Bears and Yallingup Identities Late Spring 1980 by Gary Gibbon

Former Queensland surfer Gary Gibbon has lived in the South West since 1975. He is now a retired schoolteacher and lives in Margaret River with his wife Rosa and labradors Milly & Toffee.

Gary recently sent me this material based on his photos of Bears and Yallingup surfing identities taken late Spring in 1980.

It is interesting SW surf history material, so I will publish Gary’s collection of photos and anecdotes as is.

Hi Jim,

2020 is a nice round number so I thought this time, I’d offer you some SW photos from a nice, round 40 years ago.

I’ve captioned most of them.

Bears crowds weren’t always an issue back then.

Throughout my time spent around Yallingup, Vance was just a permanent fixture especially up around Bears and playing Sunday sessions with Gina Pannone @ Caves House, where I lived and worked for quite a while. *I always felt his surfing was reflected in his guitar-playing. Smooth, flowing and extremely proficient!

These Bears surf photos are primarily of Lindsay Whittle, who I haven’t seen for a very long time. Back then, he was a talented young surfer from Bunbury I think, who’d moved down and loved surfing Mamas with a passion. LOL! I don’t think I ever saw him surfing anywhere else! Maybe once or twice at the Yallingup ‘Bubble’. Haven’t seen him since I headed off to Teachers College.

Mama Bears Lindsay Whittle 6. ‘buried alive’.

There’s a couple of shots of me, that I have a strong feeling were taken that day by Rob Malcolm of Yallingup.

Me wave sharing with John Molloy @ Baby Bears.

Being a retired school teacher, compels me to suggest that I think you and Bruce should learn from the photo of John Molloy and I “sharing”. None of this confusing “Kings Cross” mullarkey. The conversation would have gone along these lines.

JM “Gazbo, do you mind if we share this one”?

GG “Not in the least John Boy. Jump on and stay as long as you like”.

John was always very gentlemanly in the surf.

There are a few photos, that possibly you, or some of the SDS followers can help clarify.

The guy with the hat on and back to camera used to frequent Bears quite a bit too. Can’t remember his name!

Brad was a nice guy and back then was heavily involved (as others including Pup Nesbitt (below) were at the time), in building his own place up on Wardanup Crescent. As with Lindsay Whittle, I haven’t seen him since right back in the day and can’t remember his surname.

Update 8 July 2020: Dave Cuthbert has identified Brad’s full name is Brad Woodlands.

Bears. First Name is Brad, but can’t remember his surname.

Yallingup beach reef break. I believe it’s called Mousetraps these days.

I don’t think it was an elephant seal and possibly too long (a good 8 – 10 foot from memory) for a sea lion. But it was up in the corner just north of the Yallingup lagoon and south of Rabbit Hill for a few days in November 1980, just resting-up I guess. People were generally good from memory and gave it plenty of space. Dogs didn’t seem to hassle it.

I guess Taj was around 2 and a half at the time. There was a really nice bank at Rabbit Hill around then and I’m sure Vance was probably surfing, with Taj as you see, being responsibly baby-sat by Nancy and no doubt already taking note of the moves happening in the water.

Nancy Burrow baby sitting Taj age 2 ½ @ Rabbit Hill.

Hoping someone can help me out with the name of that lady with whom I used to work at Caves House. I worked with her for at least a year plus in the bar and it’s embarrassing that I can’t remember her name. Very quiet, lived at Quindalup and (like me) loved books.

The next two photos were taken out the back of the old staff quarters at Caves House where I lived for around 20 months. Lexie was a school teacher who at the time, like quite a few local crew worked at Caves House, which was a significant employer of Yallingup locals under manager Em Rudiwick (R.I.P.), an extremely nice lady. Along with one or two other teacher friends back around then, Lexie was influential in getting me to consider teaching as a career path, for which I’ll always be appreciative (he says after a 35 year enjoyable career). The last I heard some time back was that she lived in Busselton and had got back into teaching.

Me @ Caves House with what I used to call my Greg Laurenson shaped banana board and Jane the dog underfoot.

Jane the bull terrier and blue healer cross was Cathy Willesdorf’s extremely sociable dog, who I used to frequently dog sit (whilst she also worked at Caves House).

That’s Jane I think, turning up again in Pup’s photo. Pup as many will probably know has resided on Bali’s east coast for many a year.