Redhead Beach May 2007. Not a bad right and no one out. A film company making the movie “Newcastle” were set up in the beach car park, so other surfers were surfing a bank further down the beach. I paddle out here 5 minutes after taking this photo, when from the other side of the shark tower, one of the films surfing actors paddles out with a water cameraman in tow. I struck up a conversation and he advised it was no problem with me out during the filming, so we shared the break for the session with just the two of us out.
Redhead Beach May 2007
Jellyfish. Photo by my daughter Ellen.
Jellyfish. Photo by Ellen Moore
Glenrock Lagoon further up stream in 1993, not far from the now Fernleigh Track car park.
Glenrock Lagoon up stream 1990
Martin Littlewood 1977 surfing behind the Redhead Shark Tower.
Martin Littlewood Surfing Redhead 1977
Martin Littlewood shaping Delta Design surfboards 1977. In the old Chicken Shed Surfboard factory at Redhead. This was most probably my new board.
Martin Littlewood shaping a board 1977
If you want to get an Olympic medal – you have to put in some hard yards. In the water before 6am each morning and again after school. Here Shane Arnold takes his squad through their morning, before sunrise routine at Mayfield Pool in 1998. Olympic medalist Justin Norris was in this swim squad.
Arnold's swim squad at Mayfield Pool 1998
Sandy’s 3 pet hens – the Spice Girls.
Sandy's 3 Red Newhampshire Hens
Sandy and the kids taking a drink break walking back from the beach at Sand Bar 1993.
Sandy & the kids Sand Bar 1993
Cold Chisel played the Mawson Hotel at Caves Beach lots of times in the late 70’s. Well the hotel just got lunched, to make way for more stuff. Some good shows and good nights were had there.
This is one of my favourite shots of Ian Moss. In silhouette. I only used the stage lights, as flash bothers the players and washes out the atmosphere. I shot using fast speed film and doubled the time developing it in my garage darkroom. Mossy used to take a solo spot while the band had a drink and he would play Georgia, and it would hush the crowd down.
Ian Moss Silhouette Mawson Hotel 1978
Cold Chisel at the Mawson with the crowd up close and personal.
Cold Chisel Mawson Hotel 1978
Jimm Barnes in combat boots and ex arm gear rocking his heart out. Mawson Hotel Caves Beach 1978.
Jimmy Barnes Mawson Hotel 1978
Grubby, Newcastle’s most favourite drummer, who played in Rim Shot and Rat Salad and many others and has mixed for a lot of bands too, summed up the crowds feeling after a Cold Chisel gig. Quite often Grubby would take in a show at the Mawson and then hitch into town to play with his own band, who would be waiting, wondering where the hell is he. Somehow he always got there, not so much on time, but got there.
Grubby the drummer Mawson Hotel 1978
Phil Small Cold Chisel bass player Mawson Hotel 1978.
Phil Small Mawson Hotel 1978
Ian Moss - another great guitar solo at the Mawson Hotel 1978.
Ian Moss Cold Chisel Mawson Hotel 1977
Don Walker on Keyboards Mawson Hotel 1978. You didn’t get to see much of Don from the front of the stage, but he was the backbone of the group, writing some fantastic songs.
Don Walker Mawson Hotel 1978
Steve Prestwich Cold Chisel Drummer Maswon Hotel 1978.
Steve Prestwich Mawson 1978
A close inspection of Redhead Bluff (not too close, there’s rocks falling off – like in Billy the Mountain) shows a Tubular Section in it, recent rain has done some corrosive damage and has hollowed out a literally tubular gnarly slab.
Redhead Cliff with wave June 2010
A solid swell pumped through on the last Sunday of May 2010 and the wind held them up. Unknown surfer behind the Redhead Shark Tower.
Unknown Surfer Redhead left May 2010
An email from Julie and Shayne advised me of surfing footage from the 70’s taken from the movie Fantasea, of Col Smith and also Steve Butterworth on Youtube site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38YzceIQAtE
Not somewhere in Europe – Hunter Valley Gardens in Cessnock’s wine country, a lot of very nice different types of gardens, very well put together.
