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Most commentators, often quoting Greg Noll : Da Bull – Life Over The Edge (1989), focus on the International Carnival at Torquay and emphasize the occasion as an almost incidental development with dramatic consequences.
During one event, we had noticed a little point break off to the side, off a rocky point.Although context implies this happened at Torquay, Noll's recollections probably relate events at Avalon (Sydney) on the 18th November, which were possibly not filmed.
I don't remember the name of the place.
After the paddling events were over, we grabbed our boards and paddled out to the break.
There had been thousands of people watching the paddling events from shore, and they had started leaving.
Ampol Oil was covering all the paddling events, and decided to stay and take fIlms of us surfing.
Word got around in the parking lot as people were leaving, "The Yanks are surfing, you ought to see the Yanks." - Noll (1989), Page 71.
The account of the events and repercussions, has six identifiable perspectives.
Surf Life Saving
Australia (SLSA)
Association with
the Olympic Games was seen as elevating Australian surf life saving competition
sport to international prominence.
Unfortunately, although
exposure exceeded any previous event, the sport failed in its bid to be
an official Olympic demonstration sport and the location (not in
the sport's heartland of Sydney, and then some 60 miles outside of central
Melbourne) was less than ideal.
Competitively, results
were mixed, with some visiting teams performing well.
Since the teams
from the British Commonwealth were largely formed under the auspices of
the Australian movement, this was possibly less than flattering.
Despite the superior
performance of the the U.S.A. and Hawaiian teams' equipment, Australian
lifesavers apparently retained their preference for the hollow timber board
into the 1960s and it was not until the 1990s that the belt and reel was
replaced by the Torpedo Buoy.
For some clubs,
the introduction of the Malibu board caused significant disruption.
This was the third
organized association with international surfing by the Australian lifesaving
movement.
Unlike the 1956
carnival, the impact of the earlier occasions (Duke Kahanamoku's surfing
demonstrations in 1914-1915 and the large representative team sent to the
1939 -1940 Pan Pacific Games in Honolulu) were significantly truncated
by the subsequent outbreak of world wars.
| The U.S.A. -
Hawaiian Teams
For the Californian and Hawaiian surfers, the tour was an opportunity to test their skills and equipment in unfamiliar conditions. Competitively, they performed to a high standard and placed in many events. The success of their
equipment was significant, and proved the fibre glassed board would be
superior in all future surfing locations.
Impressed with the organization of the carnivals, members of the Californian team adopted many facets of the Australian surf lifesaving movement in the development of their own lifeguard services and there is evidence that the surf ski was of interest to some Hawaiian surfers. Image right : "Plate
33. Dick Patterson with one-man Australian surf-ski, Waikiki Beach.
On the same page,
Patterson also includes another photograph (not reproduced) ..
.
|
 |
The historian
for the County of Los Angles Lifeguard Division offers this assessment
...
"This singular
event is recognized as the most influential surf lifesaving carnival ever
held. The international surf lifesaving community was introduced to the
rescue can, lightweight paddleboards, fiberglass surf boards, relays and
iron man competition, as well as to the overall capabilities of the modern,
well trained, professional lifeguard."
On a personal
level, the tour probably had a variety of attractions beside the desire
to compete at an international level.
The experience of
travel, expanded social relations and potential romance are other possibilities.
In the case of Greg Noll, any expectation of potential romance appears to have been realised ...
Boardriders from
Other Nations
The impact of boardriders
from other competing countries was also significant, principally in New
Zealand and South Africa.
With a traditional
relationship with the Australian movement, a more primitive manufacturing
base and limited access to materials, both countries initially adopted
the Okinuee - a hollow timber adaptation of the malibu design by Australian
manufacturers.
Australian Manufacturers
While unfamiliarity
with the new materials and new production techniques would be a major difficulty
for Australian board builders, these developments were initially stalled
by the lack of suitable balsa wood.
Experienced hollow
wood builders were able to closely replicate the design, often called an
Okinuee,
by including a thick timber rail that could be shaped to a rounded edge.
The increasing demand
for boards moved the current Sydney builders from their backyards (often
in the Eastern suburbs) to industrial factories, ideally located at Brookvale,
adjacent to the multitude of surfing locations between Manly and Palm Beach.
The tour also initiated
a correspondence on construction and design between American and Australian
manufacturers that accelerated with the introduction of polyester foam
blanks.
