In 1953 Ray Geary (age 16) from Wembley started the City Beach Board Club with Graham Killen, Johnny Budge, Brian Cole and some other keen surfing mates. Ray and the boys were former members of the City Beach Surf Lifesaving Club but became disgruntled with SLSC’s structured regime. The owner of City Beach Tea Rooms gave the Club approval to dig out sand below the Tea Rooms and make an enclosure for Club meetings and surfboard storage. The Club had no President or Treasurer and did not hold surf competitions. Club members paid one-pound per year to cover cost of padlocks and chains etc on the enclosure. Ray was a signwriter and printed City Beach Board Club logos on t-shirts and trench coats for members.
Club members surfed metro waves (inc. Rottnest and Mandurah) on 14-16 ft plywood ‘Toothpick’ surfboards until the American’s introduced shorter, lighter more manoeuvrable balsa Malibu surfboards to OZ at an International Surfing Carnival held in conjunction with the 1956 Olympic Games in Vic.
In 1954 the Club put on a surfboard riding display for locals at Miami Beach near Mandurah.
The club folded in 1957 when Club members started chasing waves down south and up north.
There was no surf media, surf movies or surf music at that time but that didn’t deter the lads from having fun and pioneering surfboard riding in WA.
Note: Geary’s surf break at Mandurah is named after Ray Geary’s family beach shack which is located on the hill overlooking the surf break.
In 1962 the second tier of City Beach surfers morphed the Club into the City Beach Surf Riders Club. The new Club co-founded by sixteen-year-old Floreat students Peter ‘Doc’ Docherty & Viv Kitson is still active and has become WA’s oldest Board Club…but that’s another story!
Photo Album
1954 City Beach Board Club surfboard display at Miami Beach near Mandurah. Image Miami News.1955 John ‘Budgie’ Budge in trench coat outside City of Perth SLSC at City Beach. Photo John Budge.1956 City Beach board club members (some in Bear suits) on steps of Tea Rooms. Photo John Budge. incs Ian Scott, Don Roper, Ray Geary & Ian Chapple. 1956 Surfboard riders north side City Beach groyne (pre Floreat groyne). Photo Ray Geary L-R. Ray Geary, Neil Chapple, Keith Kino, Tony Harbison & Mark Whittome. 1956 Ray Geary’s Essex Super 6 loaded with 16ft Toothpick surfboards at City Beach. Photo Ray Geary. L-R Barry ‘Stretch’ Gallon, Artie Taylor, Ray Geary, Rob Wakefield & Colin Taylor. 1956 Ray Geary surfing 16ft Toothpick surfboard at City Beach. Photo Ray Geary.1958 City of Perth SLSC at City Beach. Photo John Budge Back: Bernie Huddle, Tony Harbison & Artie Taylor. Front: Dave Wiiliams, Colin Taylor and Bruce ‘Moonshine’ Hill. 1958 Board Club members day trip to Avalon Point. Photo Brian Cole.1958 Miami Beach. City Beach crew Ian Scott, Colin Moore, Sue Rankin, John Budge & Owen Oates on roof FX Holden ute. Photo John Budge.1958 Peter Docherty (age 13) with 12ft plywood surfboard at City Beach. Photo Peter Docherty.1950s City Beach Board Club members celebrating their inaugural reunion at the Pagoda Ball Room in South Perth. Photo John Budge. The revellers are L-R John Budge, Colin Taylor, Jo, Alma, Artie Shaw, Mark Whittome, unknown, Sandra, Barry ‘Stretch’ Gallon, unknown, Ray Geary & Helen.
Today’s City Beach Surf Riders club is having a 70-year celebration on Saturday 16 September 2023 at Anthony Hilton’s bar on Scarborough beachfront.
In 1953 Ray Geary (age 16) from Wembley started the City Beach Board Club with Graham Killen, Johnny Budge, Brian Cole and some other keen surfing mates. Ray and the boys were former members of the City Beach Surf Lifesaving Club but became disgruntled with SLSC’s structured regime. The owner of City Beach Tea Rooms gave the Club approval to dig out sand below the Tea Rooms and make an enclosure for Club meetings and surfboard storage. The Club had no President or Treasurer and did not hold surf competitions. Club members paid one-pound per year to cover cost of padlocks and chains etc on the enclosure. Ray was a signwriter and printed City Beach Board Club logos on t-shirts and trench coats for members.
Club members surfed metro waves (inc. Rottnest and Mandurah) on 14-16 ft plywood ‘Toothpick’ surfboards until the American’s introduced shorter, lighter more manoeuvrable balsa Malibu surfboards to OZ at an International Surfing Carnival held in conjunction with the 1956 Olympic Games in Vic.
In 1954 the Club put on a surfboard riding display for locals at Miami Beach near Mandurah.
The club folded in 1957 when Club members started chasing waves down south and up north.
There was no surf media, surf movies or surf music at that time but that didn’t deter the lads from having fun and pioneering surfboard riding in WA.
Note: Geary’s surf break at Mandurah is named after Ray Geary’s family beach shack which is located on the hill overlooking the surf break.
In 1962 the second tier of City Beach surfers morphed the Club into the City Beach Surf Riders Club. The new Club co-founded by sixteen-year-old Floreat students Peter ‘Doc’ Docherty & Viv Kitson is still active and has become WA’s oldest Board Club…but that’s another story!
Photo Album
incs Ian Scott, Don Roper, Ray Geary & Ian Chapple.
L-R. Ray Geary, Neil Chapple, Keith Kino, Tony Harbison & Mark Whittome.
L-R Barry ‘Stretch’ Gallon, Artie Taylor, Ray Geary, Rob Wakefield & Colin Taylor.
Back: Bernie Huddle, Tony Harbison & Artie Taylor.
Front: Dave Wiiliams, Colin Taylor and Bruce ‘Moonshine’ Hill.
The revellers are L-R John Budge, Colin Taylor, Jo, Alma, Artie Shaw, Mark Whittome, unknown, Sandra, Barry ‘Stretch’ Gallon, unknown, Ray Geary & Helen.
Today’s City Beach Surf Riders club is having a 70-year celebration on Saturday 16 September 2023 at Anthony Hilton’s bar on Scarborough beachfront.
Related content
1950s City Beach memorabilia posted 19 Sept 2015
1956 Homemade four-man surf ski posted 9 Dec 2020
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