
Obvious question is whether the manufacturers have valid reasons for any increments.
Most leading stick mak­ers are channeling out 30 to 40 a week to cock-a hoop customers.

The trend

The surfer in the know no longer orders a 10-foot board with 4in rails, and three stringers, etc., which would require considerable amounts, of fibre glass, resin and wood.
He, or she, these days commands an 8ft 9in plank, with razor-edge rails, turned up nose, scooped deck or what have you!

So while materials in the board are not being used in the same abundance as a year ago, more craftsmanship and labour is.
This means, naturally, that shapers, glassers and the like have to work longer hours and with greater precision.
From this arises the demand for further coin in the pay packet.

As one top Brookvale manufacturer told me this week "With competition among us so cut-throat, the only counter-action against tactics by the staff for more cabbage is to tack a few dollars on to price lists."


'Cruelled'

We can shoulder, to some degree, the blame for any rises.

The second-hand board business has been "cruelled" because of widespread awareness of what qualities need be in a board, plus a mounting consciousness of what one has un­der his arm as he strolls to the water.
Prospective buyers just won't accept stock "tanks" any more.
In turn, manufacturers deny big trade-in allow­ances to surfers trying to palm-of antiquated mon­strosities.

In the stronghold area of board production land - Brookvale - prices vary from a standard $90 for a Bennett and Dillion to 95 and 98 bucks for a custom Clarke or Keyo "McTavish" signature model.

On the Southside, Brian Jackson charges $97, as against $92 at the Gordon and Smith pad around the corner.
Midget Farrelly rules the roost, extracting $120 for his masterpieces.

***
Visit off

Mickey Dora, alias "Da cat," alias egomaniac, alias king rider, will not he visiting our shores with the Yankee Windansea contingent to arrive in Sydney on November 24.
Personal reasons, like his inability to wear a smile when in the com­pany of certain other team members, has forced ihe Malibu master to recoup his plane fare.
However, the four Californian colossals, Corky Carroll, Steve Bigler, Skip Frye and Jeff Hackman are certain starters in the mini-World contest be­tween Manly and Palm Beach.
***
Thanks

Credit where credit's due is a fair enough pol­icy so gratitude lo "Gas Works" proprietor and surfriders'
(sic) Association executive, Ross Kelly.
Ross has been staying up nights to knock this column out, while I was sampling the surf and sun, and other niceties, of the north and south coast.


-JC-GC, March 2014.

The Sunday Telegraph
Sydney, November
5
1967, page 122.
World Contest for Vic.
By Bob Evans

Hawaii AWAITS big a black-out in the fourth World Surf­board Title has set a lot of people think-

J tire surfing world.

The big question Is: If Hawaii passes up the big title (Hawaii is well able, physically, to meet the rather stringent demands of the International Surfing Federation) what chance do the smaller surfing nations like France, South Africa, New Zealand have?

Africa and France have already been seriously considering taking on the mighty tasks associated with setting up facilities for accommodating hundreds of surfers and tens of thou­sands of spectators for up to a period of ten days, not to mention raising the funds to air-transport more-than 20 international sur­fers half-way around the world.

Australia set the pace in 1964:  Peru  presented the most radical and exciting contest back in 1965 and the U.S.A. presented a mammoth example of pre­tentious organising (which , came off successfully) in San Diego, 1966.
The National Committee of the A.S.A., stunned By Hawaii's refusal, took a very serious look at the problems of taking up where Hawaii left off and put out feelers to the N.B.C. television  network to check whether their token assistance offer of $12,000 applied also at this end of the world.
This week, out of the blue, came a bombshell ! offer from Victoria to present the World Contest at the State's world-renowned big surf location:  BELLS BEACH.


• Support

Vice-President Col Tur­ner brought basic details of the project to Sydney this week.
He expressed confidence in the support of several of Australia's foremost business groups and stated that the progressive BARABIL SHIRE COUNCIL, Press and civic authorities of Geelong, were firmly be­hind strengthening the already considerable status of Victoria's coastline.

Through experience, we have come to know that the annual Bell's Contest has turned out giant waves every Easter like sausages out of a machine.
Lets face it . . . Bell's is the only big surf beach in Australia that could hope to provide waves that could even out-gun Hawaii.