The Australian
Press
This study is confined
to the domestic Australian press and does not attempt to locate and assess
reports in international newspapers.
Although the international
carnival was a popular item, it had to compete against the major journalistic
focus on official Olympic events, largely in metropolitan Melbourne.
The interest in
surf lifesaving was greatest in beach side Sydney, the home of the movement,
which probably accounts for the expansive coverage by that city's press.
Press reports provide a reliable chronology and generally appear to be accurate in crowd sizes, weather conditions, competition results and participants (with some misspellings).
Board descriptions
vary in their detail, occasionally identifiable as paddle boards
but mostly the boards are Malibus.
The Malibu's large
fin and it's significance are rarely reported.
The balsawood blank
and the coating with fibreglass is regularly noted.
Other possible features
of interest, such as variation in length, template shape or decor, are
mostly absent.
There is one report
of construction using redwood stringers.
It is possible that
the reporters interviewed only a small number of team members, or viewed
their boards, at the time and then applied these details to all the boards.
The
Malibu Board - A Design or a Technology?
The development
of the Malibu board (somewhere between 1946 and 1950), despite it's importance,
is historically unclear and (fortunately) outside the scope of this paper.
Several surfers
are identified as contributing, in varying degrees, to the design.
These include Joe
Quigg, Matt Kilvin, Dave Rochen, and Dale Velsey in California.
Most commentators
regard the role of Bob Simmons as pivotal, however a distinct lack of printed
resources and his early death by drowning (26th September 1954), complicate
a fully accurate assessment of Simmons' contribution.
In Hawaii, developments
appear to have lagged only marginally behind California, probably pioneered
by George Downing.
Regardless of various
individual design features or dimensions of the early models, the two elemental
developments were the application of a fibreglassed skin on to a hand shaped
blank and a large fin.
Fibreglass technology
produced a board of significant strength, a huge reduction in weight and
the ability to sculpt an infinite variety of shapes.
The use of fibreglass
was not limited to the wave riding Malibu board.
US and Hawaiian
surfers had a long tradition in surfboard racing and rescue, and the new
technology was also applied to these craft. See Blake
(1961) Pages 27 to 30 (unspecified in the text).
Apparently these craft were overlooked at the time by the Australian surf life saving movement, and by most subsequent commentators.
Furthermore, somewhere in this period the application of paraffin wax to the deck of the board became standard practice, greatly increasing the traction of the rider.
 |
Tom Zahn, Greg Noll and Mike Bright with Fibreglass and Balsawood Paddleboards, Australia, 1956. Galton, page 112. The photograph (Torquay, by implication) is credited "Among the first of the malibus - around 1956". Also printed in Wells
(1982) Page 152.
Galton and Wells are in agreement on the date. A similar, but not
identical, photograph is printed in Bloomfield
(1959) facing page 161, with the credit
|
With an emphasis
on race and/or rescue performance, the lighter hollow board and the similarly
constructed surf ski were the preferred craft.
Although some solid
wood boards were still available at some clubs, these were usually
for recreational or training activities only.
Such was the status
of Duke Kahanamoku's famous Freshwater board
of 1914 ...
In the
mid-1940s the popularity of recreational board riding led to an attempt
to promote the activity independent of the formal SLSC structure.
This challenge was
quickly recognized and countered ...
"The senior
longboard became a national event in 1946 (102), but the SLSAA had been
pricked in 1945 by the formation of the Surf Board Association of Australia
which it stated was:
The board, identified by Albie Thoms (2000) as a finless board by Dave Rochlen Surfboards, was housed at Bondi for most of its stay and ridden by locals, Jack 'Bluey' Mayes, Ray Young and Aub Laidlaw.
"A Rochlen
skegless board had been brought to Sydney by the American actor, Peter
Lawford, when he arrived in Sydney in November 1950 to work on the Twentieth
Century Fox production, Kangaroo (1952), which was shot in the Flinders
Ranges in South Australia.
While filming,
he left the board at the Bondi surf club, where it was ridden by the local
beach inspectors, Jack 'Bluey' Mayes, Ray Young and Aub Laidlaw, though
it didn't seem to impress them, with Laidlaw later achieving notoriety
for banning both bikini-wearers and boardriders from Bondi Beach."
Thoms
(2000) Page 63.
