In 1964 a large contingent of WA surfers headed to the East Coast of OZ to watch the first World Surfboard Championship and surf it’s fabled right hand point waves.
It worked out well, Australia’s Midget Farrelly won the inaugural World Surfboard Championship held at Manly and the WA representatives Alex Kochanowitsch and Barry King got as far as semis in the Australian Surfboard Championships.
1964 Surfboard Title to Farrelly article with results. Image courtesy of WA Newspapers.
City Beach surfers Ernie Potter, Charlie Roper and Peter Davis drove over the Nullarbor to NSW after the surfboard championships.
They joined up with Terry Jacks, Peter Docherty, Brian Cole, Jim Keenan, Cliff Hills, Keith Campbell, Dave Aylett and a pod of other WA surfers who had made the trip.
The WA boys had a great time socialising and surfing east coast waves from NSW to Queensland.
These are Ernie Potter’s recollections and holiday snaps from the ’64 East Coast surf trip
Ernie Potter. “Murray Gill, the guy sitting to my left in the following photo went on to become a very well-known and successful WA artist. A few years, ago after a long battle with the city council, he opened “Juanita’s Bar” one of Perth’s first “small” bars on Rokeby Road in Subiaco. It’s been a runaway success. Could go on a lot more about this. Google him. He’s a very interesting guy.“
1964 Sydney pub. Ernie Potter pic. L-R Ernie Potter, Murray Gill, Percy Davis, Rob McFeat, John Moore and Sue Marriot.1964 L-R front row Percy Davis, Charlie Roper, Sue Shinkle, unknown, Ernie Potter and unknown at Chatswood Hotel in NSW. Ernie Potter pic.1964 Vic Comdler & Ernie Potter at Keith Campbell’s 21st at Dee Why NSW. Ernie Potter pic.
Peter (Percy) Davis. “Great memories of City Beach days and living in Tasman Street, Dee Why with Ernie, Charlie, Keith Campbell and a heap of guys from NSW. Thanks for the ride.“
1964 Percy Davis on Halvorson Boat Hawkesbury River NSW. Ernie Potter pic.1964 Dee Why Point NSW. Ernie Potter pic.1964 Terry Jacks, Ernie Potter and Peter Docherty with Terry’s Holden panel van at Byron Bay NSW. Ernie Potter pic.1964 Clark’s beach at Byron Bay NSW. Ernie Potter pic.1964 View of headland at Byron Bay. Ernie Potter pic.1964 Peter Docherty playing his guitar at Byron Bay NSW. Ernie Potter pic.1964 Terry Jacks with his Malibu board at Byron Bay. Ernie Potter pic.1964 Unidentified surfer at ‘The Pass’ surf break Byron Bay. Ernie Potter pic.
Ernie Potter. “The next photo shows Terry Jacks with a young lady, who is in fact his sister Jan. Jan and a friend (Dorothy Tolson) were both members of the City of Perth surf lifesaving club along with a lot of guys who made up a large percentage of WA’s early surfers. Jan and Dorothy went on a working holiday to, I think, Dunk Island. We caught up with them while at Byron Bay. A couple of months later we caught up again and the four of us made the drive back to Perth.“
1964 Cape Byron Terry Jacks with his sister Jan. Ernie Potter pic.1964 Terry Jacks with resident goat at Cape Byron. Ernie Potter pic.
Ernie Potter. “Keith Paull was a very good surfer from Queensland and went on to become Australian Open Mens Surf Champion in 1968. If you look at the dark fin on the board above Terry’s head in the following photo, there is a decal that was given to all who attended the meeting in 1964 at the old Ozone Hotel on Adelaide Terrace where the WA Surf Riders Association WASRA was formed. The decal was for use on boards, car windows etc. I still had mine unused in pristine condition which I gave to Mark Lane at Surfing WA in 2004 for their archives. (It may wind up in a surfing museum someday). How do you manage to keep stuff like that for so long???“
1964 Terry Jacks, Peter Docherty and Keith Paull (QLD) with Terry’s panel van at Brunswick northern NSW. Ernie Potter pic.
