I started board riding at City Beach in 1965 after Mark Waddell from the Yallingup Board Club loaned me his Malibu surfboard. I was hooked on surfing and purchased my first custom board from Dibben & Cole Surfboards in North Fremantle the same year.
I made my first surf trip down south in 1965/66 and for the next four decades I worked in the city and was a weekend warrior in the South West.
In 1969 I married Kath Ward and we spent our honeymoon in the South West. Coincidentally, the first Australian Surf Titles were being held in WA and WASRA President Doc Naylor recruited me as a contest official at the Margs & Yalls events. When I wasn’t officiating at the contest, I was free surfing with the Late Terry Jacks. Kath wasn’t overly impressed…. but has tolerated my surfing life for the past 50 years 😊
Image: 1970 Yalls State Titles presentations. Doc Naylor (WASRA President) and Ian Cairns (Junior Champ) with spectators Jim King & David Moss on the left. Ric Chan pic.
In 1970 I left the Board Club and Surf Contest scenes and have been free surfing ever since.
Image: 1970 Blaxell team rider Jim King surfing Gallows. Tom Blaxell pic.
In the late 60-70s Kath & I spent our weekends and holidays in the South West.
Initially we slept in the car at Yalls beach car park, then stayed at Greenacres Holiday Cottages in Dunsborough before moving to Harbo’s Hideaway Holiday Homes at Yalls in the mid-70s.
Image: 1971 Kath paddling my board in Geographe Bay at the back of Greenacres Holiday Cottages in Dunsborough. King family pic.
Image: 1973 Kath on the northern headland overlooking Cowaramup Bay and Gracetown. King family pic.
Our daughter Bianca was born in 1973 and spent a lot of her childhood in the South West.
Image: 1978 Bianca & Kath in the lagoon at Yalls. King family pic.
In the 80s Kath & I mixed trips Down South with regular trips to Bali.
Image: 1982 Kath with our walk-in guide at Uluwatu Bali. Jim King pic
On my 40th birthday, I caught 40 waves in a morning session at Baby Bears with mates. We then spent the afternoon drinking jugs of cold beer in the gardens at Caves House Yallingup celebrating my birthday.
My brother and mates have since tried to replicate my effort on their 40th birthdays, but the weather, waves or body injury issues have prohibited them from achieving the feat at Bears.
I gave away trying to replicate the birthday wave count on subsequent birthdays…. I could see it was going to get harder & harder to achieve 😊
Image: 1983 Jim surfing Baby Bears. King family pic.
In 1994 I worked in Coatzacoalcos Mexico on a major project with financial systems consultants from around the world. I took my surfboard and got to surf in Mexico, San Francisco and Hawaii on my travels.
Whilst away I received job offers in Mexico, USA and Honduras but chose to return to my former job in WA and continue surfing & windsurfing.
Kath & I subsequently purchased land in Dunsborough and built a house. We used it as a holiday home until my retirement and we moved Down South to live.
Image: 1994 Mexico City. Jim sitting atop of Piramide del Sol at Teotihuacan. In the background is the Avenue of the Dead with Piramide del Luna on the left.
Image: 1994 Mexico Veracruz. Jim horse riding on the beach at Macabo Playa.
Image: 1994 San Francisco. Jim at Golden Gate Bridge with Fort Point waves in the background.
Image: 1994 Hawaii Jim & Kath with Duke Kahanamoku statue at Waikiki.
Over the years WA surfboard manufacturers Dibben & Cole, Cordingley Bros, Tom Blaxell, Murray Smith, H2O (Colin Ladhams) and Yahoo (Mark Ogram/Dave Macaulay) have kept me supplied with surfboards.
Kath & I are retired and happy living in the South West. I no longer windsurf but still enjoy surfing the local breaks with my brother and mates.
For over a decade I have been doing yoga with Jackie Clarke Essential Yoga and believe this has contributed to my longevity in surfing.
It’s not all wine, women & song down this way. Like many salty old sea dogs, I now have sun damaged skin and fitness & flexibility issues…. and it’s getting a lot harder to find uncrowded waves even on off peak times.
While surfing has become very popular and overcrowding of surf breaks is taking a lot of the fun out of surfing…. it’s still a great way to live your life.
