Classic Surf Tales.

Here’s a few more classic memories from back in the early days in Cronulla……..I have had a couple of memorable journeys in Gary Birsalls alias Birdshits first car , a Morris *8/40. One trip we went down Bulli pass to go surfing. but his gutless car would not take all of us back.S o Hitcho and I  hitched a ride to the top and waited for him. another time we were going from Cronulla to Garie Beach, thru the Nat Park, on a hot summer day. His car had an electric fuel pump, and it kept heating up,and burning the fuel before it got to the carbie. The car would stop, and we had to piss on the pump to get going again…By Dags

The there was the time I was standing in front of the pie shop when suddenly Yance jumped out of his bedroom window (he used to live in the main street above the jewellry shop)  followed by detective Humpherys running across the shop awnings then he jumped down onto the footpath and up the side lane.  they wanted him for the old charge of carnal knowledge,  he beat it when 6 other blokes spoke up as well (lovely girl was Betty);   Or when Barry Rossier held the unofficial time record for driving from Cronulla to Garie in Terry Stein’s old TE MG rag top; Wally Carle, Mr Wally Poly from Grays Point  loved putting VW  keys and insects in the middle of his fins (legend);  Barry Dack, had the first foam Scott Dillon board with a ‘nose fin’, it was white with a red half moon shape on the deck; Terry Mcintosh with a new ferris foam board, it was green, it started to bubble on the deck with the heat so he took to it with the neck of a broken beer bottle, slipped and nearly cut his arm off; Bob Davey with the first ‘bear suit’, they were discarded flying suit inners;   Fred Farmer, the first guy i ever heard about eating an apple while having sex (please confirm fred)  at Macs unit in Burke road. Yance being chased across the stage of Cronulla picture show while the movie was playing,   he was caught using a hand held air raid siren.  John Rhodes was the first guy in Cronulla convicted of using dope, his comment in the “Observer” was, “soon everyone will be using this”, the magistrate laughed at him (legend , again) …..by The Fox

Gary Birdsall and John Day

The Story Starts Here.

Golden Memories of the first surfboards in the early days at Cronulla  by pioneer surfer Raymond Greenway.

           Late in 1956, in conjunction with the Melbourne Olympic Games, a team of American lifeguards showed their skills and balsa boards around our beaches.They surfed here at Cronulla beach, and I heard some one say “hey they are riding across the wave “. The Yanks left their boards at our Club to check out. Balsa was not available in OZ at the time, so the race to import balsa was on, and the winner of this race was Roger Kieron out Manly way. Mr Duck had the market, and got a lot of publicity, showing many coloured boards in local mags. The first guy to get a balsa in Cronulla was Dick O”Donnell. He took me out to pick it up from Roger. It was not my fancy, so I waited for others to produce the goods. My first balsa was made by Bill Wallace at Bronte in winter 57.I was only 16 at the time,so a train and a tram to Bronte to get my board. Bill gave me a lift to Bondi in his blue jag, with doors that opened from the front. when we got there Bill said”see that guy thats BLuey Mayes. dont get in his way “So I didnt. Anyhow, I got some surf in while I waited for my Dad to finnish golf at Cronulla and get me. 

  Foam boards… In the winter of 59, Hitcho and Dags were on Greenmount Beach, picture this, the only guy there was  Joe Larkin. Came up from Sydney with 2 guys from Maroubra, who were riding Joe’s new foams. Hitcho and I were on balsa made by Cansdell. A bit of chatting ,and we were having our first waves on foams. We were stoked. About this time Jack Eden turned up at Cronulla. Jack used to surf at Bondi where Scott Dillon was surfing and making boards. Jack said he could get a discounted boards for us from Scott.  My first foamy was a Scott Dillon. There was a lot of foam trouble in those days and Scott finished his boards in white, to reflect the sun and keep the foam cool. It worked. Recently a pioneers night was held at the Goldie Surf Museum. I was really pleased to know my heroes were alive and kicking………dags

Above Ray “Dags”Greenaway Wanda Beach Easter ’62 photo Jack Eden.

Gary Birdsall Nth Cronulla ’58

This classic photo of Gary Birdsall was taken by Jack Eden and is part of a Exhibition coming in Sept 2011…….Surf City will track Sydney’s dynamic surf scene through the 50s, 60s and 70s: spanning an amazing period of social upheaval, post war optimism, teen angst, rock and roll, prosperity, drugs and shifting cultural frontiers. We’ll feature Sydney’s surfing hubs, hot spots and cultures along with the movers and shapers who stirred the pot during these vivid and volatile years. We’ll also show what surf-crazed Sydneysiders wore, watched, made, rode, heard and read and even reveal how surfing changed Sydney. The exhibition will contain boards, movies, photos, magazines, music, clothes, everyday surf wares and treasures. So watch out for the show, coming to the Museum of Sydney in September 2011.

Bruce “The Fox” Hennessy

Part of the  Jackson surfboard manufacturing team from way back in the day The Fox has seen and experienced much of Cronulla’s surfing history go down. Here’s one of his memories………..”4.30am on the morning of the first Bobby Brown contest in January ’68, I’m walking down the Kingsway and Midget Farelley blasts down the road in his ’55 ford customline only to be booked by the cops in front of the Elephant House, they reckon he was doing 100mph??  lost his licence for a while and then returned for the next contest in a new falcon gt, he burnt the back tyres off it in front of Daz Eastlakes surf shop, brilliant! (frustrated rocker)”. Photo of  The Fox courtesy Jackson Surfboards.

Gary Birdsall

Gary “Birdshit” Birdsall today is an accomoplished artist known for his surf inspired artworks. Back in the early sixties he was one of Cronulla’s first stars taking on the Point whenever it was firing. This image of Birdshit was  courtesy of Dags.

Jacko @ Sandshoes

Brian Jackson surfboard shaper and Cronulla legend takes on Sandshoes reef in the sixties. Photo Jack Eden

Nigel Dwyer Museum NZ.

Nigel Dwyer, a former Cronulla boy and great mate of Jacko  is now the owner of Del surfboards N.z. where he also runs  his own museum. Here are some of his  boards he’s collected. Info courtesy Dags

Terry Tumeth ’61

Another of Jacks classics this time Terry Tumeth styles his way down a South Cronulla left in ’61. Terry was also one of the pioneers of Sandshoes and has plenty of stories how the local boys used to trick visiting Surfers to the whereabouts to the much sort after secret reef in the early days. The Shoes boys would lead them down the coast then at the first opportunity loose them and head back to their little secret spot and have all the waves to themselves. Photo Jack Eden.

Ken Williams.

One of Cronulla’s first stars Ken Williams takes the drop at The Point early ’60’s snapped by Jack Eden. This pic appeared in A Pictorial History of Surfing book which was a part of many school libraries and a constant source of entertainment for obsessed surfers during school hours.

Peter Clarke Surfboards

By the late 60’s Surfboard advertisements became more daring and outrageous. Peter Clarke Surfboards opted for a unique racing car scenario to sell there V Bottoms. From Surf Magazine.