Ernie Potter. “In late 1963 or early 1964, I bought a .22 rifle off Brian Cole. When Charlie Roper, Peter Davis and myself took off for the East I took it along. (Charlie also had his .22). Getting a gun back then was like buying an ice cream over the counter. Anyway, when Terry Jacks and I were up in Queensland, some rotten bludger broke into Terry’s panel van and amongst other things stole my wallet leaving me in dire financial straits. They didn’t find the rifle and I sold it to Keith Paull (I think for 5 quid) to relieve the pressure a bit. Shortly after we left Queensland and returned to WA.“
1964 Peter Docherty humping into northern NSW town all set to hitchhike back to Dee Why. Ernie Potter pic.1964 Hire surf cats at Kirra Qsld. Ernie Potter pic.
Ernie Potter. “Looking back, they were great times and a lot of humour.“
Thanks Ernie Potter for sharing your vintage surf story and photos.
In 1964 a large contingent of WA surfers headed to the East Coast of OZ to watch the first World Surfboard Championship and surf it’s fabled right hand point waves.
It worked out well, Australia’s Midget Farrelly won the inaugural World Surfboard Championship held at Manly and the WA representatives Alex Kochanowitsch and Barry King got as far as semis in the Australian Surfboard Championships.
City Beach surfers Ernie Potter, Charlie Roper and Peter Davis drove over the Nullarbor to NSW after the surfboard championships.
They joined up with Terry Jacks, Peter Docherty, Brian Cole, Jim Keenan, Cliff Hills, Keith Campbell, Dave Aylett and a pod of other WA surfers who had made the trip.
The WA boys had a great time socialising and surfing east coast waves from NSW to Queensland.
These are Ernie Potter’s recollections and holiday snaps from the ’64 East Coast surf trip
Ernie Potter. “Murray Gill, the guy sitting to my left in the following photo went on to become a very well-known and successful WA artist. A few years, ago after a long battle with the city council, he opened “Juanita’s Bar” one of Perth’s first “small” bars on Rokeby Road in Subiaco. It’s been a runaway success. Could go on a lot more about this. Google him. He’s a very interesting guy.“
L-R Ernie Potter, Murray Gill, Percy Davis, Rob McFeat, John Moore and Sue Marriot.
Peter (Percy) Davis. “Great memories of City Beach days and living in Tasman Street, Dee Why with Ernie, Charlie, Keith Campbell and a heap of guys from NSW. Thanks for the ride.“
Ernie Potter. “The next photo shows Terry Jacks with a young lady, who is in fact his sister Jan. Jan and a friend (Dorothy Tolson) were both members of the City of Perth surf lifesaving club along with a lot of guys who made up a large percentage of WA’s early surfers. Jan and Dorothy went on a working holiday to, I think, Dunk Island. We caught up with them while at Byron Bay. A couple of months later we caught up again and the four of us made the drive back to Perth.“
Ernie Potter. “Keith Paull was a very good surfer from Queensland and went on to become Australian Open Mens Surf Champion in 1968. If you look at the dark fin on the board above Terry’s head in the following photo, there is a decal that was given to all who attended the meeting in 1964 at the old Ozone Hotel on Adelaide Terrace where the WA Surf Riders Association WASRA was formed. The decal was for use on boards, car windows etc. I still had mine unused in pristine condition which I gave to Mark Lane at Surfing WA in 2004 for their archives. (It may wind up in a surfing museum someday). How do you manage to keep stuff like that for so long???“
Ernie Potter. “In late 1963 or early 1964, I bought a .22 rifle off Brian Cole. When Charlie Roper, Peter Davis and myself took off for the East I took it along. (Charlie also had his .22). Getting a gun back then was like buying an ice cream over the counter. Anyway, when Terry Jacks and I were up in Queensland, some rotten bludger broke into Terry’s panel van and amongst other things stole my wallet leaving me in dire financial straits. They didn’t find the rifle and I sold it to Keith Paull (I think for 5 quid) to relieve the pressure a bit. Shortly after we left Queensland and returned to WA.“
Ernie Potter. “Looking back, they were great times and a lot of humour.“
Thanks Ernie Potter for sharing your vintage surf story and photos.
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