Furthermore, if the Vic­torian bid conies off and Bell's was able to click with 15 to 20ft. surf, I am sure a new international appreciation of technique in the big stuff would flow toward Australia.

The reason is simple to anyone who has seen the action in Hawaii's giant waves
the Australian '. idiom is flexible perfor­mance before anything else and at Bell's, our top boys can really turn it on, regardless of size.


- JC/GC, April 2014.

- Evans, Bob: World Contest for Vic.
The Sunday Telegraph
, November 5 1967, page 122.

The Canberra Times
9 November 1967, page 30.


WALTONS

MINI SURF BOARD
$32

Midget surf board weight only 171b fits inside car.
Excellent stability and
manoeuvrability.





Trove
1967 'Advertising', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 9 November, p. 30. , viewed 11 Sep 2016,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106981647



The Sunday Telegraph,
Sydney,
November 11
1967, page 120?


Would you believe tiny Puerto Rico?
By Bob Evans

P
OOR old Victoria - after all the mighty effort in checking out sponsors, approaches to shire councils, the Press, etc.
The whole thing has blown sky high because, right out of nowhere, one of the tiniest countries of the surfing world has exercised its options and notified that It will present the 1968 World Surfing Championships.

Just last Wednesday, a letter from Eduardo Arena, chairman of the Inter­national Surfing Associa­tion, typical of the man, full of facts but couched in the adventurous prose style of a Peruvian aristocrat.

Romantic Puerto Rico, in the heart of the West Indies, one of the newest and littlest-known areas of great waves anywhere in the world, had made its pressure felt.
Chairman Arena pointed out that the Puerto Rican Government had enthu­siastically decided to give the big meet its full co-operation and support.

The ABC television net­work of the United States immediately confirmed its financial support and keen interest in doing a full one-hour color spectacular for America.

International teams would comprise four con­testants and a Judge and all expenses would be paid for some of the not-so-distant nations' Australia would receive all expenses for two contestants and a judge.
It was also pointed out that Puerto Rico would possibly partly help the other two surfers and would supply all accom­modation, meals, and entertainment free to any other International surfers who could make it under their own steam.

Eduardo Arena, whom I know to be a man who does not exaggerate, told that the contest would be held at a location known as Rincon, next October, and stated that the surf and its surroundings were excellent and exciting.

I certainly believe that everything about this con­test should be fabulous.

The unknown features of Rincon . . . the millionaire on holiday attitude of the sparkling West Indies . . . the mystique of the place is excitement enough.
But, what a trip for a group of young surfers!
On the same route lie Tahiti, Hawaii, California, Mexico, Miami, New York.

Across the Atlantic to Europe and round the world back to Australia or, alternatively, back across the United States from New York to Los Angeles and return across the Pacific Ocean, slopping off at Hawaii at the absolute top time of the winter season for great surf.

Further, I believe Rincon is a point surf going right and It Is my sincere per­sonal opinion that we have at least ten surfers with the ability and mental attitude to dominate this world tournament com­pletely.


- JC/GC, April 2014.
Evans, Bob: Would you believe tiny Puerto Rico?
The Sunday Telegraph
, November 11 1967, page 120?

The Sunday Telegraph
Sydney,
November 19
1967, page 122.


WHAT HAPPENED TO NAT YOUNG?
By BOB EVANS
FROM the most talked about and controversial figure in the sport of surfing at the end of summer, 1967, Robert "Nat" Young suddenly disappeared from the com­petitive field and dropped right out of the eye of publicity.

Many people suggested that, led up with all the publicity and the pressure, he had packed up and gone back overseas.
The fact is that "Nat" had long expressed a desire to learn to ski and at the first hint of cool weather he had racked up his board, ac­quired a set of skis and headed for the Warringah Mall dry-land ski run.
Typical of his attitude to all sport, he flung him­self headlong into develop­ing a technique.
He spent every weekend of the season at the snow and emerged, as expected, allompetent and aggressive performer.


An Austrian ski instruc­tor told me that for a man who had only spent his first winter in the snow, "Nat" had become remarkably skilful.
He also sug­gested that, being a top surfer, had given "Nat" a huge head start


NAT YOUNG plus super board whips a super turn.
• Try-out

Several weeks ago, he came back on to the beach scene and tentatively tried a few waves, handling the transition from weight on the outside leg, to weight on the inside leg, almost automatically.
A week or so later, I checked him at Narrabeen, still on his old board, pul­ling re-entries, roller coasters and stuck so far out in the soup, that, at times, only his head and shoulders were visable above the weight water, as he advanced on the curl from behind.

Just last week, "Nat" took delivery of an 8ft. 8in. vee-bottom, vee-back ver­sion of the new super-board trend, from Gordon Woods.
Several times, dur­ing last week's hot weather, Long Reef turned on beau­tiful surf and "Nat," who knows these waves well, took the chance to test the new unit.
I was surfing there myself, so am in a position to state that "Nat" has taken a further step forward on his World Championship form of last year.
This board encourages the rider to follow the action pocket on a wave, like never before.

• Rail turns

Full rail turns and un­believable bursts of speed, were commonplace on every wave ridden.
He would drive down the face of the wave, in a prone position until about 10 feet out in front then, rising and shifting weight simultan­eously, would snap the most savage full rail turn im­aginable, and go rocketing diagonally upward at the crest of the wave, where he would hang a similar amazing full rail cut-back and then, in a series of stalling turns and acceler­ation bursts, milk the wave of all its power.

If "Nat" returns to com­petition this season, it will be with an even more at­tacking style than previ­ously and he will be a hard man to beat... by anyone.


-JC/GC, April 2014.
The Sunday Telegraph, Sydney, November 19 1967, page 122.

The Sunday Telegraph
Sydney, November 26 1967, page 98.

AUSSIE SURFERS OFF TO HAWAII
By BOB EVANS

EVERY year since 1961 a team of Australian surfers have pushed off for the big winter competition circuit in the peak  of Hawaii's winter.

With the exception ot Bob McTavish's invitat­ional entry into the World Professional
Surfing Championships, it looked as though the Yanks and Hawaiians would have it all to themselves and, though the mighty Mac may have been able to stand them off in droves, he would have been some­what pressured.

However, the flag will be flying high, with Bob Spence representing as official Judge at the Mahaka International Contest.
Australian surfers will be in Oahu surfing at the time, but it is uncertain if they will all be parti­cipating at Mahaka.
Ro­bert "Nat" Young, Geoff
Hannan,
David Sames, Bill Hannan, Bob McTa­vish, John Witzig, Steven Ash, and Frank Lever add up to a pretty formidable bunch of surfing people.

"Nat" has specifically designed and shaped for himself an 8ft [Si. ver­sion of the "super-board," incorporating the speed factor that is so necessary for Hawaiian surfing.
He is intent upon a complete in­vestigation
of the waves on the island of Maui and that includes the fabu­lous Honolulu Bay.

Geoff and Bill Hannan are well known in Sydney for their reckless attack on our rare huge surf.
Bill is  educationally involved with his thesis at the moment and will join his brother, Geoff, in January, the time of the most regular Waimea Bay storm surf.


Once again, all these surfers hall from the Manly-Palm Beach strip of coastline and Young, McTavish, Sames, Witzig, and Bob Spence have all surfed Hawaii in other years.

The American surf movie Free and Easy, currently showing in Australia, has a great coverage of last year's World Contest and the Mahaka Event and "Nat" Young, frankly looked an obvious winner in both . . . though the narrators concede it rather grudgingly.

The World Professionals at Sunset Beach are mag­nificently covered by Free and Easy and, in the most magnificent days of big surf, I have seen, the "old pro," aquanaut, Rickle Gregg, showed un-believeable judgment and control to eclipse even the brilliant surfing of Mike Doyle, Greg Noll, and Fred Hemmings.

I can't help thinking that I would have liked to see "Nat" in there amongst the action.
I sure would like to be on the scene with my camera this year when McTavish, Young, Hannan, and Co. move into the Hawaiian scene with our little boards ... maybe I'll make it even yet.


