Bobby Brown Contest 1970

Voodoo Chill

Back in the 70’s my mates and I discovered Voodoo after Brian Pringle took a bunch of us grommets in his car out to this mysterious left that Mr P said was a piece of cake. He ended  up having to rescue most of us. Undetermined we kept at it and as anyone knows when you surf this reef your going to get hammered at one time or another. Getting caught inside by those sneaky sets or wiping out on the triple suck. My worst wipeout or so I thought was when I was caught inside on a size able day. When the sets hit I tried to paddle for the horizon but my board stood motionless as the water drained off the reef it felt like I was going backwards as the rocks below began to stick out. As the first wave of the set jacked. My immediate thought was I’m dead. As the wave pitched I managed  to dive into the trough right under it waiting for the inevitable. Instead I popped out the back like it was a two foot shorey. Ive never felt more relieved. Still copped the rest of the set though and got washed almost to the Reefs. The photo below is typical of what I’m talking about. Unknown about to go over, good luck ….Words and  photos Chris Stroh. Image late 70’s.

Sean Charters

Here’s Sean Charters a strapping young lad promoting his sponsors back in the mid 80’s down at The Alley photo Chris Stroh.

Unknown The Point 1961

Ledgend  surf photographer Bob Weeks captured many of the  classic surf images of the 60’s  era. This is one of the earliest images of Cronulla Point being tamed in 1961.

Occy ’83

Occy was out this day at Midway, this was when he was just starting to blow up riding his Banksy and sponsored by Peak. It was only small but clean and he was surfing a left rip bowl. I swam out and first wave he was right on top of me, I don’t even know if he knew I was there. Anyway the smart thing to do was to dive under the wave or risk having my head taken off. Well I must have been feeling extra stupid this day as he hit the lip I snapped it with my Nikonos as he sailed overhead. When he landed I felt his fins just brush my back as I tried to get away. Another near miss . Words and photos Chris Stroh.

 

Glenn Pringle

Around ’83 when this pic was snapped Glenn was just beginning to make a name for himself. Picking up a sponsor with McCoy and on his Lazor Zap he was competing against the likes of Nicky Wood and Luke Egan and regularly beating them. One of the best competitive surfers to come  out of Cronulla. Elouera Beach photo Chris Stroh.

Shark Island Surfboards

Geoff Solness loved The Island so much he even named his surfboard company and shop after the infamous reef. This shot was taken around ’83. It was a perfect mid size day. Young Occy and Gary Hughes were out and Soulman who was getting some deep pits. Taken from a seq by Chris Stroh

Ratso

Ian  “Ratso” Buchanan blew into Cronulla around ’79 from  New Zealand and over the next decade he called The Shire home. He hooked up with Cronulla Boardriders Club and had a shot at the Pro Ranks. His best result being 36th on the World Tour in ’84. Recently Ratso was made a life member of CBC. This photo caught the Kiwi battler on a Rockpool left during a size-able North East swell around 1990, pic by Stroh

Grant “Grub” Coulter

As a grom , Grub was a member of the Cronulla Junior Boardriders Club in 1978. The club under the direction of Jim James (Spikes dad) gathered together the best young riders in the area. Every month 20 to 30 of the best groms would gather at The Alley to create a competitive atmosphere for the kids that had been lacking in the area. Grub was one of the standouts  winning a place in the ’79 Schoolboys Titles at Merewether. Over the next decade Grub grew a taste for more powerful wave situations and became a regular Point and Island standout on those big demanding days. This shot Circa 80’s Grants deeply involved negotiating the White Rock section at The Island. photo Chris Stroh

 

 

Ken “Wheels” Williams ’65

This shot taken by Jack Eden of Ken Williams surfing The Point was one of the best water angle photographs getting around in the sixty’s. With his Da Bull style trunks the photo first appeared in Surfabout in ’65. More images from the same session were featured in the book Pictorial History of Surfing. Check out the wooden Paipo belly board rider getting pitched, a classic image from that era.