Contrast this with Greg McDonagh's conflicting report ...
 |
 |
|
The Pit , Malibu, circa 1953. Lueras (1984) Page 115. Ricky Grigg Collection. |
Waikiki, circa 1952. Brown (2006) Page 143. |
"The scandal surrounding Peter's
birth drove the Lawfords from the country; they were to live in France,
India, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Florida, and California for the rest
of their days, maintaining, frequently enough, a sufficiently high standard
of living to seem gay globe-trotters, but, in reality, terrified to return
home to the hisses of English scandal-mongers."
Page 61
"There was, however, another social
group with which Peter mingled and to whom he showed an. especially generous
and loyal side of his nature.
Having been introduced to surfing
as a young boy in Hawaii, Peter had a genuine love for beach life, and
he spent all the time he could at the shore, catching waves, playing volleyball,
and steeping himself in the lingo and rituals of beach bums- a cultish
society whose vocabulary and attitudes would later be borrowed, in a fashion,
by the Rat Pack.
May hated the ne'er-do-well manner
of this crowd -which, of course, attracted her son to it even more. Moreover,
Peter relished mixing his surfing and acting cronies, watching the cultures
clash with sophomoric delight."
Page 64
Peter Lawford died on the 14 December 1984
and following four years of family disputes, his ashes were scattered in
the Pacific ocean.
Page 301.
Levy, Shawn: Rat Pack Confidential
Fourth Estate Limited, Salem Road London
W2 4BU. 1998.
| Image right:
"Prince of tides: Peter prone on a longboard in hawaii with the great surf champ,Duke Kahanamoku (Archive Photos)" Levy, Shawn: Rat Pack Confidential Fourth Estate Limited, Salem Road London W2 4BU. 1998. Between pages 184 and 185. The photograph is possibly taken at the
same time as the photograph of Lawford with Duke and Richard Boone, above.
|
 |
The visit to Bondi of American surfer and
film star Peter Lawford with his Dave Rochen "10 and a half foot, banana
nosed, solid balsawood" and fibreglass board in 1950 is detailed on page
216.
Lawford was in Australia to act in the
feature film Kangaroo and Dave Rochlen was a favored surfboard builder
among Hollywood actor-surfers, noted for the outstanding quality of coloured
decor and finish of his boards. Brawley reports the board was ridden by
Aud Laidlaw, Basil McDonald and Pam Pass.
Significantly, Pam Pass's recollections question Albie Thoms' (2000, page 63) claim that the board was finless, see Notes Chapter 8 #19 page 323. He notes the board was generally known as a "Zip board", but by it's Bondi riders as "Peter" and states "Lawford never called the board a Malibu". This is difficult to reconcile with the accompanying (previously unpublished) photograph of Lawford and the board at Bondi. The image is appears to be newspaper quality and is dated by hand as “13/12/1950”.
The board is clearly the same as the board
in the Peter Lawford photograph reproduced in Surfing - Historical Images
from the Bishop Museum, page 143, noted above. Since Richard Boone also
traveled to Australia as one of the cast of Kangaroo, the photograph was
probably taken either on their way to or from Australia, 1950-1951.
Not so clear, but certainly identifiable
in both images, is the word "MALIBU" in offset script across the nose.
If not Lawford, then someone (the second candidate would probably be the
builder, Dave Rochen) labeled the board “Malibu”. This may also be of some
interest to those interested in the development of surfboard design in
California, 1946 to 1950.
In explaining the failure of Lawford's technically advanced board to inspire reproductions by Bondi riders, Brawley argues “Firstly, Lawford was not a particularly outstanding practitioner of the art of surfing”. This appears difficult to gauge at this distance but Californian historian, Ben Marcus, notes “as a surfer he was the real deal. Surfing meant a lot to him. I think he first learned on a trip around the world with his parents, in Hawaii. Some of the Malibu guys who were around at the time also say he was the real thing. Not a poser. He loved to surf.” (personal email, February 2007).
Brawley further argues (somewhat less than
convincingly- note the insertion of “reputedly”):
“Third, reputedly; 'Peter' did not possess
what the 1956 Malibus had -a 'skeg' (fin): It would be the
power of the fin that would mesmerise
surfers in 1956.”
Given Pam Pass's report apparently questions
whether the board was finless, note that the Wakiki image indicates a +10
foot round nose, wide-tailed balsa and fibreglass board and certainly not,
as I had previously conjectured, possibly a narrow tailed Hot Curl design.
The board closely resembles a Simmon's
Spoon, a revolutionary design closely associated with Californian shaper
Bob Simmons, circa 1949. These boards were noted, among other features,
for their shallow long based fins as illustrated by a photograph of Lawford
in The Pit at Malibu, circa 1953, see Lueras, Page 115. There is a very
slight possibility that the board with a fin, directly behind Lawford,
is in fact his Bondi board.
 |
dated 13/12/1950. Brawley (2007). Page 216 (Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club). |
|
"Ted Burns competing at Makaha in 1950 - said to be the first Australian to compete in Hawaii." Unknown : Looking Forward - Looking Back : History of Wollongong City SLSC 1915-2000. Page 27. The board Burns is
riding is certainly a short Malibu type board and the competition shirt
conforms with other examples in use at Makaha in this period.
Although this era precedes the development of an extended surfing press, surfboard designers published their plans in popular technical or handyman magazines as early as 1934. Bill Reid's 1953 article "Fun on a Plastic Surfboard" details a 9ft 6'' board with a long based fin constructed from a styrofoam blank with a plywood stringer, covered in muslin cloth and plastic sealer before fibreglassing. Popular
Mechanics Magazine July 1953 Volume 100 Number 1 page 159
|
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Circa 1955 Scott Dillion and Barry "Magoo" McGuigan, members of Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club, rode balsa boards in California at Hermosa Beach, courtesy of local Surf Life Guard Stations.
In biographical
notes, published in 1964, John ‘Nipper’ Williams, of Queenscliff S.L.S.A
claims he obtained a balsa Malibu in 1955-1956, bought used in Hawaii ...
In early 1956 Scott
Dillon returned to Bondi from the USA and purchased a Milacron, a job that
was conducive to his surfing activities.
In mid 1956 he encountered
'Flippy' Hoffman, a visiting American surfer, seriously ill with yellow
jaundice.
Flippy Hoffman was
a member of a famous surfing family that included Walter and Joyce Hoffman.
While Hoffman was
hospitalized, his balsa/fibreglass semi-gun was surfed by Scott Dillon
at Bondi Beach.
The board featured
an unusual concave deck.
This is probably
the board referred to by Bob Evans, his commentary probably dating Hoffman's
arrival in the later half of 1956 ...
"By chance
the liner carrying home of the Americans to Australia also carried two
Australian
surfboarders
returning from a world trip.
They were
Scott Dillon and Barry "McGoo" McGuigan and their non-surfing mate Bruce
Laird. Obsessed by the possibilities of what they had seen of the short
board in action overseas, the boys persuaded one of the Yanks to leave
his board in their care at Bondi while he journeyed to Victoria for the
big surf carnival.
This board,
the first of its kind to be used regularly south-side, was stored at Ross
Kelly's house and was ridden to a standstill, till its owner returned to
claim it."
Dave Simmons
recalls that "Bluey" Mayes confided that the board was highly valued by
the south side riders and effectively hidden from Hoffman on his return
to Bondi from Victoria.
On the 5th October 1956, the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) announced the forthcoming International surf life saving program as Torquay 2nd December, Maroubra 8th December and Collaroy 9th December, 1956.
"Early in the 1956-1957 season, an International Surf Carnival, regarded as the first truly international carnival (133), and the delayed 1956 Australian Surf Championships wereThe countries invited to compete at all events included teams from Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon, Hawaii and United States.held at Torquay, Victoria on 25 November and 2 December 1956 respectively, to coincide with the Olympic Games being held in Melbourne." Young, F. (2000) Page 71.
U.S.A.
- Hawaiian Preparations
Torquay surfer,
Peter Troy recalled
"... Arthur
Parkin. I think he's 94 years old, living in Queensland on the Sunshine
Coast, he was asked by the lifesaving authorities in Australia to travel
to California and Hawaii to instruct paid lifeguards to be put together
into a team to come out to Australia. And that was done I think as early
as 1952 and was sponsored by Ampol Petroleum, where they paid for that
man to go several times to America to teach these guys lifesaving methods."
In 1953 a reprenentative team of Australian lifesavers visited the U.S.A.
and Hawaii'.
Don Lucas
(Manager) Cronulla NSW
Harry Clark
(Captain) Cooks Hill NSW
John Bloomfield
Coffs Harbour NSW
Don Morrison
Cottesloe WA
Alex Norton
Burnie TAS
Arthur Parkyn
Mooloolaba QLD
Brian Whiting
Torquay VIC
Tom Jennings
Henley SA
The
California
Surf Life Saving Association historian reports
"The Honorable
Judge Adrian Curlewis of Australia appointed Arthur Parkens (Parkyn?),
an Australian lifesaving instructor, to solicit participation from the
United States.
