Introduction courtesy of WA surfer and surfing industry pioneer Tom Blaxell.
Spydor was a true Scarborough boy, growing up in his Scottish parents’ house on the hill, right at Scarborough Beach, just about where Soul Surfboards are today. In the mode of early settlers in the area, it was a modest timber frame bungalow, set on stilts, but lovingly furnished inside.
In the following 1930’s aerial pic of Scarborough, I think Spydor’s parents house is in the middle of the pic, left most in the SW sector.
1930’s Aerial pic of beachside community of Scarborough WA. Photo credit SLWA 031676PD
Spydor inevitably became swept up into the surfing craze that was running rampant in the 60’s, even though he couldn’t swim!
A lot of the Scarborough crew also used to store their boards under the house as well because of its convenient location. I got the feeling that Spydor may have borrowed the odd board or two, which you might say was fair rental reward.
I made a custom board for him in those early days, and he insisted that I do the gloss coat in his Mum’s dining room, rather than in my garage, so that it could be totally dust free. So over to his place we went one night, into this pristine formal room with a highly polished dining suite. We carefully took the lace tablecloth off, and laid down newspaper all over the table, and then laid the board on that.
Then I put some newspaper down on the shiny waxed floor and laid the tins of gloss resin, catalyst and acetone on that and opened them up. Instantly the cocktail of powerful fumes invaded the peaceful atmosphere in that cosy abode. I was never allowed to do that again.
Spydor became a good surfer winning some silver ware on the way and became a member of the exclusive North Coast Surfers board club, formed by some of the best Scarborough surfers, like Gooselegs, Thunder, Scully, Spike, Big Eyes, Dig, Hoody and Gathy. When he got his first car, an Austin I think, he turned it into a phone book. There were no mobile phones of course, only coin operated phone boxes, and Spydor had heaps of phone numbers stuck up inside his car. So, if you needed to call someone, you only had to go to Spydor’s car to get anyone’s number, and then off you could go to the phone box, easy!
Spydor also took up an apprenticeship in cabinet making, which included spray painting. I had bought my first 4-wheel drive, an old grey Land Rover which I was doing up, and we arranged to take it round to the cabinet shop one night and he kindly sprayed it bright blue for me. I think it was around that time that Gary Greirson set up a surf shop right near where Spydor’s old house was, and he got a job working there, where he discovered his love for talking the talk on subjects dear to his heart. In the meantime, I had moved to a bigger shop in Ossie park, near the Nookenburra Hotel, and when Gary moved out of the Scarborough shop, it was a timely moment to bring Spydor on board for front of shop and he was the perfect fit for that perfect personal link of client to business.
Later in life he became a marine insurance claims adjuster of all things, and that sounds like dial an argument to me, and I will never forget when he retired and said to me. “I’m going to put a dinghy on top of the wagon and, drive in towards the centre of Australia and, when someone points at the dinghy and says ‘ what’s that?’, I’ll be happy!!!”
Cheers,
Tom Blaxell
Spydor photos
1966 6PR Novice Surfboard Championships at Scarborough. Finalists Gary ‘Goose legs’ Vaughan, unknown & Ian ‘Spydor’ Taylor. Photo Goose legs.
Rod Salter. “The pic of Goose ,and others, holding the trophies was from the 6PR Novice Surfboard Championships held at the South end of Scarborough on the 3rd April 1965. The trophy Goose is holding looks like the one attached, the one I got for coming second. The winner was a Cottesloe surfer, Theo Mathews and I am not sure who came third. The comp was for surfers who were not members of board clubs. I hope my old mate Goose is not trying ‘to steal my thunder’ (ha,. ha).“
Gary ‘Gooselegs’ Vaughan. “Roddy, you were in the first comp in 1965, the year before. That trophy was mine. I’m not stealing anyone’s thunder.“
1965 6PR Novice Surf Championships Scarborough. 2nd place Rod Slater. Image courtesy Rod Salter.
1975 Spydor competing Trigg Point contest. Photo Grierson Surfboards.
1981 Spydor inBlaxell Surfboards showroom Osborne Park with channel bottom thruster. Photo Ric Chan.
1981 Spydor inBlaxell Surfboards showroom Osborne Park with channel bottom thruster. Photo Ric Chan.
Introduction courtesy of WA surfer and surfing industry pioneer Tom Blaxell.