Hunter Valley Gardens 2009
The Redhead Crew celebrate Gilly’s Graduation around 1978
The Redhead surf crew at Gilly's Graduation celebration around 1978
Catherine Hill Bay in 1975. Catho hasn’t changed much in 35 years – lets hope it stays that way.
Catherine Hill Bay Township 1975
Lou Reed at the Majestic Newcastle Civic Theatre around 1978. Lou had a great band and played great guitar and had the crowd on their feet.
Lou Reed Civic Theatre Newcastle 1978
Justin Lee, one of the most consistant long term surfers from the Lake Macquarie Beaches on a VERY solid day at Dudley September 2009. Photo by Geoff Connors.
Justin Lee surfing at Dudley September 2009
Angourie 1978 4 guys out.
Angourie 1977 4 guys out
HOW TO GET MORE CHIPS.
In 1968, on a weekend surfari up the north coast, a small group of starving surfers head into town for a feed after a long day of surfing at Green Knob. They stop at their favorite Taree Fish & Chip Shop. The boys walk up to the counter and the beaming old guy behind the counter asks “Yesssh Pleassshse Boyssssh! “ Yes he had a squeak to every S.
Without batting an eyelid one of the guys orders first (…let’s just call him Jim, a normally quiet reserved guy perhaps bouyed by a great day surfing) “Can I have a hamburger and 10 Cssssentssss worth of chipsssh pleassssh!” (10 cents worth is about $3 worth now)
We all roll our eyes and figure we will be thrown out and go starving now… but the gentleman remains cool and proceeds to take the other orders then make the food.
After a tense 10 minutes of subdued behavior from us, he hands over the first order to Jim – and low and behold there is enough chips to feed an army! The rest of us get the standard portion serving of chips.
I guess he felt an affinity to the fellow speech afflicted Jimmy – or perhaps he just admired his cheekiness! The moral of the story – be an up front complete bastard and you can get away with anything.
Ronnie is getting good waves up the coast right now, here is Byron Bay in May 2010, photo by Ronnie Rudder.
Byron May 2010 photo by Ronnie Rudder
Bells Beach 1977 Rory Russell the other Mr Pipeline
Nobbys Power Station 1977
View of Laurieton 1983
Frank “Meatball” Skewes surfs a punchy right peak in 1975 at Redhead Beach.
Frank Meatball Skewes Redhead 1975
The Angels good Doc Neeson blesses his followers and there was plenty.. and it was good.
The Angels Doc Neeson gives his blessing at the Mawson 1978
Dweezil Zappa, son of Frank, brought his dad’s music to life again in Newcastle at the great Civic Theatre in April 2009. Dweezil played amazing guitar. I saw Frank Zappa play back in 1972 and 1974, awsome. He had guest Norman Gunston (actor Gary MacDonald) play a harmonica solo. Here Dweezil rips out another guitar solo, this one was from the song Montana. My daughter Ellen took this picture.
Dweezil Zappa plays at Newcastle Civic Theatre 2009
Mark Richards Leggy Point 1977
Redhead's Col Smith Shaping Channel Surfboards 1978
Midnight Oil 1977 Garrett & Mogine mawson Hotel 1977
Landscape above Redhead Beach in 1975
Crow and Bird and Bridgette 1977
Martin Littlewood Windsurfing at Blacksmiths 1977
On Surfari around southern NSW near Bega 1977 getting close to susnset, we went through this water way and then went back and did it again for the camera.
On surfari near Bega 1977
Redhead Beach from the Bluff 1977
Redhead beach 1978
Ray Lunn stalls hard and then later gets a nice tube from behind the Redhead Shark Tower 1977.
Ray Lunn Redhead Beach 1977
Not a bad surf for no one out. Redhead Little Beach 1978.
