60s

1969 West Coast Surfboard with Peter Bothwell image on decal

Former City Beach/Yallingup surfer Peter Bothwell was WA Open Men’s Champion 1968-1969. Peter also competed successfully in National Surfing Titles. In 1968 he progressed to the repechage round in the Open Men’s division in NSW and in 1969 was a finalist in the Open Men’s division in the first National Surfing championships held in WA. (WA junior Ian Cairns and Seniors Alan Robins and Dave Williams were also a finalists at the 1969 Nationals in WA).

West Coast Surfboards used a surfing image of Peter on their surfboard decals from 1969.

Peter BothwellIn 69 WA surf photographer Greg Woodward took a snap of me free surfing Injidup car park on a small day.  Bob Gairdner and Mick Layziel from West Coast Surfboards in West Perth liked the image and made Greg’s photo into a decal for their surfboards. The decal was used on single fin surfboards from 1969.

Greg WoodwardI always saw that pic of Peter “free surfing” as one of the early photos of  re-entries tried in the West – don’t know for sure – but I remember it was a big deal when surfers started doing them!

 

Image: 1969 Peter Bothwell free surfing Injidup car park. Greg Woodward pic.

Cowaramup surfer Jock Bahen is a talented surfer.  He has been mentored by the likes of Warren Thompson & Peter Dunn and has won seven Whalebone Longboard Classics at Isolated surf break at Cottesloe.

Jock has a 1969 West Coast Surfboard with the decal featuring former WA State Champ Peter Bothwell on display at the WA Surf Gallery at Aravina Estate Yallingup. The stringer-less board is a rounded pintail with a single fin.

Jock Bahen – This was my father Tim Bahen’s first custom surfboard. He purchased the board secondhand in a city surf store in 1969, sold it in the 70s to a mate in Geraldton, then rescued it off a trailer going to the tip in 1988. It was used by the whole family and was my first surfboard age 12. I cut the Greenough fin in half so it wouldn’t hit the reef at 2nds reef Cottesloe.

 

Image: 1969 Jock’s West Coast Surfboard on display at the surf gallery.

 

 

Image: 1969 West Coast surfboard decal featuring Peter Bothwell.

Thanks Peter, Greg and Jock for your contributions.

Coming soon West Coast Surfboards history

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