California
lifeguards and a contingent from the Territory of Hawaii decided to participate.
Both teams
were required trained and awarded, "The Australian Surflifesavers Medallion,"
so as to meet the international competition standards required for the
event."
There is some
uncertainty to the membership and the independence of the two teams.
Reports have alternative
spellings for many team member's names, sometimes it is unclear to which
team the member represents, and sometimes the teams are combined under
the general description "Americans".
Some reports of
the results from the various competitions are unclear.
Furthermore, Tom
Zahn's status as a representative of Hawaii was possibly questionable.
The (apparently
small) number of native Hawaiians in the team should also be noted.
What is certain is
the quality of their equipment and their ability as Watermen.
Several team members
were at the forefront of the development of the fibreglass surfboard, protégés
of Bob Simmons.
The paddle and Malibu
boards bought to Australia were built by some of the premier American designers
- Joe Quigg, George Downing and Dale Velsey-Hap Jacobs.
Although the term
only came to prominence in the surfing press circa 1978, see Warshaw
(2004) Pages 681 and 682, the Waterman concept was essentially formulated
by Tom Blake in the 1930s.
Blake (1935
and
1961)
promoted the idea of the fully qualified surfer, personified in Duke Kahanamoku,
whose skills not only included wave riding but proficiency in swimming,
body surfing, the paddle board, canoe paddling, sailing, fishing, diving,
rescue techniques and equipment construction and maintenance.
Blake's ideas were
particularly taken up by Tom Zahn who was an elite athlete, see Lynch
and Gault-Williams (2001) Pages 183 to 185.
In the early 1960s,
the concept lost its status to a heavy focus on waveriding skill that,
at an extreme, was valued over all other human traits.
That extreme was
called Micki Dora - See Steyck
and Kampion (2004).
US
Team Members
Members were selected
from various Californian professional life guard services - Los Angeles
County (LACO), Los Angeles City (LACity) and Santa Monica City (SMC).
Rusty WilliamsTeam
Captain (LACO)
Herb Barthels, Sr. Team Manager (LACity)
Tad Devine(SMC)
The son of Hollywood
actor, Andy Devine, Tad was an elite swimmer who
"Bob Burnside ... President ... of USLA 1963 - 1967"
Dave Ballinger
(LACO)
Chick McIlroy(LACO)
Paul McIlroy
(LACO)
Sheridan Byerly(LACO)
Roger Jensen(LACO)
Tim Guard-
George Downing surfboard
"Tim Guard's
lifelong residency in Hawaii has revolved around ocean related activities.
As president of McCabe Hamilton & Renny Co., he presides over the state's
largest and oldest stevedoring business. He earned his BA from the University
of Southern California in International Relations and served as an officer
in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era, where his combat citations were
the Bronze Star and Navy Commendation Medal. Guard's civic service leadership
roles include the Hawaii Maritime Center, Outrigger Canoe Club and Honolulu
Council of the Navy League, for which he currently serves as president.
Prior to joining McCabe, he owned and operated his own executive recruiting
company, Robert T. Guard & Associates."
The above team lists are based on those at http://www.cslsa.org/about/history.asp
 |
International Surfing Carnival, 1956. The Surfer's Journal Volume 9 No 2, 2000. Page 86. Photograph : unaccredited. |
Accompanying the Hawaiian Team in Melbourne was Duke Kahanamoku, returning to Australia as a guest of the Australian Olympic Committee
US
Team Arrival Anticipated
The Sunday Telegraph,
Sunday 11 November 1956 Page 84, noted ...
U.S. Team
for surf
Twelve American
and 10 Hawaiian lifesavers will arrive here on Tuesday to compete in surf
carnivals
in Melbourne
and Sydney.
They will
be the first lifesavers from America and Hawaii to compete in carnivals
in Australia.
The Americans
and the Hawaiians will appear at Torquay (Victoria) on November 25 and
December 2
and at Maroubra
and Collaroy on December 8 and 9.
The Americans
and Hawaiians will make their first appearance in Australia at carnivals
next weekend at Cronulla and Avalon.
Under a header "U.S. Surf team Will Tour'', a SMH article (11th October, 1956. Page 8) notes that the team will arrive in in Sydney in November and the success of the Carnival is due to a donation of two thousand pounds from Mr. G Walkley of Ampol.
