EXHIBITION: SURFING THE ’60S - FOR THE SURFING PURISTS
Opening at: Noosa Regional Gallery
Opened by: Noosa Shire Councillor Russell Green
Opening Date: 6pm Friday 8 February. All welcome
Exhibition dates: 8 February- 9 March 2008
Street Address: Pelican Street Tewantin QLD 4565
Opening Hours: 10am-4pm Tuesday to Sunday
Public Program: Saturday, 9 February 1-2 pm
'The Boys and their Boards' from 1956 onwards.
Mal Sutherland, Joe Larkin and Peter Troy OAM discuss the transition from 16
Foot Tooth Picks to the first Malibu. This is of interest to all surfboard
designers, shapers, manufacturers and followers of surfing history and
design and for any passionate lover of surfing. Or for any one who wants to
hear history speak.
Surfing the '60s - for
the Surfing Purists
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"It
was the weekend we were supposed to have the first Queensland titles at
Kirra and it was the tail end of a cyclone. The surf on the Gold Coast was
out of control so we postponed the titles and a few of us went up to
Noosa." Mal Sutherland explains about the day he shot this iconic
photograph of Noosa National Park in 1964.
"The Saturday we arrived the surf was 12 to 15 foot there were only about a
dozen surfers out and about six of us were catching waves. Hayden Kenny and
Algie Grud were there, as were Peter Thomas (glasser for Joe Larkin), Ron
"Moby" Wort, Bob "Polo" Wilson and myself from the Gold Coast. Ma and Pa
Bendall and other surfers from Caloundra and Brisbane were there but not
many went in the water that weekend, preferring to be spectators, shades of
the days before leg ropes.
"This photograph was taken on the Sunday. The surf had dropped quite a bit
and I'd wrecked my board on the rocks on the Saturday. That's the only
reason the photo got taken, because I couldn't go out again. If I hadn't
wrecked the board I wouldn't have the photo. If it came to a choice between
grabbing the surf or the photo, with me there was no choice, it was always
the surf."
Surfing in the late '50s and early '60s in Queensland is the ultimate dream
for the surfing purists of today. Clean oceans, uncrowded waves,
unadulterated breaks, pristine beaches and the endless passionate search for
the perfect surf and the perfect board. Time has surely come full circle as
many surfers now search an aging and ailing planet for the exact conditions
these favoured 'children of the sun' leisurely enjoyed as their rite of
passage.
Legendary surfing photographer Mal Sutherland was one such favoured 'child
of the '60s'. Mal was part of a small group of board riders who surfed the
breaks from Byron Bay to Noosa in the late 1950s and '60s.
They rode the revolutionary Malibu Boards that were first seen in Australia
at a demonstration by American Surfers as part of the Olympic Games in 1956.
These radical new boards brought with them innovative new surfing styles and
the rapid evolution of board design. Shape and fin design were constantly
changing and the search for the perfect board had now commenced.
Mal Sutherland was Queensland correspondent for Surfabout magazine in 1962.
Armed with a Pentax SPF Spotmatic and a couple of telephoto lenses Mal
captured the intrinsic values, the huge personalities, the spontaneity and
genuineness that is the essential art of surfing in its purest and most
natural form; infancy and discovery. His photographs have been rarely seen
since that time and this exhibition brings together the stories, the boards
and the tantalizing images of the pristine breaks of that era.
Mal's exhibition is supported by surfboards from that era supplied by
passionate collectors such as Daryl Homan and all Mal's photographs are
available for purchase.
Gallery 3: Art of Surfing - an exhibition of original artwork on surfboards
contributed by artists, shapers, designers, manufacturers and collectors
Australia-wide will open and exhibit simultaneously with the Surfing the
'60s exhibition.
Media Contact: For interviews and further information call Deb Perry 0408
703 889.