surfresearch

pods for primates : a catatogue of surfboards in australia since 1900

surfresearch.com.au
telegraph : pacific games carnival, 1939

Daily Telegraph : Pacific Games Carnival, July 1939.

Extracts from
The Daily Telegraph, 1939.

Introduction.
Al

Tuesday, 24 January 1939.
Page 16 Team Of Surfers May Visit Hawaii A team of three or four of our Australian surf life savers may visit Honululu in July.
The proposal is being considered by the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia.
Members of the team would compete in the Inter-Pacific surf board championships.
They would also give displays of rescue work by surf boards.
A conditlon of the tour is that the Hawaiian Association reciprocate with a visit to Australia in 1940.
Annual Event
The proposal was submitted by the Daily Telegraph.
If the proposal Is adopted the Surf Life Saving Association will make the surf board championship an annual fixture.
The first championship would be held at the Australlan championship carnival on March 18, at Manly.
Delegates at yesterday's executive meeting of the Surf Associatlon were enthusiastic about the scheme.
Forerunner Of Others
"The offer is the greatest in our history," said the chairman (Mr. Adrlan Curlewis).
"It gives us the opportunity of publicising our work overseas.
"Successfully managed it should be the forerunner of many overseas tours.
"I feel that while taking part in the surf board championships our represenatives should give demonstrations of surf rescue work.
Commitee Elected
"The question is so important that I feel the best interests would be served by appointing a special committee to conslder the offer and report to the executive on Wednesday," added Mr. Curlewis.
A committee comprising Messrs. Curlewis, R. J. Doyle, K, Hunter and C. Mack was appointed.
Mr. Hunter sald tests had shown Australian surfers the equal to those in other parts of the world.
"The world record for a still water swim with a surf board is 31 1/2 sec.," said Mr. Hunter.
"I know of several who got within a few seconds of this time without special training."
Proposed Events
Suggestions for the Honolulu tournament are for a special trophy award on apoint score basis over four events.
Events proposed are surf board out-and-home paddle race, surf board tandem race (, sic) surf board display, and surfboard rescue race.
For the resue event the services of a good distance swimmer to act as patient would be needed.

Monday, 30 January 1939.
Page 1 Blind Surfer Saved, In Peril From Rocks A blind surfer was rescued by lifesavers at Freshwater yesterday as he was about to be washed against rocks.
The man, who had been surfing on a rubber float, is Eddie Collins, 28, of Railway Parade, Belmore.
He was about 150 yards from the shore, when his plight was noticed.
N, Holliday and W. Wilson, members of the Freshwater Surf Livesaving Club, rescued him, '
Collins cut his heel on a rock, but was otherwise unhurt.
Known On Beaches
Blind since childhood, Collins is akeen surfer, and visits most of the metropolitan beaches.
He is known to the life savers, who keep special watch over him.
He takes his rubber float out to the first line of breakers, and finds his way about in the surf by the voices of others.
"We can't keep him away from the surf, but we worry every time he goes in," his mother, Mrs. F Collins, said last night.
Collins walks unerringly in the streets, sometimes rides a bicycle, and plays a piano accordion.
He works at the Blind Institute.

Page 5

Poised for the shoot.
This surf-board rider, at Manly yesterday, has caught the crest of a huge "breaker" at the right moment for a perfect shoot.