Arrival
in Sydney - Tuesday 13th November 1956.
Members of the US
and Hawaiian teams arrived in Sydney on Tuesday 13th November 1956.
Noll's
narrative, and contemporary film, indicates that the teams and the Malibu
boards arrived by air ...
Noll records the initial Australian response to the new design was a mix of scepticism and laconic humour ..
Note that Greg Noll's assessment of Australian boardriding at this time is less than accurate...
Although
Noll's account appears to suggest the inclusion of the Malibu boards was
almost incidental ...
The day after the
U.S.A.-Hawaiian teams' arrival, the SMH headlined an
article "Ultra-Light Board for Surf"...
"Hawaiian
lifesaver Henry Shaffer
(sic, Shaeffer) believes his 26lb
board could revolutionise surfboard racing
(1)
in Australia.
Shaffer is
captain of the Hawaiian surf team, which arrived in Sydney yesterday with
10 American
lifesavers
to compete in international surf carnivals in Melbourne and Sydney during
the next month.
The most streamlined
racing boards in Sydney, made from 1/2 in (half inch) plywood, weigh
about
33-35 lb.
Shaffer's
surfboard is made of balsa wood reinforced with canvas, and is coated with
a thick layer of
fibre-glass.(2)
Several leading
Sydney board riders agreed last night that the lightweight balsa fibre-glass
boards
would give
the Hawaiians a tremendous advantage under normal conditions.(3)
But they claimed
the heavier Australian boards would be more at home in a big surf, where
the
Hawaiian boards
would be at a disadvantage.
Shaffer said:
"I must admit that the powerful Australian surf will be the final test
for the fibre-glass
board (4),
which has just come into vogue in the United States."(5)
The Americans,
all powerful rough-water swimmers are university graduates or students,
who spend
the summer
as professional lifeguards on beaches around Los Angeles.
The Hawaiian
and American teams will be billeted at the Balmoral Naval Depot (6)
until they leave for
Melbourne
next Wednesday.
They wiII
compete in carnivals at Torquay on November 25 and December 2, returning
to Sydney on
December 6
for carnivals at Maroubra, Dec. 8, and Collaroy, Dec. 9. "
As the teams were accommodated adjacent to Manly, a major research resource should be The Manly Daily. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the paper failed to archive copies circa 1955-1958 and none are held by the Manly-Warringah Library.
There is no mention
of the provision of equipment storage or for training facilities of the
visiting teams, the latter certainly requiring access to surfing conditions.
Since Manly Beach
was the closest surfing beach to the teams accommodation at Balmoral, it
is the most likely available training centre, with equipment storage facilities
at any of the beach's three surf lifesaving clubs.
Manly surfers had
reason to closely monitor the overseas competition.
The Manly SLSC sent
a team of 27 to the Torquay carnivals, contesting a variety of events.
Unfortunately, star
Manly swimmer Max Riddington was working in America and was not available
for selection.
His place fell to
another Manly club member, Barry Taylor.
The Sun journalist
covering the arrival, J. S. McAuley, briefly mentioned the new surfboard
design, but gave most prominence to Tom Zahn's paddling abilities ...
"Hawaiian
Tom Zahn will not lack staying power when he contests board contests at
the Olympic surf carnival at Torquay on Sunday week.
Zahn recently
won a 26 mile race in Hawaii.
The longest
board races in NSW are about three miles.
With the revolutionary
type boards the Hawaiians have brought with them they could trouble our
top riders."
He also gave details
of the team's competitive attire ...
"US and Hawaiian
surfers will wear colorful costumes (donated by Speedo) for
their first Australian appearance at Cronulla on Saturday and at Avalon
on Sunday."
Some details in the
article were, or proved to be, incorrect ...
"The Americans
are coastguards from Miami Beach, Florida.
They will
not be allowed to contest individual events, as they are paid professionals."
Cronulla
Beach - Saturday 17th November 1956.
In a brief report
focused on the skill of the U.S.A. team, the Sunday Telegraph (Sunday
18 November Page 76) reported ...
"U.S.
surfers impressive
The visiting
American surf team yesterday showed it could prove a major threat to Australia's
domination of international surfing.
The Americans
trained impressively before a crowd of 4000 at Cronulla beach."
Avalon
Beach - Sunday 18th November 1956.
