Previously run Longboard News stories
By Bruce Channon
Last update, Oct 26th, 2001
Sixties Surf Goddess Resurrected
Longboarding in their latest issue, out May 2001, profile "Sixties surf goddess" Tanya Binning. Every surfer from that era will remember images of Tanya from the photos of her taken mostly by Alby Falzon...she was the female face of surfing in that era, even if very few of us ever saw her surf...anyway, the Longboarding story is a good read, and the photos are a powerful reminder of those long summer days and pubescent dreams of golden haired girls in tiny bikinis....
Sunshine State Originals
How's this for a classic crew? We came upon this trio having a chinwag on the Gold Coast .
For those having trouble putting the names to the faces, we have from left: Darrell "Rooster" Dell - a legendary name from the early days of Noosa - his stylish crouch in the pocket in an early SW is a powerful image in my ever fading memory bank, Rooster of course now makes Legend Point boards. Next we have Joe Larkin whose Kirra based surfboard company spawned many an outstanding shaper/surfer during the Seventies...MP and Terry Fitzgerald being two that come immediately to mind. And of course, the third is Wayne Deane, winner of so many longboard comps you can't begin to list them, producer of many fine surfboards.
Midget's Surf CraftMost everyone has either seen Midget Farrelly on his 16' wooden replica toothpick, or heard about him surfing it. Well step even further back because the word is that board wasn't big enough for him. Apparently the former world champ has bought himself a surfboat! We haven't found out what his plans for it are: revenge maybe? But if we hear where he's testing it out, we'll let you all know so you can find another beach.
Actually we caught Midget (as sweep) and his Palm Beach girls crew giving it a real nudge at the SLSC National Titles at Kurrawa Beach. They made the final and were looking good for third place when they took a huge nosedive, slingshotting Midget from what was momentarily a very high perch.
Big effort though, from a young crew, to place so highly. Midget's surf skills apparently came to the fore too.
Dane Wilson Culinary Tips
A quick summer run up the coast saw us share some nice waves with outstanding surfer Dane Wilson. It was a pleasure to hang out with Dane for a few days. Photographer Greg "Macca" McCarthy was on hand and shot some footage that will apparently be used in his upcoming longboard video. (Hope that's not a secret! Don't tell anyone yet just in case!)
Oh, we thought the innovative Cronulla surfer's barbeque technique would be a handy hint to all under prepared campers. As the photo shows, when without bbq plate/grill/portagas stove etc, a handy item can be an item such as half a besser block. Just place a small fire within that half besser block, skewer a tent peg through the sausage and viola, your custom rotisserie is ready for a gourmet evening.
Pacific Longboarder on sale again
"Rumours of Pacific Longboarder passing away were," as they say," premature." After Chris Bystrom almost sold to both Federal Magazines and Emap, the deal was finally done recently whereby a cartel of Gold Coast businessmen and surfers have taken over.
Editor for the first issue started out being surfing identity Mike Davis, well known originally for his Mike Davis Surfboards and Surfshop at Kiama on the NSW South Coast. Mike moved north to Noosa Heads a few years back now, doing various jobs, but for the past few years working with Phil Jarratt on his publishing ventures, Surfers Journal etc. He then produced his own book, "The Noosa Heads Affair" (a review of which can be seen in our Surfinfo News page ).
But before the mag made it to the stands, Mike had a disagreement with the owners over "editorial policy" and ended up walking. Another Noosa based Jarratt affiliate in John Brasen has now stepped into the posi Mike exited. John is well known to many in longboarding, especially for all the long hours he's put in on the Noosa Longboard Festival. He's well connected Australia wide, so he should be able to make it a success.
Update Dec 19: The new mag arrived in the mail this morning, for a full review check our Longboarding Magazines section, the spread featured above is the intro page for a noseriding special.
Surf stoke in the mail
The Worlds finished in Brazils, the Olympics just finished in Sydney, come on summer and those nor'east swells!
The other day I was just cruising. There was a small swell coming in, I figured, "Wait for the higher tide and hit it on the mal, plenty of time."
All of a sudden I was in a sweat, trying to get some reports online and out the door....surf stoke pulsing through the veins.
The cause, a bloody magazine! I would have thought after so many years of working on the things I would be over it. Especially one in which I have had no part, in which none of my photos appear!
But the latest Australian Longboarding arrived and it got me again.
This photo of Beau Young from it illustrates what I'm babbling about here. It captures something a little different, captures a slightly different angle, puts you in the driver's seat.
There's the normal rundown on the mag in our magazines section below, but I couldn't resist passing on the fact that after decades of reading them, a surf mag still gets me rushing to the surf in a lather.
A Few Good Weeks North!
Surfinfo followed the sun north for the winter school holidays and caught some great waves on the points.
On one sunny morning we shared a few waves on the inside Reef at Lennox. We had fun in front of Brocky's cottage with Justin Sheriden and Ballina shaper Phil Myers.. A few days later on the Point, Justin slid in amongst the crowd of shortboarders to pick off some perfect waves, as the photo above testifies.
Anyone who hasn't caught up with the last Australian Surfers Journal should check it out, if for no other reason than the Bob Cooper profile.
The words coming from Cooper are always going to get your mind questioning something you'd half thought about before. Or bringing a unique perspective to something that you'd kissed off another time. A genuinely interesting story. And compliments to Mike Perry for the word work. The images, many from Bob's personal collection, are great!
The photo above, taken of Bob at Noosa in 1967, was used to publicise Bob's Blue Machine model surfboard. But there are many other photos that most of us have never seen before which capture a great surfing lifestyle.
Sitting down to write up the 2000 Crescent Head Classic results took me back to my first time competing in view of the lonely pandanus...a teams contest around 1963-4.
It was my first "big trip" away and I'd convinced my older brother to let me tag along. He didn't want me in the way, but his mates figured if it was small I might win a heat for NN. So they agreed to find me a ride.
As the grommet, my "spot" turned out to be the floor of Pricey's Vanguard sedan. We overnighted it on the Friday. I somehow slept like a log, with neither three sets of board-bumped smelly feet nor the eight inch high drive shaft (or whatever it's called) lump in the middle of the floor affecting my blissful slumber.
We were woken in the morning by a guy on the back of a flat-top truck, with a megaphone:
"WAKEY WAKEY! HANDS OFF COCKS, ON WITH SOCKS!"
This character had a barbie mounted on the truck and was doing a roaring trade in bacon and eggs.
I don't recall if it was on this occasion or another teams comp there, but in the day's leading up to the weekend, the locals had toiled hard over several very low tides. The result was a path of sandbags, two or three wide, from about the end of the carpark on the point, out across the rocks, into the surf. It didn't matter what the tide, you just surfed to the sandbags, stepped off your board and promenaded back onto the shore. No hightide rock hop! Comfort!
Anyway the 2000 comp's results are available in the Previous Y2K results page
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