Cronulla Steam Train

The Sutherland to Cronulla Steam Train operated from 1911 to 1932 and was eventually replaced with the train line which still exists today. The Steam train would turn around at Shelly Park for the return visit to Suthurland. 

 

Jim Banks Logo

 Jim Banks has been shaping boards since 1971 in his backyard under the house stripping down old boards then re shapping the foam.Banksy then ended up working for Clearline and then for G&S before eventually breaking out on his own.

Jim Davidson/ Spray Artist

Jim Davidson  grew up with a spray can in his hand. At the age of 12 years he found surfing … just starting high school and meeting a new group of mates was the key , they were all psyched on catching the next wave !!! The “mang gang” was formed in 1966 , a bunch of guys getting up at 4.00 am and riding pushbikes or hitch hiking to Cronulla beach , “the alley” was the spot , at that time uncrowded and no hassles from clubbies. They learned to surf , Jim had conned his father into buying a 9’6″ “Bonka” as they called it , coated in orange pigment and weighing about 20 kilos, and it cost the grand sum of $11.00 , it was a monster , jim was about to start “working” on surfboards . With his mate “scaba” (Peter Haling) they stripped the bonka and re-shaped it … ending up with a 4’6″ shorebreak special , then painted it with a red background and a spider over the whole of the deck , the very first paint job on a surfboard .

     From then on it all began , all Jim wanted to do , besides surf , was paint surfboards , pretty soon he coined the phrase ” if it stands still long enough I’ll paint it !!” He was still at high school when he started spraying boards at “JACKSON SURFBOARDS ” all these years later he still thanks “Jacko” for giving him a chance to mess a couple of boards up and as Jacko said “use all the bloody masking tape!!”

     In the 60’s surfers weren’t considered to be very acceptable , they were an wild mob who hung around the beach and had too much fun !!! long haired and flanno shirts , Jim’s dad called them “a bunch of long haired pansies” he fell short of bludgers , but he was thinking it !! Jim’s parents felt he could do better by going to university and getting a respectable career … that didn’t work . After dropping out and working a lot of dead end jobs … Jim deceided it was better to go back to the surfboard factories to self train and hone all his skills to become one of , only a couple of , surfboard spray artists in Sydney. And so it began , his illustrious career .

    In 1974 , he became GORDON & SMITH SURFBOARDS’ full time sprayman-artist , producing up to 100 surfboards a week , this gave him a lot of time to experiment and refine skills at the same time gathering as many skills and methods to produce so many designs , there was no training course and you can’t make mistakes on surfboard foam  you can’t rub out or paint over a mistake , it was a challenge to make every board a bit different to the rest and be stylish and saleable !!! Once he had the skills , people began recommending him to other manufacturers … how could he refuse , it was a passion to paint boards . There was JACKSON , EMERALD , SOUTHERN COMFORT , FORCE 9  in the Cronulla area , from south CARABINE , BYRNE BROTHERS , SKIPP , CHRISTIE soon word got to the northern beaches , BENNETT , ALOHA , CHANNEL ISLANDS , FRIAR TUCK , ISLAND-A-CLASSIC , NATURAL FLIGHT , MIDGET FARRELY and there were more boards generated by the pro-surfers , the board shapers and surfing identities TERRY RICHARDSON , THE BRONZED AUSSIES , PETER TOWNEND , CHEYNE HORAN , MARK OCCHILUPO , JIM BANKS , CRITTER BYRNE , MARK RICHARDS , BRAD MAYES , GRAHAM CASSIDY , ROSS AND DYLAN LONGBOTTOM , GARY HUGHES , ROSS MARSHALL and even MICHAEL PETERSON shaped a number of boards at GORDON &SMITH . It had always been a dream to move to the north coast , so in 1981 Jim and his wife moved to the North Coast. Jims work has appeared everywhere in the surf industry he has dedicated himself to the betterment of the art of surfing and beyond for the best part of his life. Below is one of his most best known artworks the The Storm Riders Movie  Poster.

Pictorial History of Cronulla

 A book published in 1988 dedicated to the history of Cronulla . Coastline shots, the commercial growth of the town, trams and trains and the ever-present water sports of the shire are covered in detail in this heavily illustrated book.Written by Pauline Curby. 128 pages, black & white. A4 format. Its still available.Picture on the cover featured The Point back in the day.

 

The Cecil Hotel

The original Cecil Hotel had a rich history full of drunken tales and seedy hangovers. Now on the same block of land lies a skyrise apartment block .The pub was demolished in the early 90’s and just the front structure still remains as a testament to the thousands of goodtimes had behind its doors.Photo Stroh

 

The Skyline

Cronullas skyline has changed dramatically since the 50’s when the town was still basically undiscovered ,unpopulated and uncrowded. This shot was taken in the 90’s as the sun sets after another day of waves.

Steve Griffiths

After 42 years making surfboards, original Emerald Surfboards founder Steve Griffiths is forced to quit the industry, Check out Steve Cores blog to find out  why?

http://www.stevecoresurf.com/search/label/Ex-Cronulla%20Surfers

Night Outs

The 60s boys…Birdshit (front left ) Dags ( far front right ) and not so Filthy second from right but he may have had overalls under the suit, or pyjamas.

Left 70’s party animals Steve Core and Ross Longbottom with zink on nose. Right 80’s presso with Tim Gibson and French Maid

90’s Hell Groms on the night prowl, to young for the pub.

 

Straight Talk Tyre Open ’83

The  best surfers on the planet descended on Cronulla for the Straight Talk Tyre Open when the world tour of pro surfing hit town.

Barry Regan Pioneer Surfer.

Heres a recent pic of Barry Regan(white cap) one of Cronullas first pioneer surfers from the 50’s and early 60’s. Back then he was a member of South Cronulla Surf club.  The photo was taken at the Wood Board day at Currumbin, August 7th 2011. To read a  interview with Barry see:
http://mypaipoboards.org/interviews/Paipo_Interviews.shtml#Barry_Regan