The first public,
and most significant, demonstration of the performance capabilities of
the Malibu boards was on Sunday 18th November at Avalon beach, on the Northern
beaches peninsular.
The SMH reported (19th November, 1956. Page 3) in an article titled "Thousands Throng Beaches : Many Saved. US Surfers Show New Technique" ...
"Nearly 20,000
went to Avalon for the surf life saving carnival in which lifesavers
from United
States, Hawaii and New Zealand competed against Sydney clubs.
The American
surfers, standing sideways on small 10ft. boards and moving
at high speed,
received a warm reception from the crowd.
One of the
American surfers, Ted Levine (sic, Tad Devine) had the opportunity
to
demonstrate
his country's rescue technique in a genuine emergency.
Instead of
the Australian belt and reel, he used a "torpedo buoy' ".
Woolongong - November 1956, undated, but before Wednesday 24th.
| In the period before
the departure for Melbourne, Gordon Woods arranged to purchase a 9 ft 6”
Velzy-Jacobs surfboard from Bob Burnside.
As Burnside required the board for competition, exclusive possession would only be available to Woods when the teams returned to the U.S.A. To make certain of the deal, concerned that Burnside may receive a more attractive offer, Gordon Woods travelled to Torquay. As future owner, he was able to surf the board, his first exposure to Victorian waves. Gordon Woods, my notes from a phone conversation, 18th July 2005. Image right : Gordon
Woods and his Velzy-Jacobs Malibu board, circa 1958.
Two other boards
were known to be purchased by Manly surfers, Bob Pike and Bob Evans, and
given the Burnside-Woods arrangement it is possible that these were similar
transactions.
|
 |
Bob Evans obtained a board (probably) built in Hawaii by North shore pioneer, George Downing ...
Note that this probably
was not an original finless Hot Curl,
circa 1937 but a later finned model based on the Hot Curl template.
Bob Evans was a
surfing photographer and future editor of Surfing
World magazine and prolific surf film producer.
Nat
Young (1983) also reports that ..."Peter Clare (bought)
a Quigg board" - page 89.
This claim is repeated
(but probably the source is Young) by Walding
(2003) page 25.
None of the reports appear to account for Greg Noll's (possibly self-made) board which he confirms was onsold
A report in the SMH
clearly indicates that seven Malibu boards of the Hawaiian team will be
onsold to Australian surfers at the end of the tour...
"Surfers To
Sell Boards
The visiting
Hawaiian surfers will sell their seven lightweight surfboards (1),
which created a sensation at Avalon last Sunday (2), after their
farewell appearance at Collaroy on December 9.
The boards,
which are made from balsa reinforced with two long strips of redwood (3)
and coated
with a thick
layer of fibre-glass, weigh 26lb.
The lightest
racing boards in Sydney, made from 1/2 inch plywood weigh from 33 to 23
lb.
The Hawaiian
boards, which have been used at Waikiki Beach for seven or eight years
(4),
can be made in less than a week.
Shorter, Wider
They are eight
feet long, compared with the average Australian length of 16 feet, but
are about five
inches wider
than the local board's 20-21 inches.(5)
Three hundred
people saw the Hawaiians give an exhibition of board riding after a special
carnival at
Avalon in
a big surf last Sunday.(2)
Unlike Australian
boardriders, the Hawaiians stood on the middle of their balsa boards, even
when
heavy white
water from the broken waves swept around their feet.
Harry Shaffer,
captain of the Hawaiian squad, said last night of the boards : "There is
no question of
selling out
to the highest bidder.
"We plan to
give our boards to the fellows we consider to be the real enthusiasts at
only a token
cost."
Wednesday's SMHreport
indicates that at least seven boards from Hawaii are to be on-sold to Australian
boardriders.
It is unclear if
this is the total number of boards, or if other boards were available from
the U.S.A. team.
Of the boards identified
above, two came from Hawaiian team members (Schroeder or Zahn and Guard)
and one from the U.S.A. team (Burnside).
Nat Young's report
that "Peter Clare (bought) a Quigg board".
does not identify the previous owner, boards by Joe Quigg were in use in
both Hawaii and California.
Nat Young
(1983) Page 89
There are, at least,
three boards unaccounted for.
It is known that
Greg Noll and Mike Bright brought Malibu boards to Australia, however
their fate is currently unknown.
A remote possibility
is that one transaction may have included an exchange of craft, at least
one Australian surf ski probably returning with a member of the Hawaiian
team.