Tuesday, 7 February 1939.
Page 1 Pacific Surf-Board Title
Challenge to Australia from Hawaii Negotiations have been launched for surf-board champions of Australia and America to meet in an international contest at Hawaii in July.
The Daily Telegraph has received a challenge from Honolulu for Australians to match the skill of American surf board champions.
Can Australians beat Honolulu surf-board men in their own surf?
To decide this, the Daily Telegraph is negotiating with the Surf Life Saving Association to find suitable surf-board men to send to Honolulu.
Immediately the challenge was received the Daily Telegraph diecussed the inter-natIonal surf-board match at Honolulu with the Surf LIfe Saving Association executive,
The propoeal was greeted enthusiastically.
A sub-committee to suggest the means of finding the right men to represent Australia at Honolulu was appointed at yesterday's executive meeting of the Association.
Committee members are: C, Whitehead, vlce-president and member of the examination board; Mr. J Cameron, honorary chief superintendent of examinations and instruction; Mr. K, Hunter, executive member and honorary solicitorI for the association; and a representative of the Dally Telegraph.
Americans Keen
This committee will meet immediately.
Further detalls or the proposal wilI be announced shortly.
A cable message from Honolulu yesterday said sportsmen there were following the proposal with typical American eaierness.
The famous Hawaii Beachcomer Club of American and Hawaiian University athletes is leading the movement for the international test.
Among the prominent swimmers supporting it are Duke and Sam Kahanamoku and Marlechen Wehselau, former American Olympics, who have visited Australia.
Pacific Olympiad
The proposaI may become more than a challenge match between Australian and Honolulu surf-board men.
Overtures have been made from Honolulu to San Francisco and Los Angels athletic leaders.
It bas been suggested that the contest might delelope into annual PacifIc Olympic Games.
"Whether this happens or not, the proposal for an Intenational surf-board in Hawaii includes a return contest in Australia next year.
Plan Welcomed
The president of the Life Saving Association Mr. Adrian Curlewis said yesterday:-
"The proposal is the most welcome one we have heard for a long time.
"We are wholeheartely behind it.
"It will provide a magnificient oppurtunity for us to demonstrate the value of the surf-board in life saving.
"Also the high skill of our Australian life savers whose presence on the beaches makes surfing safe."

Geoff Cater (2008) : Daily Telegraph : Paific Games, 1939.
http://www.surfresearch.com.au/1939_Telegraph_Pacific_Games.html

Russell had travelled overseas before the Hawaiian tour.
Possible family connections with the Australian wool industry?

The Australian Women's Weekly
Saturday 17 February 1934, page 24.

Another young Sydney man going abroad shortly is "Blue" Russell, who leaves in April to study certain details concerning the wool industry in
Germany.

Heard Here and There is essentially a gossip column in the social pages.
The residents of/visitors to Palm Beach are often mentioned.

The Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday 20 January 1938, page 21.

Heard Here and There
By Mayfair.

WE are hearing a good deal about the grim determination of spirit and the iron muscles of the men who blazed the tracks 150 years ago, but I
could not help thinking at Palm Beach on Saturday that Mr. "Blue" Russell was keeping up the old tradition in no uncertain way.
He brought no less than 15 people ashore on his surf board, and in this way was able to dodge the treacherous weed which hampered other
life-saving efforts.
At one stage during the day, when lunch-time had claimed many of the male bathers, there were women at the reel.
The big low and the seaweed made things hard for them, too, and, although lifesavers and patients got more of a ducking than they might
otherwise have done, the girls did their job with a will.
At the end of the day everyone was amazed to see Mr. Russell leave the beach with a jaunty tread and his famous board carried on his head, as
though bringing in 15 patients was just incidental to the day's fun.

The Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday 13 April 1939, page 20.

Heard Here and There
By Mayfair.

QUITE the quaintest Palm Beach sight is that of Knightley ("Blue") Russell speeding through the waves on his special surf-board, complete with
a battered green felt hat clinging to his red hair.
'Blue' is a severe sunburn subject, and the hat is therefore an essential part of the programme.
After watching "Blue" at practice the other morning, a friend of mine remarked that surely he would get house-maid's knee kneeling oh the boaid
for so long at a time.
I am almost ashamed to admit that some-body else suggested he was probably "board" stiff!

Announcement of engagement and some brief "employment" details.

The Sydney Morning Herald
Monday 18 December 1939, page 4.

ROUND THE TOWN.
BY PATRICIA PENN.

OUT of the blue so to speak comes news of Blue Russell s engagement to Nancy Heinz, heiress to the canning millions (57 different varieties so
the labels say).
The official announcement appears elsewhere on this page.

Blue met his future bride in Honolulu where she was spending the summer vacation and he was a member of the Austiallan surf team.
Maybe his prowess on the surf boards had something to do with the romance and maybe the meeting was responsible for his journeying to the
United States fiom Honolulu.

One of the most versatile men in Sydney, Blues' activities have included running a dress shop, working a pneumatic drill on the roads and
woolbuying.
He is always recognisable in the surf because he wears a green felt hat as he gets so seriously sunburnt.

