The original version of this blog was posted 27 April 2016. This version contains additional images and video footage of the event.
The 1968 State Championships were held in good offshore conditions at Yallingup over the March long weekend.
Members of most WA Board Clubs competed in the Championships.
Finalists in the divisions went onto represent WA at the National Surfing Titles held in NSW in May 1968.
West Australian Surf Riders Assoc (WASRA) changed the contest format during the 70s and the annual Championships at Yallingup were replaced with State rounds at various surf breaks. Competitors points accumulated in the various rounds were used to determine State Champions and State Team selection for the year. WASRA also ran State Spring Titles on metropolitan beaches and State Schoolboys championships during this period.
1968 Cover WASRA State Title Program cost 20c.1968 Partial State Titles competitors list in WASRA Programme. Image courtesy John Cuperus.1968 Concrete steps to Yallingup lagoon and waves. Photo Neil Innes1968 State Titles contest Judges preview courtesy Sunday Times Newspapers.1968 State Titles judges stand & spectators Yallingup beach. Photo Jim King1968 State Titles preview courtesy Sunday Times Newspapers1968 Finalist Jim King competing in Open Mens Division at Yallingup. Photo Trevor Burslem
Peter ‘Spook’ Bothwell (age 19 years) from Sand n Sea board club won the Open Mens. Competing in 6ft surf Spook beat former South Australian Barry Young and Arty Sherburn the Southern Surfriders champion. Surprisingly, John Balgarnie & 1966 champion John Staley were eliminated in the semi-finals.
Ian Cairns from Southern Surfriders was the outstanding junior surfer & won the Junior Title from Phil Taylor & Ian ‘Moochie‘ Strongman.
Dave Williams won the Senior Title.
Maureen Farrell won the Womens Title.
1968 State Title coverage by West Australian Newspapers1968-69 Peter Bothwell’s State/Spring Surfing Championship medals.
Peter ‘Spook’ Bothwell – The 67 titles were when I thought I could win and was surfing at my peak. I didn’t get out of my heat; John Staley went on to win. In 68 I was over it (the competitive hype) and more relaxed. I thought John Staley was surfing good enough to win in 68, but he got over anxious like I did in 67 and was knocked out. My other memory was that everyone who surfed went in it. A bit like a festival!
I next went into a state contest in 76, after not surfing much for a few years and the crowd and competitive crew numbered about fifty. The atmosphere had changed, still seriously competitive, but the wider social interest went for a time.
Barry ‘Baz’ Young – It was borderline whether I was eligible to compete in the main event (State Titles) because you had to have been living in WA for 6 months and I got Arty Sherburn and John Staley to say I had been here that long, but I think I was about a week short. I had been called up for National Service and came to the West to surf as much as possible before going in. I ended up doing my Draft medical in Bunbury, and swallowed silver foil in the hope it would show up as a spot on my lung (it had worked in the Big Wednesday movie) but they never remarked on it. What they did notice was my very large surf bumps on my feet. I had gone to the medical in suede Desert Boots, which were the rage at the time and they asked me if I could wear leather boots, and I said I doubt it, so they got me to try a pair on, and I faked pain enough that they didn’t sign me up….relief! We had been losing about 3 or 4 soldiers a day in different skirmishes in Vietnam and I didn’t want to be part of it. I remember I hitched back to Yallingup and went out and had just the best surf. A big weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
A month after the State Titles finalist Arty Sherburn nearly died when he was stung by a blue bottle jellyfish while surfing at Cottesloe. He was unable to take his place in the WA State Team and compete in the ’68 National Titles in NSW.
1968 Blue bottle sting nearly kills surfer Arty Sherburn. Article courtesy of Daily News
With a big LWE crowd in attendance it was not surprising that some anti-social behaviour occurred at Caves House pub on the Saturday Night.
1968 Brawl Caves House Yallingup State Titles Long Weekend. Coverage by West Australian Newspapers.1968 State Womens Surfing Champion Maureen Farrell article by Janice Burton West Australian Newspapers
A fun long weekend surfing and socialising in the Southwest was had by all.😊
Video
This video contains footage of competitors and spectators at the 1968 State Surfing Titles held at Yallingup WA. It includes footage of WASRA President Dr Ronald Naylor and beach girls on Yalls beach, Midget Farrelly spectating in Hawaiian shirt and former South Australian goofy footer Barry Young competing at the event.