Spydor was a true Scarborough boy, growing up in his Scottish parents’ house on the hill, right at Scarborough Beach, just about where Soul Surfboards are today. In the mode of early settlers in the area, it was a modest timber frame bungalow, set on stilts, but lovingly furnished inside.
In the following 1930’s aerial pic of Scarborough, I think Spydor’s parents house is in the middle of the pic, left most in the SW sector.
1930’s Aerial pic of beachside community of Scarborough WA. Photo credit SLWA 031676PD
Spydor inevitably became swept up into the surfing craze that was running rampant in the 60’s, even though he couldn’t swim!
A lot of the Scarborough crew also used to store their boards under the house as well because of its convenient location. I got the feeling that Spydor may have borrowed the odd board or two, which you might say was fair rental reward.
I made a custom board for him in those early days, and he insisted that I do the gloss coat in his Mum’s dining room, rather than in my garage, so that it could be totally dust free. So over to his place we went one night, into this pristine formal room with a highly polished dining suite. We carefully took the lace tablecloth off, and laid down newspaper all over the table, and then laid the board on that.
Then I put some newspaper down on the shiny waxed floor and laid the tins of gloss resin, catalyst and acetone on that and opened them up. Instantly the cocktail of powerful fumes invaded the peaceful atmosphere in that cosy abode. I was never allowed to do that again.
Spydor became a good surfer winning some silver ware on the way and became a member of the exclusive North Coast Surfers board club, formed by some of the best Scarborough surfers, like Gooselegs, Thunder, Scully, Spike, Big Eyes, Dig, Hoody and Gathy. When he got his first car, an Austin I think, he turned it into a phone book. There were no mobile phones of course, only coin operated phone boxes, and Spydor had heaps of phone numbers stuck up inside his car. So, if you needed to call someone, you only had to go to Spydor’s car to get anyone’s number, and then off you could go to the phone box, easy!
Spydor also took up an apprenticeship in cabinet making, which included spray painting. I had bought my first 4-wheel drive, an old grey Land Rover which I was doing up, and we arranged to take it round to the cabinet shop one night and he kindly sprayed it bright blue for me. I think it was around that time that Gary Greirson set up a surf shop right near where Spydor’s old house was, and he got a job working there, where he discovered his love for talking the talk on subjects dear to his heart. In the meantime, I had moved to a bigger shop in Ossie park, near the Nookenburra Hotel, and when Gary moved out of the Scarborough shop, it was a timely moment to bring Spydor on board for front of shop and he was the perfect fit for that perfect personal link of client to business.
Later in life he became a marine insurance claims adjuster of all things, and that sounds like dial an argument to me, and I will never forget when he retired and said to me. “I’m going to put a dinghy on top of the wagon and, drive in towards the centre of Australia and, when someone points at the dinghy and says ‘ what’s that?’, I’ll be happy!!!”
Cheers,
Tom Blaxell
Spydor photos
1966 6PR Novice Surfboard Championships at Scarborough. Finalists Gary ‘Goose legs’ Vaughan, unknown & Ian ‘Spydor’ Taylor. Photo Goose legs.
Rod Salter. “The pic of Goose ,and others, holding the trophies was from the 6PR Novice Surfboard Championships held at the South end of Scarborough on the 3rd April 1965. The trophy Goose is holding looks like the one attached, the one I got for coming second. The winner was a Cottesloe surfer, Theo Mathews and I am not sure who came third. The comp was for surfers who were not members of board clubs. I hope my old mate Goose is not trying ‘to steal my thunder’ (ha,. ha).“
Gary ‘Gooselegs’ Vaughan. “Roddy, you were in the first comp in 1965, the year before. That trophy was mine. I’m not stealing anyone’s thunder.“
1965 6PR Novice Surf Championships Scarborough. 2nd place Rod Slater. Image courtesy Rod Salter.
1975 Spydor competing Trigg Point contest. Photo Grierson Surfboards.
1981 Spydor in Blaxell Surfboards showroom Osborne Park with channel bottom thruster. Photo Ric Chan.
1981 Spydor in Blaxell Surfboards showroom Osborne Park with channel bottom thruster. Photo Ric Chan.
2014 Spydor with catch of the day. Spydor & Robyn Taylor lifestyle pic.
2014 Spydor & Robyn caravan living. Spydor & Robyn Taylor lifestyle pic.
2014 Hotbrewz surfboard hung on the wall at Dawesville. Spydor & Robyn Taylor lifestyle pic.
Spydor and his wife Robyn are now travelling retirees.
Many thanks to Tom Blaxell for his contribution.
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