I started board riding at City Beach in 1965 after Mark Waddell from the Yallingup Board Club loaned me his Malibu surfboard. I was hooked on surfing and purchased my first custom board from Dibben & Cole Surfboards in North Fremantle the same year.
I made my first surf trip down south in 1965/66 and for the next four decades I worked in the city and was a weekend warrior in the South West.
In 1969 I married Kath Ward and we spent our honeymoon in the South West. Coincidentally, the first Australian Surf Titles were being held in WA and WASRA President Doc Naylor recruited me as a contest official at the Margs & Yalls events. When I wasn’t officiating at the contest, I was free surfing with the Late Terry Jacks. Kath wasn’t overly impressed…. but has tolerated my surfing life for the past 50 years 😊
Image: 1970 Yalls State Titles presentations. Doc Naylor (WASRA President) and Ian Cairns (Junior Champ) with spectators Jim King & David Moss on the left. Ric Chan pic.
In 1970 I left the Board Club and Surf Contest scenes and have been free surfing ever since.
Image: 1970 Blaxell team rider Jim King surfing Gallows. Tom Blaxell pic.
In the late 60-70s Kath & I spent our weekends and holidays in the South West.
Initially we slept in the car at Yalls beach car park, then stayed at Greenacres Holiday Cottages in Dunsborough before moving to Harbo’s Hideaway Holiday Homes at Yalls in the mid-70s.
Image: 1971 Kath paddling my board in Geographe Bay at the back of Greenacres Holiday Cottages in Dunsborough. King family pic.
Image: 1973 Kath on the northern headland overlooking Cowaramup Bay and Gracetown. King family pic.
Our daughter Bianca was born in 1973 and spent a lot of her childhood in the South West.
Image: 1978 Bianca & Kath in the lagoon at Yalls. King family pic.
In the 80s Kath & I mixed trips Down South with regular trips to Bali.
Image: 1982 Kath with our walk-in guide at Uluwatu Bali. Jim King pic
On my 40th birthday, I caught 40 waves in a morning session at Baby Bears with mates. We then spent the afternoon drinking jugs of cold beer in the gardens at Caves House Yallingup celebrating my birthday.
My brother and mates have since tried to replicate my effort on their 40th birthdays, but the weather, waves or body injury issues have prohibited them from achieving the feat at Bears.
I gave away trying to replicate the birthday wave count on subsequent birthdays…. I could see it was going to get harder & harder to achieve 😊
Image: 1983 Jim surfing Baby Bears. King family pic.
In 1994 I worked in Coatzacoalcos Mexico on a major project with financial systems consultants from around the world. I took my surfboard and got to surf in Mexico, San Francisco and Hawaii on my travels.
Whilst away I received job offers in Mexico, USA and Honduras but chose to return to my former job in WA and continue surfing & windsurfing.
Kath & I subsequently purchased land in Dunsborough and built a house. We used it as a holiday home until my retirement and we moved Down South to live.
Image: 1994 Mexico City. Jim sitting atop of Piramide del Sol at Teotihuacan. In the background is the Avenue of the Dead with Piramide del Luna on the left.
Image: 1994 Mexico Veracruz. Jim horse riding on the beach at Macabo Playa.
Image: 1994 San Francisco. Jim at Golden Gate Bridge with Fort Point waves in the background.
Image: 1994 Hawaii Jim & Kath with Duke Kahanamoku statue at Waikiki.
Over the years WA surfboard manufacturers Dibben & Cole, Cordingley Bros, Tom Blaxell, Murray Smith, H2O (Colin Ladhams) and Yahoo (Mark Ogram/Dave Macaulay) have kept me supplied with surfboards.
Kath & I are retired and happy living in the South West. I no longer windsurf but still enjoy surfing the local breaks with my brother and mates.
For over a decade I have been doing yoga with Jackie Clarke Essential Yoga and believe this has contributed to my longevity in surfing.
It’s not all wine, women & song down this way. Like many salty old sea dogs, I now have sun damaged skin and fitness & flexibility issues…. and it’s getting a lot harder to find uncrowded waves even on off peak times.
While surfing has become very popular and overcrowding of surf breaks is taking a lot of the fun out of surfing…. it’s still a great way to live your life.
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