Bob Colligan / Southern Comfort
Posted: June 7, 2012 at 5:56 pm
This pic of Bob Coligan was snapped at Sandshoes by Steve Core. It appeared in Surfing World aaround ’75. Bob was the driving force at Southern Comfort Surfboards during this time.The new brand attracted plenty of Cronullas hottest rising stars to its factory like Ross Marshall, Craig Naylor and Pete Smith making it the new cool brand. Things went a little crazy when out the backdoor there was some sleazy buisness going on and things got heavy. Danny Childs took over ran the buisness.
Posted in 70's
Steve Griffiths
Posted: May 28, 2012 at 2:17 pm
Griffo single fin gun from his days shaping at G&S in the 70’s.
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Jackson Logo 70’s
Posted: May 28, 2012 at 2:11 pm
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Clarke Surfboards
Posted: May 21, 2012 at 1:37 pm
Mid 70’s Peter Clarke Surfboards introduced two young shapers in Geoff Solness and Greg Melhuish. Both local surfers went on to make names for themselves in Cronulla for charging those big south swells as well as for their shaping skills.
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Glasso
Posted: May 21, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Peter Glasson was well respected in Cronulla for his big wave charging at The Point in the early 70’s on those big gnarly days when every drop could be you last. He was part of The St George club and competed at events like Bells Beach where the photo below was taken in ’75 by HM. Glasso also became a fine shaper who established his own brand Colour of Thought.
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Jackson Surfboards ’74
Posted: May 21, 2012 at 1:21 pm
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Eddie Conlon
Posted: May 21, 2012 at 1:17 pm
Ed Conlon was a stylish goofyfooter from Cronulla that surfed for the ST George Surfing Association. By the early 70’s ST George was the top club and boasted a team of Cronulla’s hottest surfers. Names like Frank Latta, Reno, Ross Longbottom, Andy Britton, Glasso and Danny Childs were just some of the standouts. As a junior Eddie began to shine and quickly earned a reputation at State and amateur levels. Ed eventually moved to the Gold Coast while his sister Patty Conlon dated MP. This photo of Eddie appeared in Surfing World in Dec issue ’73 by Steve Core.
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Kris Puckeridge
Posted: May 21, 2012 at 1:05 pm
When Frank Latta moved North in ’68 to shape boards two young Southside surfers began to stand out and make a name for themselves. Kris Puckeridge and Eddie Conlon took over the local junior contest scene at Cronulla winning all the local comps and became friendly rivals. Kris eventually moved to Kiama in the late 70’s and set up his buisness shaping boards. This photo of Pucko competing at Bells ’75 photo HM
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Frank Latta
Posted: May 21, 2012 at 12:50 pm
Frank Latta was never destined to be a scholar, not when he lived at Cronulla, the surf was up and all his mates were taking to the waves on boards. As a 15-year-old, he wanted to join them and bought a balsa wood board from Coles Marine in Cronulla, undertaking to pay it back at 2/6 a week.
Latta bleached his hair and became hooked on the sport. When he forgot his 2/6 repayments and Mr Cole repossessed the board, he borrowed a mate’s board and took the day off school. He had a misfortune in the surf, knocked out his front teeth and got a school caning for wagging it. His resolution to that problem was to virtually abandon school. In the decades that followed, Latta became a top competitive surfer, a skilled and prolific surfboard shaper and designer and a character of the Australian surfing scene. Below Frank competing at Bells Beach ’75 photo HM
Posted in 70's
G&S Stars Adv.
Posted: May 6, 2012 at 5:39 pm
This 1975 Gordon and Smith advertisement featured the cream of Cronulla surfing. Those included were the Sandshoes boys like Steve Core, Griffo, Mick Anastas, PT,Reno, Alan Blyth, Ross Longbottom and Bondi’s Robert Conneeley.
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