In the mid 60s metro surfers used to make day trips from the city to Mandurah chasing waves and fun times.
On the way there were beach break waves at Long Point, Surf Beach, Golden Bay and Singleton in offshore conditions. In Mandurah there were fun waves on sand bars at Halls head & Stewart Street on a SW breeze. Further on there were good waves at Bitumen’s, Miami Bay, Geary’s, Avalon, Melros and Tim’s Thicket.
After a wave, visiting surfers indulged in the local social life. Social activities centred around parties with local girls, Sunday sessions and during the annual Kanyana Carnival there were paddle board races & skurfing displays.
In the 60s Jim & Bruce King lived in Subiaco and were members of the City Beach Surf Riders club. At that time they were weekend warriors in Mandurah and (Down South).
These are the King Bros recollections of fun times in Mandurah during the mid 60s.
1960s Main drag in Mandurah with Old Brighton pub in the centre. Photo courtesy of Lost Perth. Note drinkers sitting on roof of the pub and the stack of Malibu’s on the roof of surf wagon parked in the street.
Bruce King – On a surf trip to Mandurah, Phil Henderson and I took a 5 gallon keg of beer in the back of a mate’s Mini-Minor as refreshment for the trip. And we charged our mate for the pleasure of our company on the trip!
Another time Phil and I purchased a 5 gallon keg of beer in Mandurah and got our mate to drive us to a Nightclub in the city & return.
We treated our driver poorly and were dickheads back then!
1960s hanging at the beach in Mandurah. Photos courtesy of Trevor Burslem & King Bros. Top: (Left) Rob Halliday & Sheepdog’s autos (Right) Browneyes, Rob Halliday & Dribbles. Bottom: (Left) Midge Semple being mischievous (Right) Norm Kitson eating a can of sardines.
Bruce King – On one occasion, my brother Jim and I had a beer with Gerry Humphries and the Loved Ones Band in the front bar of the Old Brighton pub. Later Sheepdog and I (and a horde of others) broke through the fence and into their concert at Mandurah Oval.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to enjoy the concert as the Constabulary were after us and we had to make a quick get-away in Dennis Baker’s Mini Minor.
1960s an assortment of surfer’s automobiles made the surfari to Mandurah. Photos courtesy Peter Bothwell, Trevor Burslem, Bull Moss & Ross Utting. Top: (Left) Rod Bothwell’s broken Prefect (Right) Rob Halliday’s Fiat & Malibu’s. Bottom: (Left) Norm Kitson & Glen Carroll with Bull Moss’s Morrie Minor. (Right) Ross Utting and Craig Henfry with Ross’s Dad’s EK Holden station wagon.
Jim King – In 1967 the City Beach boys put on a skurfing display at Mandurah’s Kanyana Carnival. We had never done it before, but the organiser’s didn’t know that when they programmed the event! We were towed up & down the river between the traffic bridge and the Peninsular Hotel behind a speedboat on our surf boards. We nearly killed ourselves, but put on a fun show for the crowd. We also competed successfully in the carnival’s Paddle Board Races held on the river.
1967 Mandurah’s Kanyana Carnival Paddle Board Races. Photos courtesy King Bros. Top: Paddle Race winners Bruce King (Juniors) & Dave Ellis (Open). Bottom: Bruce’s Paddle Race Certificate and King Bros Paddle Race prizes.
Jim King – When the wind was onshore in the city and there was a good swell running, we used to drive down to Mandurah and surf fun Malibu waves at Stewart St and Halls Head. Unfortunately these sand bars disappeared when man made developments occurred at the river mouth.
1966 surfing fun waves at Stewart St Mandurah in a SW breeze. Images ex CBSR Super 8 movie film. Top: (Left) Jim King & Rob Halliday tandem (Right) Ron Moss head stand. Bottom: Browneyes walking the board.1960s social times at Mandurah. Photos Courtesy of Glen Carroll, Trevor Burslem, Robyn McDonald & Ron Moss. Top: (Left) Glen Carrol with flower power board (Right) five wise men L-R Jim King, Rob Farris, Norm Bateman, Steve Cockburn & Bruce King. Bottom: (Left) Robyn Mac & friends (Right) Mick & Ron Moss socialising.
Jim King– In the 60s you were allowed to drive your car on the beach at Long Point & Surf Beach. We parked near the best waves, bogged our cars on high tide and had great fun towel surfing on the water’s edge behind Kevin ‘Dirty Odes’ O’Dwyer’s work ute.
1960s autos & people at Surf Beach. Images ex CBSR Super 8 movie film. Top: (Left) Rob Halliday’s Fiat & Jim King’s Anglia parked on the beach. (Right) Robert ‘Digger’ Dolphin being dacked by Phil Henderson. Middle: (Left) Phil Henderson towel surfing on his mum’s best beach towel behind Dirty Ode’s work ute (Right) Peter ‘Dyso’ Dyson & Greg (Pant’s) Laurenson leaving the waves. Bottom: Dirty Ode’s work ute loaded to the gunnels with surfboards.
