WA State Junior Champion Ian Cairns was invited to join the Australian team and compete in the contest.
Snapshot: Ian Cairns (WA) surfing Bells.
Snapshot: Wayne Lynch (Vic) surfing Bells
Snapshot: Ben Aipa (Hawaii) side-slipping his Persian Slipper board at Bells.
Snapshot: Terry Fitzgerald (NSW) surfing Bells
Snapshot: Unidentified surfer at Joanna Beach.
Snapshot: Competitors on the beach at Johanna Beach.
California’s Rolf Aurness (the talented goofy foot son of the hugely popular television actor James Aurness who played Marshall Matt Dillon on “Gunsmoke” from 1955 to 1975), won the Men’s division and Sharron Weber from Hawaii won the Womens.
The Contest was held at Bells Beach, near Torquay in Victoria, but a lingering flat spell drove contest organizers to relocate the final day’s Men’s competition to a remote beach near the dairy-farming community known as Johanna. There, in dwindling daylight, on May 13, 1970, Aurness (age 18), rode his 6’10” Bing Foil to the World Title, clearly dominating the rest of the pack, most of whom rode shorter boards. The women’s final was held the next day at Skenes Creek, on the south side of Kennett River.
World Contest results.
Men
1. Rolf Aurness (USA)
2. Midget Farrelly (AUS)
3. Peter Drouyn (AUS)
4. Reno Abellira (Hawaii)
5. K. Downing (Hawaii)
6. Nat Young (AUS)
Click on this link to view video coverage of 1970 World Surfing Championships on YouTube. It features contest surfing at Bells and Johanna beaches and includes footage of International and Australian surfers. The footage was captured on a hand held Super 8 camera by members of the City Beach Surf Riders club WA. Video music courtesy of Vance Burrow Yallingup. Run time 17.55. No narration.
The fifth World Surfboard Riding Championships were held in Victoria, Australia, between May 1st and May 14th 1970.
It was the first international surfing event held in Victoria and the first international surfing contest to be held at the world famous Bells Beach.
The contest was shrouded in controversy from day one with poor surf, drug busts and other inappropriate behavior from competitors.
Image: Souvenir contest program cover courtesy of Australian National Surfing Museum Torquay Victoria.
WA State Junior Champion Ian Cairns was invited to join the Australian team and compete in the contest.
Snapshot: Ian Cairns (WA) surfing Bells.
Snapshot: Wayne Lynch (Vic) surfing Bells
Snapshot: Ben Aipa (Hawaii) side-slipping his Persian Slipper board at Bells.
Snapshot: Terry Fitzgerald (NSW) surfing Bells
Snapshot: Unidentified surfer at Joanna Beach.
Snapshot: Competitors on the beach at Johanna Beach.
California’s Rolf Aurness (the talented goofy foot son of the hugely popular television actor James Aurness who played Marshall Matt Dillon on “Gunsmoke” from 1955 to 1975), won the Men’s division and Sharron Weber from Hawaii won the Womens.
The Contest was held at Bells Beach, near Torquay in Victoria, but a lingering flat spell drove contest organizers to relocate the final day’s Men’s competition to a remote beach near the dairy-farming community known as Johanna. There, in dwindling daylight, on May 13, 1970, Aurness (age 18), rode his 6’10” Bing Foil to the World Title, clearly dominating the rest of the pack, most of whom rode shorter boards. The women’s final was held the next day at Skenes Creek, on the south side of Kennett River.
World Contest results.
1. Rolf Aurness (USA)
2. Midget Farrelly (AUS)
3. Peter Drouyn (AUS)
4. Reno Abellira (Hawaii)
5. K. Downing (Hawaii)
6. Nat Young (AUS)
1. Sharron Weber (Hawaii)
2. Margo Godfrey (US)
3. Barbara Belyea (US)
4. Joyce Hoffman (US)
5. Martha Sunn (Hawaii)
6. Jerico Poppler (US)
Click on this link to view video coverage of 1970 World Surfing Championships on YouTube. It features contest surfing at Bells and Johanna beaches and includes footage of International and Australian surfers. The footage was captured on a hand held Super 8 camera by members of the City Beach Surf Riders club WA. Video music courtesy of Vance Burrow Yallingup. Run time 17.55. No narration.
——————————————————–
Share this:
Like this: