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 Bothwell – In 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 Woodward – I 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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