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Council caretaker period is from noon on Tuesday 17 September until 6pm Saturday 26 October 2024. This is a mandatory period when all councils are required to limit publishing ahead of the upcoming council elections.

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If you need to contact us please do so via the online request form at www.surfcoast.vic.gov.au/request.

PATRICE LA MUMBA
THE ENDLESS SUMMER
So 60 years ago Bruce Brown dropped his opus "The Endless Summer" onto an unsuspecting audience and in the process kinda changed surfing forever. Surf travel was not unique as a theme in surfing movies but this was something different. Initially shown to surfers with Bruce doing a live narration the film ended up being boosted to 35mm and was then shown in cinemas . . . around the world! Surfing and adventure became welded together through this film, with its loose jazzy soundtrack ad goofy narration, Bruce pulled surfing threads together to produce something that resonated with a generation of young crew looking to break away from traditions and societal norms. The idea was simple and evocative, surfers travelling the world looking for epic surf. As much as it may have reflected surfing at that time, it also informed so many cultural aspects surfers adopted or aspired to. Robert August, Mike Hynson and Bruce zig zagged their way around the globe, getting skunked, navigating serious cultural differences and travel challenges, discovering surf spots, and of course the limactic scene of finding perfect waves at South Africa`s Cape St Frances (not realizing the real surfing nirvana was at Jeffries Bay). A fire was lit under a generation of surfers, who grabbed their boards and headed over the horizon. I can`t think of too many other things that provided such a fundamental realignment of what surfing could be, and it was done in such an inviting way, no sense that anybody was trying to sell you anything . . . just planting an idea, and laying an open road at your feet. The poster is iconic featuring the art of John Van Hamersveld . . . I have commented before about how this image has been copied and/or reproduced so often over the years, Check the round Rippy logo over the years . . . Posters, Tshirts, Tin Plate signs, stickers . . . and I have recently bought air fresheners for my car from Super Cheap Auto that features this artwork . . . unbelievable!

BEFORE THE BELL!

ONCE UPON A TIME . . .

A while back I had a funny phone conversation with Rod Brooks, talking about the early days at Bells and how the iconic Bells trophies came to be, and the roll a cake timer played, let me explain. . .
The 1967 contest at Bells (the Aussie titles) saw an epic showdown between two of Australia`s biggest surfing names, Midget Farrelly and Nat Young. As the final came to a close Nat was leading from Drouyn and Midget. The buzzer went as Midget was catching a wave at Rincon, he rode it across the bowl, all the way through. It was a wave that would have put him in first place, but the buzzer had sounded, the final was over. Then the arguments started.
Midget was wearing a brand new Seiko divers watch, had marked the heats start and was adamant he caught the wave within the alloted time. The thing is Stan Couper had borrowed his wifes cake timer to time the heats, you know one of those jiggers that you twist the dial and it goes bing when your cake is cooked. Well Midget was steaming, and rightly pointed out that his Seiko was undoubtedly more accurate than a cake timer. The judges held firm Midget finished 3rd.
A few days later the organizers got together for a contest debrief at Frank Saunders house in Anglesea to discuss what worked and what could be improved, Midget was invited to the meeting. Of the many things discussed Midget suggested a more accurate timing system be used and Brass Bells be used as trophies. Stan Couper, Tony Olsson and the others agreed, and so it was that for 1968 the iconic Bells trophies came into being. The Bells were organized by Tony Olsson and picked up from a boat chandlers in South Melbourne by Colin Turner (ASA publicity bloke). Rod Brooks designed and built the trophies at Prahran Tech (French polished and all) Gail Couper was one of the first surfers to win a Bells bell in 1968 and that trophy is on display at the museum. Oh, and Vi Couper`s cake timer was never used at a contest again.
; )
Thanks for the story Rod, and also Andy Robbo for the pic of Midget and Nat at Bells in 1967

KANGA`S GUN
West Australian ripper Ian `Kanga` Cairns pictured below with a couple of boards from the late 70s. The board on the left is a 10` 3" G&S gun that was built for the heavies in Hawaii that now resides here in the museum. A few people have asked about the pigmented panels on the deck of the board (you can spot them in this pic) and what they may be hiding? It does look a little strange but here you go the panels have been there from the start. Perhaps the yellow tint underneath wasn`t the correct Kanga Yellow? Stunning looking board with yellow deck, black rails and bottom with a clear fixed fin. Not sure it made it to Hawaii but it did ride the Barwon Heads bombie! Pic from the vault . . .

FLOATS ON FLUID

Kind of comedy gold . . . Minis loaded up with Mals. If you are of a certain vintage you may remember the original Mini`s came out with a teardrop shaped sticker in the back window that said "This car floats on fluid" (the sharp eyed amongst you may spot that this one actually says "The mini deluxe floats on fluid too") . Well I hope that is the case coz this Mini is bogged well below the high tide line. This is another great photo from Adrian Lockhart documenting Tasmanian surfing in the 60s. If the Mini doesn`t float (and they can`t get it unstuck) at least they have a couple of classic mals to paddle in on. Gotta love `60s surf scenes . . .

100 PERCENT

So as part of a conversation today about returning a loaned item we realized Sydney surfer Mick Dooley has a 100 percent record of success at the Bells comp. He won the event every time he entered it! Remarkable! This is Mick Dooley`s Bells trophy from 1964, it`s tiny, way cool, and much loved. We have had it on display here at the ANSM before then returned it to Mick. We had it on display again as part of our Story of the Bell exhibition. Mick`s cool little trophy was a nice counterpoint to all those big brass bells. As for his remarkable record, well we are going to have to jump into the vault to figure out if there are any other Bells winners with a 100% hit rate . . .

BOARD OF THE WEEK

PAM`S HAND PAINTED BOARD

So . . . yesterday we talked about how important the story is with any of the gear we have on display in the ANSM. This is a great example, this board has story up to here! It was ridden by a famous surfer, shaped by a famous shaper, it is super technical, featuring some hand finished touches by a surfing world champion. This is such an interesting board technically, there has been some serious design thinking and construction innovation going on here. Shaped for pro surfer and world champ Pam Burridge (the colours on the bottom were hand painted by Pam) this board is from the fertile mind of Mark Rabbidge. It features a scooped out tail section , reinforced with carbon fibre, to make the tail more sensitive/react quicker and reduce resistance, a bonus in the competition environment. The board also has radial plywood stringers following the rail outline on the bottom to reduce flex and make the board even more reactive. Carbon fibre fins finish off the board but the story doesn`t end there . . . Pam hand drew the Sunkist logo on the deck and stuck it on under clear vinyl. Really interesting board with a connection to one of Australia`s greatest surfers . . . noice!

KNOWING.

In any discussion we have with anyone wanting to loan or donate material to the museum, information is the key. As soon as we put anything on display the first thing people ask is "What`s the story with that?". Objects can be really interesting (particularly old surfboards) but more often than not the story associated with an object is what really puts it into perspective. Who, what, when, where and why is the old journalistic standard for information, that will give you the guts of most stories. But there are times when we get really cool images or surfing gear and we get absolutely no information to go along with it. Sometimes we can do a bit of detective work and figure things out, sometimes we draw a blank. Stephanie sent me this pic, it is of her aunt Jane somewhere on the beach in New Zealand with her rectangular surfboard.
That`s it!
I have so many questions . . .