Surf City, Sydney

Warriewood 13 year old, Dale Egan holding his brand new Kieth Paull board, with spray job by brother Shane Egan, in 1973. Photo courtesy Dale Egan.

Steve Abbott with Bob Hitchen’s Keyo pintail, Narrabeen 1971

Steve Abbott made regular weekend ‘excursions’ in the early 1970s from his land locked western suburbs home to hang out with chums at North Narrabeen and surf from dawn till dusk. He and his mate Bob Hitchens resisted moving to the coast until they’d got their trades and careers underway, balancing their weekday grind with regular coastal escapes and extended south coast trips when possible. Steve looks pretty keen on the Keyo here although in a couple of years he’d marry Bob’s sister Donna. This great ‘transitional’ era pintail was probably made around 1969.

Kay Jarman, Newport c1974, photo courtesy Kay Jarman

Newport Beach youngster Kay Jarman can barely contain her excitement, let alone get her arms around her newly painted, second hand, Shane Standard workhorse, just bought from friend Nick Carroll around 1974. With the beach across the road and the encouragement of fellow locals Derek Hynd, Mick Newling and the Carroll boys, it was inevitable this sports-mad tearaway would excel on a board. Thinking back on those teenage years, Kay can’t imagine her world – then and now – without the leveling, healing effects of surfing and still reckons its the best medicine for worldly and inner woes.

1970s fish eye view of Sydney’s Kings Cross Coke sign by unknown photographer sourced in Drew Kampion Stoked 1998 edition

Finally tracked down an image of the great Coke sign in Kings Cross, Sydney, during the late 1970s. This is apparently the most costly billboard real estate in the world, perched high above the William Street tunnel over Darlinghurst Road. The pic was mis-credited in Drew Kampion’s Stoked as taken in London (attributed to Jeff Divine) although older Sydney surfers will know better.

Bob Hitchens painting of North Narrabeen SLSA clubhouse c1970, photo courtesy Bob Hitchens

A lovely picture that shows great affection for this tired, battered and rank old building, according to artist Bob Hitchens, who surfed and travelled with the Northy mob from the late 60s. The building shown here, soon to be demolished, is perched above the beach overlooking the main break at North Narrabeen. The two lone roof-racked  cars, a 66 Corolla and EH Holden, bake on the ashphalt as their owners enjoy a few uncharacteristically uncrowded late morning waves.

“Morning of the Earth” Woollen Mat courtesy of Vintage Surf and Skate Emporium Anna Bay, photo Gary Crockett

As far as movies go, this one stands up fair and square as a life changer. For Albe Falzon, making it was a personal dream realised and for most of us watching it in the early 1970s there was now a new world to be dreamed into life. Scruffy surfer mobs crowded in rank club houses, school halls and cinemas didn’t always know where the shimmering green banks ridden by Nat Young, Chris Brock, Baddy Treloar and Terry Fitzgerald were breaking or where the rootsy country action took place, although most would have guessed the mesmerising Michael Peterson series was shot at old Kirra and of course Rory Russell’s curtain closer tube rides were archetypal Pipeline. The signature shot however, with ex-US big wave thriller Rusty Miller and Sydney teenager Steve Cooney on the rocks at Uluwatu in Bali silhouetted in a burning orb, lit a hungry fire of escape in many, many hearts. And for many it still burns.

Kanga Cairns, Barry Kanaiaupuni and Pete Townend (top left) and Reno Abellira (top right) with 2nd gen twin fin at North Narrabeen mid 70s, photos courtesy Steve Abbott

It was great to meet Steve and Bob yesterday at Werri Beach and sift through the salty windmills of their minds stretching back to surburban Villawood in the late 60s, with long car trips and train journeys to North Narrabeen as pre-teens before becoming part of the local ‘northies’ surfing mob, with all its ratbaggery, vitality and standout surfers throughout the heady 70s. Along with plenty of boards, some saved from the local tip or hard-rubbish collections and several others well chosen as cultural or personal treasures, was a pile of fantastic photo albums and loose prints recording trips, surf action, birthdays and North Narra beach life during this amazing period.

This super cool early 70s Wayne Lynch inspired double ender by Laurie ‘Froggy’ Byrne for Jackson Surfboards was unearthed from under a house in Oatley, a good 30 years after it was last surfed. More on this treasure and its story, Byrne and Jacksons to come…

Boeing 707-138B image from here

Continuing with the story of the V-Jet surfboard Steve Core writes…

In the sixties, South-side surfboard manufacturer Norm Casey had a second job as an International Qantas Flight Steward – or Flight Attendants as they’re known these days.

In a partnership with his employer Qantas, Norm created the V-Jet Surfboards for the exclusive use of flight crews on lay-over in Hawaii.

Qantas crews stayed at the Ilikai Hotel. That’s the one that Jack Lord stands atop of in the opening sequence of Hawaii Five-O.

Qantas crew had a 28-year run ‘in residence’ at the Ilikai using it as a crew hotel. It is directly in front of the famous Ala Moana surf break and entrance to the yacht harbour and the surf break called Kaisers.

Qantas had a ‘recreational club’ where for a small weekly contribution of around twenty five cents a week, flight crew were provided a rec-room with push-bikes, tennis racquets, boogey boards, a Hobie cat, etc – for use by all crew in most lay over ports.

Hence the V-Jet board was built especially for use by crew in Hawaii – as the Ilikai Hotel was the only Hotel we stayed at that had surf directly in front of it.

Between July and September 1959, ahead of every other airline outside the US, Qantas took delivery of seven Boeing 707-138 jet aircraft. Boeing 707 services to the United States began in July. Two months later the service was extended to London via New York. Sydney-London services via India began in October.

So great were its advantages that Qantas modified its existing 707-138 fleet with the turbo-fans. With the arrival of its first 138B series aircraft, Qantas called its Boeings V-Jets, from the Latin ‘vannus’, meaning fan. Two more were ordered in 1963.

Steve Core is an ex-Qantas Long Haul Flight attendant, ex-Norm Casey employee and Sydney based film-maker and photographer. Find out more about Steve here.

advert taken from Surfabout Vol 2 No 12 1963, courtesy Australian National Maritime Museum

This great 1963 Surfabout ad for the Norm Casey V-Jet, tailored especially for discriminating Qantas staff, in transit at Waikiki, suggests that the surfer market was still an unformed and unknown entity, or at least far from the unruly, hooligan image emerging in the tabloid press. Interestingly, 70s Film-maker Steve Core just called to say Norm Casey supplied these boards exclusively for Qantas crew on stop-overs in Hawaii, who stayed at the Ilikai Hotel at Ala Moana, where a stash of boards and the odd Hobie Cat were readily on hand. More on Steve Core’s early years spent ushering for his dad’s surf movie screenings at Bondi and his own film-making to come…in the meantime check out his web site.