The guys who helped should get unlimited waves from now on. Many thanks to Nathan, Steve, Tony and Danny and any others who were there and helped.

From all the Redhead guys, we wish Lenny all the best in his recovery and hope he can put it behind him. Did it rattle us?  Yes … eveyone’s talking about it and going back out in the water very warily.  This is the first shark attack since the 1930′s at Redhead, so the odd’s were big considering how many people have gone into the water in over 80 years. But we know they are out there. Fifty sharks were sighted that day between Blacksmiths and Newcastle from the air.

Steve Butterworth and Col Smith with Jim Pollard Channel Boards  at Redhead 1978. This photo appeared in Sea Notes Magazine in 1978 .

Steve & Col Sea Notes Mag 1978

Surfhouse Surf Shop top of town Newcastle. A great place to browse for surf related gifts and a range of local surf photography to hang on your wall.

Surfhouse Surfshop Newcastle

Redhead Little Beach 27-09-11

Colourful Sunset Redhead 10/1/2012

Redhead Sunset 10-01-12

Newcastle Harbour and Nobbys Headland 12/11/2011

Newcastle Harbour and Nobbys

Herron looking for a feed Belmont South 14/1/2011

Herron Belmont South 14-01-12

Swans in Belmont South Bay 14/1/12

Swans Belmont Bay 14-01-12

Redhead Beach 26-12-11

Redhead beach 26/12/11 close out set.

Redhead close out set 26-12-11

Redhead surfer 26/12/11

Redhead Surfer 26-12-11

Redhead Beach 27/12/11

Redhead Beach 27-12-11

Redhead Shark Tower 29/12/11 – Sun on the water.

I was thinking of the beautiful song by Kirsty MacColl - 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDzYqJs5HMM

Redhead Beach 29-12-11 Sun on the water

Redhead Beach 29/12/11 Lone swimmer.

Redhead Lone Swimmer 29-12-11

Black Neds Bay wildlife 8/12/11 The neighbours have a big mean pets

Black Neds Bay Crocodile 8-12-11

Black Neds Bay Ducks 8/12/11

Black Neds Bay Ducks 8-12-11

All the best wishes for the new year.

Poor Wendy (formerly named Bertha) the Chicken, somehow broke her leg. Dale and Zoe took her to the righteous vet at Raymond Terrace who set her leg in a cast.

Wendy in the cast

Poor Wendy had to be suspended in a basket and with lots of loving care was slowly on the mend.

Poor Wendy on the mend

Because she was so good, the next trip into the Vet for a checkup Wendy got a little special treatment.

Wendy picked out a video - her favourite Chicken Run of course.

Wendy picks Chicken Run

Wendy went in to try on some new shoes.

WBB goes shoe shopping

Wendy even picked a handbag to match.

WBB picks a matching handbag

Wendy paid from her own credit card.

WBB pays for the shopping

Wendy even got to sit on good Santa’s knee and tell him what she wanted for christmas.

Wendy and Santa

Wendy eventally got back out in the paddock with all her friends especially Scooby the horse, but now Wendy has a very unique Chicken Strut .

WBB back in the paddock

10/12/11 The surf was solid and choppy but this Redhead Body boarder finds a gem amongst the trying conditions.

Redhead bodyboarder 10-12-11

Rique Smith at Redhead with a selection of his dad Col Smith’s channel boards. Photo with thanks from David and Brendan.

Rique Smith with Col Smith channel boards

Redhead sea mist 20-11-11

Saturday 26/11/11 The wind started as onshore then swung offshore and cleaned up the surf. Redhead lineup.

Redhead surf 26-11-11

Redhead surfer dogging thru behind the tower.

Redhead surfer 1 26-11-11

Redhead Surfer inside a nice left

Redhead surfer 26-11-11

Redhead body boarder on a nice clean one.

Redhead Bodyboarder 26-11-11

Redhead surfer on one starting to wall up.

Redhead surfer 3 26-11-11

Monday 5/12/11

A week of rain pushed lots of fresh water out to sea, then a raging southerly whipped it up to make some serious froth. Redhead shark tower.

Redhead foam 1 5-12-11

The foam was pushed into the Redhead Bluff painting it white.

Redhead foam 2 5-12-11

A close up of the thick goo whipped up by wind on fresh water, maybe with some additives the compliments of 20th century living.