Redhead Little Beach no one out 1977
Redhead Beach by moonlight 1977. Even looks good in black & white. A 30 second time exposure.
Redhead Beach by moonlight 1977
Newcastle area surf carnival Chariot Race 1978
Toddler Taming Sam & Ellen 1990
Blower & Dad's Band Belmont Yatch Club 1978
Arrawarra 1977
Bee on flowering thistle 1978
The Redhead Shark Tower Rocks have always meant a lot to most Redhead locals, it has the best ring side seat to an awsome view of the bluff and the surf.
My daughter Lia in 1976 playing in the storm blown foam in front of the Redhead Shark Tower. This photo also appears on the ABC Website – You know you grew up in Newcastle when…see http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2010/02/22/2826363.htm
Lia Redhead Shark Tower 1976
Shark Tower Rocks exposed 1975
Redhead Little Beach going off 1985
Eddo's Re-entry behind the Redhead Shark Tower 1977
Pamdemonia 1977
Sandy & Ellen 1985
Ellen at Fingal Bay 1990
Simon Anderson Bells Beach Winner 1977
Byron Bay surf 1980
Belmont South Sunset 1985
Graeme Harkin took some nice water shots of the Redhead surf crew around 1979, here are some of them.
Col Smith, Redhead, close up and having way too much fun, what a grin!
Col Smith close up Redhead 1979
Col Smith again getting tubed at Redhead in 1979
Col Smith tubed Redhead 1979
Mick Carr on a hollow Redhead Little Beach right in 1979
Mick Carr Redhead Little Beach 1979
Paul Smith Redhead Little Beach 1979
Paul Smith Redhead 1979
Philip Woodward Redhead 1979
Phillip Woodward Redhead 1979
Peter Kuba on a Redhead Shark Tower left 1979.
Peter Kuba Redhead Shark Tower 1979
Chas Woodward at Redhead.
Chas Woodward 1979
Kenny Stanton wellcovered up Redhead 1979
Unidentified surfer at Redhead 1979
Col Smith again Redhead 1979.
Col Smith Redhead 1979
Redhead Little Beach in 1983 on a cold winters afternoon. A surfer on a nice wave, framed by the cliff and the shark tower rocks.
Redhead Beach 1983
Redhead Shark Tower, this time covered in foam during the June 2007 storm. Lots of people were out and about as the ship Pascha Bulka had grounded at Nobbys and also the power was out for 3 days so there was nothing to do at home.
Redhead Shark Tower in June 2007 Storm
Redhead Beach Ghost 1983 . I took the photo of Sandy with the cameras flash and left the button down and she walked out of the photo.
Sandy the ghost 1983 Redhead Beach
Redhead Surf Club March Past Team around 1978. A great bunch of blokes who put a lot of time and training into what they do.
Redhead March Past team around 1978
Redhead Swamp before the drought and the digging out of the Third Creek. We used to paddle tin canoes made from roofing sheets and wooden boxes with road tar to seal them, from the second creek up into the swamp when we were kids.
Redhead Swamp 1975
Mick Carr styling on a nice left from behind the Redhead Shark Tower.
Michael Carr surfing at Redhead 1977
Ronnie Rudder drops around to show off another new board, but this one has a history. A shaped blank has been stored in the rafters of Forster Board maker Bobby Brown’s shed for 10 years. This 9′6″ Noserider was shaped by the then 72 year old Floyd Smith from American Gordon & Smith Surfboards fame. Given to Ronnie by Bobby, faithfully cleaned and glassed at Pacific Dreams by Roy and the boys, this old classic beauty eventually has come to life.
Ron & Crow & Floyd Smith Noserider
Martin Littlewood with new Delta Designs 2004
Col Smith Redhead Boardriders Comp 1975
Crow Skateboarding Garden City Carpark 1964
Redhead Little Beach left 1977
Peter Murnaine and Ben Aipa Stinger 1976
Eddo Redhead local comp 1976