- JC/GC, April 2014.

The Sunday Telegraph
Sydney,
December 3
1967, page 120?

OH, THOSE BOARDS!
. . . SAYS BOB EVANS

WELL, the big U.S. Wind-and-sea express came rumbling into Sydney last week . . . boys, girls, veterans and a team of cameramen hefty enough to produce two epics, at least.

Quite a few of the team are guys I have known for years . . . Mickey Munoz, Steve Bigler, Peter Peter­son, Thor Svenson and Skip Frye.
Also some of the hot youngsters from the California scene, Petey Johnson, Mike Purpus and the talented girls, Joey Hanasakl and young Margo Godfrey.

Lots of friendship and goodwill and good inten­tions and, on the surface, it looked like the perfect opportunity for we Aussies to enjoy a great exhibition by the top performers from the biggest surfing nation in the world.

Saturday was to be the day of competition between the tourists and an invited group of Aussies.
Long Reef provided the waves; an early morning four footer, which develop­ed and expanded gradually into an occasional eight-foot wave by early after­noon.

Everything was pretty standard . . . Just another surfing contest . . . until the wraps started to come off the boards.
Revealed to the gaze of the interested Aussies were a stack of surfing units, which would have graced our beaches (in 1965).
Well made . . . honestly shaped, nicely finished, obsolete surfing equipment.

To say that we were dis­appointed was an under­statement.

By comparison, the local surfers nursed their skinny, stumpy, broad, intensely concentrated little vessels into the washy waves and began to trace unbelieveable valuable tracks all over the swells that seemed to receive them as grace­fully as fish, rather than as an impediment to be carried on the shoulders of their peaky shape.

♦ Variety

Varying in length from 7ft. 6in. to 9ft. and in in­finite variety of spectac­ular bottom shapes . . . concaves . . . double con­caves . . . vee bottoms ... offset planes ... compli­cated convex-concave com­binations ... variable skeg positions ... fins with all stages of flex and foil ... flexible noses ... flexible overall shape ... advanced; some even slightly experi­mental but most featuring design Innovations that have been proven in the last 12 months to be valu­able and enlightening asse
ts to the progress which become an essential in the demanding Australian surfing scene.

I will go out on a limb and nominate Ted Spence(r) as the most dynamic per­former of the meet ... the intense Keith Paull ... the busy John Monie ... the smooth Russell Hughes ... the spectacular Kevin Parkinson, the swooping Bernard Farrelly, the care­ful contouring of Ken Middleton ... the aggres­sive smoothness of Richard Harvey ... versatile Frank Latta, whose board achiev­ed a new all-time chunki-ness, 26iin. wide, 11in. back, 7ft. 101in. long: in surf­board dimensions, that is, almost square.

Bigler and Frye were functional in the way they have been known to oper­ate; Purpus and Johnston were efficient products of the California surfing sys­tem; restricted in techni­que; partly by their equip­ment and partly by the in­fluence of techniques that have been deeply Ingrain­ed by the classical and much older background to their surfing.

I am not knocking the Yanks, who are a great bunch of fellows and I am not plugging our fellows as a race of super surfers.
(However, I am saying that unfettered . . . non-commercial thinking has inspired a fluid trend in this country toward a greater appreciation of purposeful involvement and through constant thought and experiment ... a significant break-through in design has been achieved.

Evans, Bob: Oh, those boards!
The Sunday Telegraph, December 3 1967, page 120.
- JC/GC, April 2014.



The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 6 December, p. 41
SURF board, wide thin rails
full concave deep Skeg Gor
den and Smith. 45626.

1967 'Advertising', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 6 December, p. 41. , viewed 11 Sep 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article107035477

The Sunday Telegraph
Sydney,
December 10
1967, page 121.


Hawaii, here we come again-
. . . says BOB EVANS


How excited can you get . . . Hawaii, here we come . . . again!
The strongest group, of Aus­tralian surfers ever to leave these shores.

Suddenly all the pieces have fallen into place, the passports and the visas are granted and ready . . .

