North End Board Club shack at Prevelly

The North End Board Club at Scarborough was one of the first board clubs formed in WA circa 1961.

In October 1965, the North End Board Club had a membership of 25 surfers paying two shillings each week to save enough money to purchase a block of land at Georgette Way in the townsite of Prevelly in the Margaret River region. Prevelly is located on the coast at the mouth of Margaret River at the northern end of Calgardup Bay.

By 1967 club members had built a club shack with a toilet & shower.

Murray Smith (foundation club member).“That is the way associations were run. City Beach had been going since the early 60s too and we built the Prevelly shack for our group of North End guys to stay there. The Southern Surfriders also ended up with a couple of shacks in Prevelly Caravan Park.”

Geoff Culmsee (foundation club member).“The base in Prevelly became our base in Margaret River. We started building the shack on weekends and holidays and within twelve months we had a three-room shack with a toilet.”

Photos

*1961 North End members with their surfing equipment at Scarborough. L-R. M Darcy, J Price, unknown, Murray Smith, Geoff Culmsee & Gary Granary. Photo Murray Smith.*

*1967 *Construction North End Shack* at Prevelly. Photo Murray Smith*

*1967 North End Board Club shack at Prevelly with Geoff Culmsee’s Land Rover parked out the front. Photo Murray Smith.*

*1967 North End Board Riders sinking a bore on the property. L-R Murray Smith, Gerry Krahn & Gary ‘Keg Legs’ Granary. Photo Jim Breadsell*.

*1967 North End Board Riders sinking a bore* at Prevelly. Photo Jim Breadsell.

*1967 North End Board Riders’ bore functioning at Prevelly. Photo Jim Breadsell*.

*1968 Club members Zac* Kochanowitsch & Peter Longley in the kitchen North End shack. Photo Jim Breadsell.

1968 Peter Longley & *Gerry Krahn* *in kitchen North End shack. Photo Jim Breadsell.*

*1968 North End members J Pinch, unknown baby & girl, Zac Kochanowitsch & Gary Pozzie at the back of North End shack. Photo Jim Breadsell*.

*1968 Unidentified North End members relaxing outside North End shack. Photo Jim Breadsell*

North End Board Club member Jim Breadsell had a pilot licence and took this aerial photo of the North End Shack (centre foreground) at Prevelly in 1970.

*1970 Aerial photo of the North End Shack (centre foreground) at Prevelly courtesy of Jim Breadsell.*

The shack remained in the board club for over 40 years and was ultimately purchased by one of its members 1964 State Champion Alex ‘Zac’ Kochanowitsch.

Where the organisational skills of some of the club’s saw them set up base camps in the vicinity of their favourite down south surf breaks, others wished they had had the foresight to invest in their own patch of real estate.

Thanks to the photographers for sharing your vintage images.

Reference Material

Surfing Down South book published 2014 by Margaret River Press. Book now out of print.

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Photos

Reference Material

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