In November 1956 American and Hawaiian lifeguard teams brought their balsa ‘Malibu’ surfboards to Torquay Vic and Sydney NSW and started a revolution. The teams were in Australia for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where surf lifesaving was a demonstration sport. Local surf life savers were also joined by visitors from Ceylon, Suth Africa & NZ for the demonstration events.
The legendary ‘Duke’ Paoa Kahanamoku of Hawaii served as the honorary event Chairman and was in Melbourne for the opening ceremony. Californian big wave legend Greg Noll was on the US team.
The US & Hawaiian surfing teams demonstrated their new light weight finned balsa Malibu boards (Velzy Pig & Chip designs) at Torquay (Vic) and Avalon (NSW). After the events, the American’s sold some of their balsa boards to NSW surfboard manufacturers. Source surfresearch
Souvenir Programme Cover International & Aust Surf Championship Carnival Torquay Vic. 25 November 1956. Image courtesy John Melrose.
Competitors from WA SLSC clubs and travelling WA surfers witnessed the surfing demonstrations. And the lighter more manoeuvrable American Malibu’s soon found their way back to WA.
The Malibu boards opened the door for local board riders, including women and children to enjoy board riding.
Sara Lahiff. “My Dad, Graham ‘Tup’ Lahiff travelled to and competed in the 1956 Aussie Surf Titles in Torquay representing the Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club.
He made a heap of lifelong friends, watched the Californians do their longboard surfing demo & promptly returned home to make his own surfboards.
He loved every minute too.
He made many many boards in the sleep-out of his folks’ house in Jimbell St, Mosman Park. Having knocked around with the Cordingleys in his earlier youth, maybe he deferred to their rapidly evolving surfboard shaping skills as time went on.
Surf trips south to Yallingup increased in frequency after this with lots of mates who had seen the same demo at Torquay.
It’s nice to think of them sleeping in the tea tree hammocks , after a few lemonades at Caves in the arvo, excited to surf the waves in the morning once again.
What a great time it must have been. ”
1956 Australian & International Surf Carnivals Torquay Victoria flag issued to Tuppy Lahiff & other competitors. Image courtesy Sara Lahiff.
Tuppy Lahiff’s 1956 SLSC flag is on display at the WA Surf Gallery.
1956 Card allocated for accommodation at Melbourne Showgrounds before and after the trek from the city to Torquay for all interstate competitors. Image courtesy Sara Lahiff.
Late 1950s Tuppy Lahiff surfing Malibu surfboard at Cottesloe Beach WA. Photo courtesy The Premier Club book by Edwin Jaggard 1984.
1959 Tuppy Lahiff at Cottesloe Beach with just one of the balsa boards he made in the sleepout at home in Jimbell St Mosman Park after Torquay. Photo courtesy West Australian Newspapers.
WA surfing pioneers Jim Keenan, Dave Williams, Graham Killen and some of their City Beach surfing mates travelled to Victoria to watch the 1956 Olympics and surfing demonstration events.
1956 WA lads at Luna Park Melbourne wearing WW2 flying suits. Photo courtesy Jim Keenan
L-R. Unknown, Dave Williams, unknown, Jim Keenan, unknown & Graham ‘Cocko’ Killen.
Jim Keenan. “My first Malibu board was a Gordon Woods balsa with a centre stringer for added strength. Balsa was imported from South America and was expensive to say the least. My board if I remember right cost about 30 quid and represented approximately five weeks salary. On a relative scale that would put a new board at approximately $10,000.
I well remember the Californian & Hawaiian lifeguards performing at Torquay and Sydney in 1956. They certainly created surfing history with the introduction of Malibu surfboards into Australia.
We were so isolated in those early days, as the ‘septics’ had been riding Malibu’s way back in the forties. Those bloody Gidget movies stuffed up surfing because it revealed the lifestyle and as a consequence a greater participation.”
1959 WA boys with Malibu boards (Balsa & Okanui) at Yallingup. Photo Brian Cole.
L-R Ray Nelmes, Brian Cole, Jim Keenan, Des Gaines, Laurie Burke, John Budge & Artie Taylor.
Note: Surfing has featured in the Olympic Games since 2020 in Toyko.
A big thank you to Sara Lahiff and Jim Keenan for sharing your memories of the event.
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