Surf photographer Ric Chan left his home land NZ and started his surfing odyssey touring the East Coast of Oz from 1965 to 1969 meeting the locals and snapping surf shots.
These are Ric’s memoirs and images: –
I landed in Brisbane in 1965 and worked for a Carpet and then a Cosmetic company. To get around I bought an FJ Holden and travelled up and down the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Byron Bay and up as far as Noosa. Sadly I blew the FJ motor up trying to get to double island point to shoot the waves up there.
After Brissie, I moved to the Gold Coast and worked for a local newspaper and covered all the Gold Coast surf spots while living there, such as Tweed Heads, Burleigh, Snapper Rocks, Kirra etc. Unfortunately I have lost my Queensland surf shots.
Then I went to Sydney, where I stayed at the Knight’s hotel. While there, I purchased an old VW Kombi van and had the engine reconditioned and painted it gold. From Manly, I set off on surf trips up the east coast with NSW surfers Jack Knight, Wayne Williams, Col Smith, Peter Cornish, John Henneberry and others. I made money selling surf stories and photos to Aust and US surfing magazines.
Image: 1968 Ric’s gold Kombi with NSW surfers in Yamba Angourie.
Left: Wayne Williams, unidentified, Jack Knight and unidentified (2)
While on my travels I met shaper Wayne Dale from John Arnold Surfboards in South Australia and he invited me to SA…. I thought “why not!”. So during 1969 I took off for SA in my gold Kombi. Down in SA, I shot Lane Habib and Wayne Lynch surfing the Yorke Peninsula.
Image: 1969 Wayne Lynch surfing Yorke Peninsula South Oz.
In Adelaide I met John Arnold (JA) from John Arnold Surfboards who made several bright wetsuits, including this bright yellow one.
Image: 1980 Ric in JA wettie at Margs
In 1969 JA sent me to WA to cover the first OZ Surf Titles held in WA and produce an Evolution surf movie brochure/ticket.
Image: 1969 Front & back of Evolution Movie brochure/ticket cost $2.50.
I returned to SA after the ’69 Oz Titles and completed the Evolution brochure/ticket. Then I drove my Kombi across the unsealed Nullarbor Plain to WA where I stayed until 85.
Image: 1969 Ric and gold Kombi on the Nullarbor Plain.
In WA I shot surf and worked as a photo/journo for Independent Newspaper. After doing a stint at the paper, I scored a night job as a DJ in Gobbles Night Club, where there was some serious partying! I also did some modelling and voice-over work in the advertising industry.
On weekends I travelled to Rotto and/or down south to shoot photos and surf with some of WA’s top surfers including Chris Fullston, Stewart Bettenay, Steve Hannett, Mick Black, Russell Quinlivan and others.
My maroon Jaguar cost me $600 secondhand and I took it down the Gallows track.
Image: 1969 Ric with his maroon coloured Jaguar in Perth city.
In the 80s I headed to Bali to plan, build and run Cheaters Night Club in Kuta. I also worked as a journo for Bali News. In my free time I got to shoot photos and surf with some of Bali’s top surfers including Froggie, Kutuk Menda and Made Kasim. There I got married to Queensland girl Sami and had two sons, Taron & Tao, but that’s another story!
Image: 1980s Cheaters Night Club Kuta Bali.
I was and may still be the only Chinese surf photographer from NZ snapping surf shots in Oz😊
And now, my youngest son Tao is roaming the world shooting surf and living the life of an adventurer.
Recently in Taiwan, he was living on the side of the road in a tent near a point break and an empty beach break.
Image: 2019 empty beach break in Taiwan. Tao pic.
I caught up with Tao on a recent trip to China.
Image: 2019 Father & son having a beer in the streets of Guangzhou China. Tao pic.
Tao – Hanging with my dad in China after a short 6 years since I saw him last.
Great to catch up with the old bugger again and have beers on the street!
Time for the next adventure.
Have since explored Thailand, now back touring Taiwan on my scooter,
Then onto Indo and Oz, Yew!
Life of travel keeps you young.
Image: 2019 Tao & surfboard scootering in Taiwan. Tao pic.
Surf photographer Ric Chan left his home land NZ and started his surfing odyssey touring the East Coast of Oz from 1965 to 1969 meeting the locals and snapping surf shots.