Video sourced from Super 8 film provided by the City Beach Surf Riders Club Inc. Music Vance Burrow Yallingup WA. Run time 3:48 min.
Video link
Coming soon Invitational Event at 1968 State ChampionshipsYallinguprevisited
The original version of this blog was posted 27 April 2016. This version contains additional images and video footage of the event.
The 1968 State Championships were held in good offshore conditions at Yallingup over the March long weekend.
Members of most WA Board Clubs competed in the Championships.
Finalists in the divisions went onto represent WA at the National Surfing Titles held in NSW in May 1968.
West Australian Surf Riders Assoc (WASRA) changed the contest format during the 70s and the annual Championships at Yallingup were replaced with State rounds at various surf breaks. Competitors points accumulated in the various rounds were used to determine State Champions and State Team selection for the year. WASRA also ran State Spring Titles on metropolitan beaches and State Schoolboys championships during this period.
Peter ‘Spook’ Bothwell (age 19 years) from Sand n Sea board club won the Open Mens. Competing in 6ft surf Spook beat former South Australian Barry Young and Arty Sherburn the Southern Surfriders champion. Surprisingly, John Balgarnie & 1966 champion John Staley were eliminated in the semi-finals.
Ian Cairns from Southern Surfriders was the outstanding junior surfer & won the Junior Title from Phil Taylor & Ian ‘Moochie‘ Strongman.
Dave Williams won the Senior Title.
Maureen Farrell won the Womens Title.
Peter ‘Spook’ Bothwell – The 67 titles were when I thought I could win and was surfing at my peak. I didn’t get out of my heat; John Staley went on to win. In 68 I was over it (the competitive hype) and more relaxed. I thought John Staley was surfing good enough to win in 68, but he got over anxious like I did in 67 and was knocked out. My other memory was that everyone who surfed went in it. A bit like a festival!
I next went into a state contest in 76, after not surfing much for a few years and the crowd and competitive crew numbered about fifty. The atmosphere had changed, still seriously competitive, but the wider social interest went for a time.
Barry ‘Baz’ Young – It was borderline whether I was eligible to compete in the main event (State Titles) because you had to have been living in WA for 6 months and I got Arty Sherburn and John Staley to say I had been here that long, but I think I was about a week short. I had been called up for National Service and came to the West to surf as much as possible before going in. I ended up doing my Draft medical in Bunbury, and swallowed silver foil in the hope it would show up as a spot on my lung (it had worked in the Big Wednesday movie) but they never remarked on it. What they did notice was my very large surf bumps on my feet. I had gone to the medical in suede Desert Boots, which were the rage at the time and they asked me if I could wear leather boots, and I said I doubt it, so they got me to try a pair on, and I faked pain enough that they didn’t sign me up….relief! We had been losing about 3 or 4 soldiers a day in different skirmishes in Vietnam and I didn’t want to be part of it. I remember I hitched back to Yallingup and went out and had just the best surf. A big weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
A month after the State Titles finalist Arty Sherburn nearly died when he was stung by a blue bottle jellyfish while surfing at Cottesloe. He was unable to take his place in the WA State Team and compete in the ’68 National Titles in NSW.
With a big LWE crowd in attendance it was not surprising that some anti-social behaviour occurred at Caves House pub on the Saturday Night.
A fun long weekend surfing and socialising in the Southwest was had by all.😊
Video
This video contains footage of competitors and spectators at the 1968 State Surfing Titles held at Yallingup WA. It includes footage of WASRA President Dr Ronald Naylor and beach girls on Yalls beach, Midget Farrelly spectating in Hawaiian shirt and former South Australian goofy footer Barry Young competing at the event.
Video sourced from Super 8 film provided by the City Beach Surf Riders Club Inc. Music Vance Burrow Yallingup WA. Run time 3:48 min.
Video link
Coming soon Invitational Event at 1968 State Championships Yallingup revisited
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