Bob McTavish already has departed; two radical vee-bottomed surfing units tucked under arm.
Young Manly man Ted Spencer, who won the Wind-and-Sea contest last week, has an 8ft. 6in. vee-bottom "stubbie" and a 6ft. 6in. vee-nised "gun" all fabri­cated by the progressive KEYO shop.

Nat Young has been working out design theories for months, and if you have seen him per­forming recently you would be aware of just how far out his new techniques have gone.
Gordon Woods has pro­vided, the facilities of his custom shop to ascertain that the three "surfer stubbies" for Nat are re­fined in detail.
His board quiver contains a hippy 8ft. 8in. rolled bottom, an 8ft. 7ln. speed machine with the stylised rail contor of a rac­ing snow ski specifically for Hawaiian waves only, and a radical deep vee-bottom with a gun nose measuring 8ft, 8in.

Peter Drouyn, Queens­land's star performer, has two slightly more conserva­tive models; a concave nosed 9-footer for standard waves and a mini-gun 9ft. 4in. long.

However, the radical units don't only belong to the young fraternity.
Bob Spence has designed a 9ft. 6in. board with a very un­usual wide tail section giving great lift tor such a short board.

The word is that Russell Hughes also may make the trip and rumour has it that Bernard Farrelly could be a starter.
 I am person­ally covering both the World Professional event and the Makaha Internat­ional Championships for my new movie and, of course, the Sunday Tele­graph . . . plus a good long surfing look at the other Hawaiian islands of Kaui and Maui.

Evans, Bob: Hawaii, here we come again.
The Sunday Telegraph
, December 10 1967, page 121.
  - JC/GC, April 2014.
The Canberra Times
18 December 1967, page 17

Hawaii surfing title to youth, 19

HONOLULU, Sun
day (AAP). — A nine teen-year-old surfer of Sunset Beach, Hawaii, has been named winner of the third annual Duke Kahanamoku invitation surfing championships.

He is Jock Southerland, whose championship form was judged finest in the competition held just a short distance from his birthplace.
Southerland won from a field of 24 contestants, mostly from California and Hawaii.
Australia's Bob Mc
Tavish failed to qualify.
The judging was based on yesterday's performance in 8ft to 10ft waves.

Waves didn't materialise

Waves of 15ft expected
today failed to materialise and the competition was called off.
A short while later a tragical storm hit Hawaii, and there were no surfers amateur or professional in the water.
Hawaii's next surfing competition will be the 15th annual international surfing championship at Makaha.
Australia's Midget Farrelly has entered the competition and judges still are waiting final word on whether Australian Nat Young will be a contestant. About 380 surfers are expected to compete in the contest, beginning December 31.

Trove
1967 'Hawaii surfing title to youth, 19.', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 18 December, p. 17, viewed 8 March, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article107037626

The Canberra Times
19 December 1967, page 30.

WANTED TO BUY
SURFBOARD 8' 6" to 9'. Phone 498094 after 6pm.

FOR SALE
SURF board 3 stringer Gordon Woods custom built. 491520.

SURFBOARD 9' 6" fibreglass good condition. Phone 93711.

Trove
1967 'Advertising', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 19 December, p. 30. , viewed 11 Sep 2016,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article107037780

The Sunday Telegraph
Sydney,
December 31
1967, page 59.


AUSTRALIA'S MIXED SURFING SUCCESS
By Bob Evans


HONOLULU, Sat — Australian Peter Drouyn and three Hawaii surfers gained finals places in the senior men's division today at the 15th annual Makaha Inter­national Surfing championships.
The three Hawaii surfers are Joey Cabell, Ben Aipa, and Leroy Ahchoy.

Among those eliminated in the semi-finals were California's Mike Purpus, of Hermosa Beach, and George Downing, of Hono­lulu - the only three-time winner of the Makaha title.
Downing won the cham­pionship in 1954, 1961, and 1965.

The four finalists will compete for the title with defending champion Fred Hemmings, Jun., of Hono­lulu, who was automatic­ally seeded into the finals.
The finals will be held from Saturday to Monday.

- JC/GC, April 2014.


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Geoff Cater (2014-2016) : Newspapers : 1967.
http://www.surfresearch.com.au/1967_Newspapers.html