Bruce King – When the waves were flat or wind was howling onshore, we would play on a rope swing on the Murray River near Pinjarra while waiting for the afternoon session to start at the Ravenswood pub.
1968 River swing on Murray River near Pinjarra. Photos courtesy of King Bros. Top: (Left) Norm Kitson on rope swing (Right) Phil Henderson dropping in on Bruce King. Bottom: Bottoms up.
In the mid 60s metro surfers used to make day trips from the city to Mandurah chasing waves and fun times.
On the way there were beach break waves at Long Point, Surf Beach, Golden Bay and Singleton in offshore conditions. In Mandurah there were fun waves on sand bars at Halls head & Stewart Street on a SW breeze. Further on there were good waves at Bitumen’s, Miami Bay, Geary’s, Avalon, Melros and Tim’s Thicket.
After a wave, visiting surfers indulged in the local social life. Social activities centred around parties with local girls, Sunday sessions and during the annual Kanyana Carnival there were paddle board races & skurfing displays.
In the 60s Jim & Bruce King lived in Subiaco and were members of the City Beach Surf Riders club. At that time they were weekend warriors in Mandurah and (Down South).
These are the King Bros recollections of fun times in Mandurah during the mid 60s.
Note drinkers sitting on roof of the pub and the stack of Malibu’s on the roof of surf wagon parked in the street.
Bruce King – On a surf trip to Mandurah, Phil Henderson and I took a 5 gallon keg of beer in the back of a mate’s Mini-Minor as refreshment for the trip. And we charged our mate for the pleasure of our company on the trip!
Another time Phil and I purchased a 5 gallon keg of beer in Mandurah and got our mate to drive us to a Nightclub in the city & return.
We treated our driver poorly and were dickheads back then!
Top: (Left) Rob Halliday & Sheepdog’s autos (Right) Browneyes, Rob Halliday & Dribbles.
Bottom: (Left) Midge Semple being mischievous (Right) Norm Kitson eating a can of sardines.
Bruce King – On one occasion, my brother Jim and I had a beer with Gerry Humphries and the Loved Ones Band in the front bar of the Old Brighton pub. Later Sheepdog and I (and a horde of others) broke through the fence and into their concert at Mandurah Oval.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to enjoy the concert as the Constabulary were after us and we had to make a quick get-away in Dennis Baker’s Mini Minor.
Top: (Left) Rod Bothwell’s broken Prefect (Right) Rob Halliday’s Fiat & Malibu’s.
Bottom: (Left) Norm Kitson & Glen Carroll with Bull Moss’s Morrie Minor. (Right) Ross Utting and Craig Henfry with Ross’s Dad’s EK Holden station wagon.
Jim King – In 1967 the City Beach boys put on a skurfing display at Mandurah’s Kanyana Carnival. We had never done it before, but the organiser’s didn’t know that when they programmed the event! We were towed up & down the river between the traffic bridge and the Peninsular Hotel behind a speedboat on our surf boards. We nearly killed ourselves, but put on a fun show for the crowd. We also competed successfully in the carnival’s Paddle Board Races held on the river.
Top: Paddle Race winners Bruce King (Juniors) & Dave Ellis (Open).
Bottom: Bruce’s Paddle Race Certificate and King Bros Paddle Race prizes.
Jim King – When the wind was onshore in the city and there was a good swell running, we used to drive down to Mandurah and surf fun Malibu waves at Stewart St and Halls Head. Unfortunately these sand bars disappeared when man made developments occurred at the river mouth.
Top: (Left) Jim King & Rob Halliday tandem (Right) Ron Moss head stand.
Bottom: Browneyes walking the board.
Top: (Left) Glen Carrol with flower power board (Right) five wise men L-R Jim King, Rob Farris, Norm Bateman, Steve Cockburn & Bruce King.
Bottom: (Left) Robyn Mac & friends (Right) Mick & Ron Moss socialising.
Jim King – In the 60s you were allowed to drive your car on the beach at Long Point & Surf Beach. We parked near the best waves, bogged our cars on high tide and had great fun towel surfing on the water’s edge behind Kevin ‘Dirty Odes’ O’Dwyer’s work ute.
Top: (Left) Rob Halliday’s Fiat & Jim King’s Anglia parked on the beach. (Right) Robert ‘Digger’ Dolphin being dacked by Phil Henderson.
Middle: (Left) Phil Henderson towel surfing on his mum’s best beach towel behind Dirty Ode’s work ute (Right) Peter ‘Dyso’ Dyson & Greg (Pant’s) Laurenson leaving the waves.
Bottom: Dirty Ode’s work ute loaded to the gunnels with surfboards.
Bruce King – When the waves were flat or wind was howling onshore, we would play on a rope swing on the Murray River near Pinjarra while waiting for the afternoon session to start at the Ravenswood pub.
Top: (Left) Norm Kitson on rope swing (Right) Phil Henderson dropping in on Bruce King.
Bottom: Bottoms up.
We were young and they were fun times😊.
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