Blue's mother a resident of Elizabeth Bay.

The Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday 6 April 1940, page 10.

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.
Los Angeles Wedding.

Mrs. Tom Leslie Russell, of Elizabeth Bay, received a cable yesterday from her son, Mr. Reginald Keightley ("Blue") Russell, saying that
because of a change of plans his marriage to Miss Nancy Heinz will take place to- day.
The wedding will be celebrated at the Wee Kirk of the Heather, in which there are hundreds of singing birds.
The Wee Kirk is one of several in the Forest Lawn Cemetery, Los Angeles.
Miss Heinz is the daughter of the late Mr. Clifford Heinz, of Pittsburgh, and of Mrs. James P. Frazer, of Beverley Hills, and many film stars will be present at the wedding.
Mr. Russell met his fiancee during last summer in Honolulu when he visited Hawaii with the Australian surf team and won the Pacific surf-board championship.

"sailed to California as a deck hand on the racing yacht Nam Sang."

Post (Qld. : 1909 - 1954)
Tuesday 16 April 1940, page 5.

R. K. ("Blue") Russell, former Australian surfboard. champion, was married at Yuma (Arizona) last week-end, to Miss Nancy Heinz, of Beverley
Hills, California.
The bride is the grand-daughter of the late H. Heinz, wealthy Pittsburth (sic, Pittsburgh) industrialist.
The wedding was a surprise, as the couple, who announced their engagement at Christmas time, planned to be married in June.
Russell was a member of the Australian team that went to Honolulu last June to compete in the Pacific Surf Carnival.
He stayed in Honolulu when the rest of the team returned to Australia, and last July sailed to California as a deck hand on the racing yacht Nam
Sang.

The Australian Women's Weekly
Saturday 26 September 1942, page 41.

Ginger remembers Australia's famous surf team
VIOLA MACDONALD'S Hollywood cable

GINGER ROGERS gave me a special message yesterday for the Australian surf team which she met in Honolulu three years ago, taking part in
the Pacific Surf Games of July, 1939.

"We met on the beach, and they took me surfing, swimming, and boating," Ginger reminisced.
"Never in my life have I met such charming and polite young men.
"They must be in the army now, but I would like them to know I am not forgetting the.good times we had together in Hawaii."

[Ginger is right about the surf team members being in the army to-day.
J. L. D. McKay, J. B. Harkness, and F. C. Davis, all A.I.F., are just back after two years' active service in the Middle East.
F. N. Braund is still in the Middle East with a mechanised unit.
W. Furey, A.I.F., is at a battle station "some- where in the north."
C. R. Chapple and R. A. Dickson are with the A.M.F.
Four members of the team, H. R. Biddulph, A. Imrie, Hector Scott, and L. Morath, are in the R.A.A.F.
H. Doener, A. Fitzgerald, J. R. Cameron, and W. Mackney are working in essential services.
Coach Harry Hay, returned Digger of 1914 18, is on a civil construction job.
The remaining member of the team is "Blue" Russell, who remained in America to marry one of the Heinz girls-yes, the mUlionaire food packing
family.]

http://articles.latimes.com/2004/oct/27/nation/na-teresa27

Within the family, there are painful memories of a schism in the 1930s that led to a 50-year legal battle and helped shape the modern Heinz
family. To this day, it has left some of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of patriarch H.J. Heinz feeling cast out.

"Most of the time, people aren't talking to each other," said Nancy Heinz Russell, a granddaughter of H.J. Heinz. "That's what happens when
people have money."
...
Along the way, there were odd encounters with the rich and powerful.
Rock star David Bowie wrote the song "Young Americans" for his good friend in the celebrity circuit, the late Sharon Heinz Tingle.
Sarah Heinz Waller, whose husband was a maverick Chicago alderman in the 1920s, was personally threatened by mobster Al Capone, friends and family say.

http://articles.dailypilot.com/2000-11-13/news/export54727_1_damien-hirst-formaldehyde-fountain

At Thursday's Planning Commission meeting, Balboa Island resident Nancy Heinz Russell petitioned commissioners to grant her a permit for a
fountain in her frontyard.