In a report
despatched from Melbourne and published on the day of departure,
The
Sun's J. S. McAuley detailed accommodation and catering arrangements
for the competitors ...
"Australian
and overseas surfers billeted at Melbourne Showground will not go short
of meals during their 12-day stay. Frank Dennis, who is doing the catering
at Melbourne Stadium during the Games, is also looking after the surfers.
He has ordered nearly two tons of beef, to be eaten at breakfast. He is
providing a la carte dinners for the 350 surfers at night."
In another
article previewing Sunday's carnival, Melbourne's The Age notes
the attendance of international teams, possible highlights of the day's
events and the expectation of a large number of spectators ...
| Duke Kahanamoku
attended at least one of the carnivals at Torquay, probably the first.
He returned to Australia for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, where he and Mrs. (Nadine) Kahanamoku official guests of the Australian Olympic Organizing Committee. Duke and Nadine Kahanamoku International Surf Carnival, Torquay Victoria, 1956. Myers (1983) Page 18 and Galton, (1984) Page 108. |
 |
Following the competition,
the Daily Telegraph reported ...
"Surfing
draws 50,000
Melbourne,
Sun.
- Fifty thousand
people today saw 35 teams compete in an international carnival at Torquay.
...
The Americans
caused a surprise when they appeared with their surfboards.
Glass
Boards
The boards
were made of light fibre glass.
They were
very narrow, with rounded keels and resembled kayak canoes.
Australia's
reel and line method of surf rescue astounded the Americans.
The American
system is to carry a coil of nylon line into the surf and pay it out as
they swim to the patient."
The Age's coverage
of the contest reported a more modest number of spectators and disappointing
swell conditions ...
"Forty thousand
people, yesterday swarmed over the cliffs at the Toquay beach to
watch the International Surf Carnival.
Overseas Olympic
visitors and athletes were well represented in the crowd.
...
Despite high
winds the surf was weak and spasmodic and competitors got little help from
it.
Passing showers
sent the crowds scurrying for cover during the morning, but the sun shone
brightly for most of the afternoon.
Overseas visitors
did not see the typically Australian sport of surfing at its best because
of the poor surf."
The article makes
no reference to the use of fibreglass and balsa wood surfboards and an
extensive list of results, printed in a separate section, does not
include board, surf ski or surfboat events.
Barry Galton
report of the contest results includes ...
Compare Galton's
reported results with the claim by the Cronulla Club, noted by Faye Young
...
"At the International
Carnival (Torquay, 25th November), the (Cronulla)
Club won the ...Surf Board Race..."
Although
the Malibu board had already made an indelible mark on Sydney boardriders,
the Torquay Carnivals widened exposure to surfers from other countries
and other Australian states.
Queensland boardrider
and manufacturer, Hayden Kenny stated...
"I first came
in contact with a malibu board at Torquay beach in Victoria in November
of 1956 at the Olympic Games Surf Carnival.
The coach
of the Californian team, a Mr Arthur Parkyn (Parkens?), who
is a foundation member of Mooloolaba Surf Club, introduced me to some of
the Californian Team members who had malibu boards with them. I was able
to take one of the boards out for a few waves that day and was immediately
impressed with the wave riding capabilities of the craft.
And from that
day on I was hooked!".
Torquay
Beach - Sunday 2nd December 1956.
The SMH (Monday
3rd December, 1956. Page 12) reported
"Melbourne,
Sunday.
Only about
15,000 watched the championships.
There was
hardly any surf and by early afternoon the tide was well out to sea, leaving
swimmers a
long run and
wade to deep water.
The march past was
marred by a storm and ... a second storm cleared the beach and the
sandhills later."
"At the
Australian Championships (Torquay, 2nd December)... Brian
Keane (Cronulla)
was placed
second in the Surf Board Championship"
"We were riding sixteen and seventeen foot long boards. We knelt on them in general, we didn't have fins on the bottom of the board. Here's a guy walking down the beach with this strange little thing, and jumps on it and lies down, and everyone who was watching was thinking 'this guy isn't very good he can't even kneel!' (6) Fifty meters out from the beach he spun it around, caught a wave, walked up and down, hung toes over the nose, and did things we'd never seen before! That, basically was the reason we walked away from surf lifesaving, we wanted to learn to shape one of these things. The boards were taken with them after that weekend, we had nothing to copy. (7) We all started from scratch."