1970s WA Surfboard Industry images

WA surfboard manufacturers started in the metropolitan area in the late 50s and spread to the southwest country region in the 70s.

By the 70s WA had a thriving custom surfboard industry.

These 70s WA Surfboard Industry images have been sourced from surf mags/booklets/newspapers and surf photographers.

Metro

*1970 **Jacko Surfboards** Rivervale advt featuring Paul “Rooster’ Woods, unknown & Gary Greirson in Country Surf Mag. Photos Tom Collins.*

*1970 **Cordingley Surfboards** Hay St Subiaco advt featuring Greg Laurenson ex Country Surf Mag*

*1971 **Cordingley Surfboards** York St Subiaco advt featuring Norm Bateman ex West Country Surf mag.*

*1972 **Blaxell Surfboards** Osborne Park advt featuring Peter Bevan, Tom Hoye & Tony Hardy ex West Country Surf Mag*

1966-74 West Coast Surfboard in Fitzgerald St West Perth was run by surfboard craftsman Bob Gardiner and partners Mick Dalziel & Eddie Warner. Bob’s profile was always low in surfing – he preferred to stay out of the usual ‘razzamatazz’ of sponsored teams & so on – and simply made his boards for those who sought him out.

*1973 **West Coast Surfboards** West Perth. Customer Craig Howe & shaper Bob Gardiner. Photo Craig Howe.*

Gary Greirson. “Oceans was a surf shop started by me in forrest place in 1972 i made some Oceans Surfboards which we sold in the shop then i left in 1975 and started Greirson Surfboards in Osborne Park with Col Ladams about 10 yrs later col marketed Oceans Surfboards in Willeton WA after that there was an Oceans Shop in Canning Hwy Como but dont know who had it. Its possible Mark Moore from Margaret River had something to do with it i am told Mark Moore is in South Aust.”

*1975 Gary Greirson with Coca Cola/6PM promotion surfboard at **Greirson Surfboards** shop in Osborne Park. Photo courtesy Gary Greirson*

1974 Al Bean *at South Point* *with Hoye Surfboard Yalls. Photo Ric Chan*
*In 1975 Al was shaping for **Greirson Surfboards** at Osborne Park.*

*1976 Scarborough surfer Errol Considine with **Oceans Surfboard** single fin shaped by Col Ladhams at Gary Greirson’s Osborne Park factory. Photo courtesy Errol Considine*.

1977 Colin Ladhams Surf Design with Peacock logo made at Gary Greirson’s Osborne Park factory. Photo courtesy Barry Young.

*1976 **Len Dibben Surfboards & Skateboards** North Fremantle advt. Image courtesy Len Dibben.*

*1976 **Cordingley Surfboards** Jolimont advt featuring Craig Bettenay and Steve Nicholson ex WASRA Spring Titles Program*

*1977 **Cordingley Surfboards** Jolimont All-Stars advt ex Sunday Independent newspaper* *WA.*

*1974-76 Promotional poster for **‘With Surfing in Mind’** surfboards at Bayswater by Ian Cairns and Greg Laurenson. Image courtesy Ian Cairns.*

*1975-76 **Red Hot Sticks** at Bicton by Ian Cairns. Photo Ric Chan*

*1977 **Blaxell Surfrider** Osborne Park promotional poster featuring Steve Fordham at South Point. Image courtesy Tom Blaxell*

Murray ‘Muzz’ Smith “In 1978 I made Murray Smith Surfboards in my private factory in Scarborough. In those days we didn’t write the dimensions on the board. I think the rounded pintail/flyer surfboard (below) is a 6’8” It was originally owned by Perry Hatchett, but he gave it back to me in the mid-80s. Removable fins probably came in about 10 years before this, but this board has a ‘fin cam’ which meant you could adjust the fin in the water.”

*2013 Murray Smith with 1978 Murray Smith Surfboard* *with* *removable fin* *at Yalls*. *Photo Jim King*.
*This board is on display at **WA Surf Gallery** Aravina Estate Yallingup.*

Early 1970s Tsunami Surfboards cnr Loftus and Newcastle St West Perth – No image available.

*1973-80s **Odyssey Surfboards** West Perth by Nev Hyman, Phil Usher & Brett Madalena advt. Image courtesy Nev Hyman.*

Southwest

Geoff Culmsee 1971-73. “I started my first surfboard shop down south at a Cowaramup farmhouse but didn’t stay too long because it was full of fleas! It was either them or us, and we took the easy option. We then moved to another farmhouse on Caves Road close to where Driftwood Estate winery now stands. We had a lot more exposure thee to sell our surfboards. By this time, there were a lot more surfers around and we were surfing most breaks everyone does today. We shifted to our shed to Eagle Bay, right on the Rocky Point track. I was living in a cottage and shaping boards in the shed.”

*Circa 1973 **Geoff Culmsee** surfboard made Rocky Point track Eagle Bay. Image courtesy Phil Woods.*

*Early 1970s Murray Smith with experimental **Murray Smith Surfboards** short boards made in old laundry at Prevelly Margaret River. Photo Jim Breadsell*

*1970s Tom Hoye with Precision Equip Surfboard at Contos Beach near Margaret River. Photo Gary Kontoolis pic*

*1976 Tony Hardy glassing **Hardy Surfboards** at his Margaret River factory. Photo Ric Chan*

Mid 1970s Pegasus Surfboards at Wilyabrup by Peter ‘Stumpy’ Wallace. – No image available.

In the 70s former Cottesloe surfer David ‘Dappa’ Plaisted moved to Yallingup and started manufacturing Sunrise Surfboards. The surfboards were made in an old limestone coach house located on a rural property on Caves Road. The site had been previously used by surfboard maker Tom Hoye (Precision Equip Surfboards). Later it was used by Ken MacKenzie (Energy Surfboards) before becoming part of Cape Naturaliste Vineyard owned by Craig Brent-White.

*1976 **Sunrise Surfboards** Smiths Valley Yallingup by Dappa advt ex WASRA Spring Titles Program*.

*1976* Craig Bettenay *shaping* *Craig Bettenay* Surfboards in Steve ’Blue’ Nicholson’s shed Dunsborough. Photo Ric Chan

Ken Mackenzie “My partners in Energy Surfboards were my mum Mary and Keith ‘Woolly’ Hawken. We have been making surfboards since 13 March 1975. Our first board shop was in 63 Hector St Osborne Park. In 1977 we moved our Energy board making business Down South to Margaret River. For a couple of years I shaped surfboard blanks on my family’s Marg’s property. We took the shaped blanks to the wooden surfboard shed in Smiths Valley for glassing and finishing. Later all aspects of the board-building process were done in my board making shed at Marg’s.”