These are Ric’s memoirs and images: –
I landed in Brisbane in 1965 and worked for a Carpet and then a Cosmetic company. To get around I bought an FJ Holden and travelled up and down the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Byron Bay and up as far as Noosa. Sadly I blew the FJ motor up trying to get to double island point to shoot the waves up there.
After Brissie, I moved to the Gold Coast and worked for a local newspaper and covered all the Gold Coast surf spots while living there, such as Tweed Heads, Burleigh, Snapper Rocks, Kirra etc. Unfortunately I have lost my Queensland surf shots.
Then I went to Sydney, where I stayed at the Knight’s hotel. While there, I purchased an old VW Kombi van and had the engine reconditioned and painted it gold. From Manly, I set off on surf trips up the east coast with NSW surfers Jack Knight, Wayne Williams, Col Smith, Peter Cornish, John Henneberry and others. I made money selling surf stories and photos to Aust and US surfing magazines.
Image: 1968 Ric’s gold Kombi with NSW surfers in Yamba Angourie.
Left: Wayne Williams, unidentified, Jack Knight and unidentified (2)
While on my travels I met shaper Wayne Dale from John Arnold Surfboards in South Australia and he invited me to SA…. I thought “why not!”. So during 1969 I took off for SA in my gold Kombi. Down in SA, I shot Lane Habib and Wayne Lynch surfing the Yorke Peninsula.
Image: 1969 Wayne Lynch surfing Yorke Peninsula South Oz.
In Adelaide I met John Arnold (JA) from John Arnold Surfboards who made several bright wetsuits, including this bright yellow one.
Image: 1980 Ric in JA wettie at Margs
In 1969 JA sent me to WA to cover the first OZ Surf Titles held in WA and produce an Evolution surf movie brochure/ticket.
Image: 1969 Front & back of Evolution Movie brochure/ticket cost $2.50.
I returned to SA after the ’69 Oz Titles and completed the Evolution brochure/ticket. Then I drove my Kombi across the unsealed Nullarbor Plain to WA where I stayed until 85.
Image: 1969 Ric and gold Kombi on the Nullarbor Plain.
In WA I shot surf and worked as a photo/journo for Independent Newspaper. After doing a stint at the paper, I scored a night job as a DJ in Gobbles Night Club, where there was some serious partying! I also did some modelling and voice-over work in the advertising industry.
On weekends I travelled to Rotto and/or down south to shoot photos and surf with some of WA’s top surfers including Chris Fullston, Stewart Bettenay, Steve Hannett, Mick Black, Russell Quinlivan and others.
My maroon Jaguar cost me $600 secondhand and I took it down the Gallows track.
Image: 1969 Ric with his maroon coloured Jaguar in Perth city.
In the 80s I headed to Bali to plan, build and run Cheaters Night Club in Kuta. I also worked as a journo for Bali News. In my free time I got to shoot photos and surf with some of Bali’s top surfers including Froggie, Kutuk Menda and Made Kasim. There I got married to Queensland girl Sami and had two sons, Taron & Tao, but that’s another story!
Image: 1980s Cheaters Night Club Kuta Bali.
I was and may still be the only Chinese surf photographer from NZ snapping surf shots in Oz😊
And now, my youngest son Tao is roaming the world shooting surf and living the life of an adventurer.
Recently in Taiwan, he was living on the side of the road in a tent near a point break and an empty beach break.
Image: 2019 empty beach break in Taiwan. Tao pic.
I caught up with Tao on a recent trip to China.
Image: 2019 Father & son having a beer in the streets of Guangzhou China. Tao pic.
Tao – Hanging with my dad in China after a short 6 years since I saw him last.
Great to catch up with the old bugger again and have beers on the street!
Time for the next adventure.
Have since explored Thailand, now back touring Taiwan on my scooter,
Then onto Indo and Oz, Yew!
Life of travel keeps you young.
Image: 2019 Tao & surfboard scootering in Taiwan. Tao pic.
Click on this link to view 1969 Ric Chan’s East Coast and South Australian surf stories published 2018.
Thanks Ric and Tao for sharing your stories and images.
Coming soon 1969 Wilderness Surfboards factory Yamba NSW images by Ric Chan.
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