Redhead foam 3 5-12-11

Blacksmiths same day the other end of the beach, clean as.

Blacksmiths 5-12-11

Blacksmiths, minutes later than the sunny shot above, a rain cloud parts and sun shines through onto the water.

Blacksmiths sun through clouds 5-12-11

The shop is full of new boards, some second hand ones and a lot of surf gear.

Pacific Dreams 1

One of the features in the shop is a huge skylight highlighting 4  large surf photos. This one I took around 1975 of Roy lee and Martin Littlewood working together in a lantana covered chook shed at Redhead.

Pacific Dreams 2

PD owners Roy and Jan join the boys Ronnie and Bidsar in celebrating some hard work getting it all together.

Pacific Dreams 3

Roy enjoys a beer with Ronnie Rudder and board maker Peter McCabe.

Check out Grubby’s boards on web site www.petermccabesurfboards.com.au

Pacific Dreams 4

The girls in front of the huge amount of surf gear on offer.

Pacific Dreams 5

The PD boys enjoying a few beers.

Pacific Dreams 6

Chris and Megan Totterman with Roy in front of the wall of photos Chris worked hard in creating.

Pacific Dreams 7

Shane and Ronnie maybe trying to tell me there is something up on the roof.

Pacific Dreams 8

A rare trip in front of the camera Roy and Crow. We went to school together and started surfing together around 1964.

Pacific Dreams 9

Roy has a couple of beers literally, just remember Roy you got to get up early and get this shop up and running.

Pacific Dreams 10

Redhead Beach Clouds 30-10-11

Early Sunday Morning 30/10/11 Redhead surf check showed an overcast day coming, but within seconds the sun seared a hole in the clouds and it came out sunny.

Redhead Beach sunrise 12-11-11

Redhead Surf 6/11/2011

Redhead surf 6-11-11

Redhead boardriders comp 5/11/2011

Redhead Boardriders comp 5-11-11

Nobbys Beach 12/11/2011 a fully loaded ship exits the harbour while kite surfers have a ball in the stiff North Easter and clear water.

Nobbys Ship & Kiteboards 12-11-11

Newcastle Harbour 12/11/11. 3 tugs make their way back home after pushing another loaded ship out to sea.

Newcastle Tugs 12-11-11

Nobbys Beach 12/11/11. A very idyllic Beach Volleyball competition venue.

Nobbys Beach Volleyball 12-11-11

Sandy’s Chooks. 3 Broody chooks, on strike having a sit in November 2011.

3 broody chooks 30-10-11

An unlucky swimmer gets washed into some rough water at the Bogey Hole.

surf rescue1

Lucky he keeps a cool head and Newcastle Lifesaver Mick Body comes up on the Quad and makes his way down to the rock ledge. Mick signals to the guy to go further out.

surf rescue2

Mick dives in with the torpedo tube just in time to cop a set coming.

surf rescue3

Mick makes his way out through some heavy going.

surf rescue4

Mick gets close when the heaviest wave comes.

Surf Rescue5

No more images available. Mick got to the swimmer, the Jet Ski launched out from Nobby’s arrived soon after and takes them back to Newcastle Beach. A well coordinated rescue which showed some strength and courage and lucky the guy was a strong swimmer and kept his cool.

Redhead bluff 25-10-11

Redhead surfer Mark Hancock 24/10/11

Redhead Mark Hancock 24-10-11

Redhead Boardriders Club Contest 8/10/11

Redhead Boardriders Club Comp 08-10-11

Galahs in the dunes Redhead 16/10/11 Real ones for a change.

Redhead Galahs 16-10-11

Redhead 24/10/11 Early next morning the Beach Cleaner smoothes away the traces of a busy Sunday.

Redhead Beach cleaner 24-10-11

Redhead Bluff 25/10/11 Early morning.

Redhead Bluff 25-10-11

Redhead Bodyboarder on the wave of the day 8/10/11

Redhead body boarder 08-10-11

Redhead surfer 24/10/11

Redhead surfer 24-10-11

Redhead 26/10/11 The usually clean surf was “muddied” up by quick upwelling southerly swell, the water was brown and grody to the max.

Redhead dirty surf 26-10-11 

Redhead dirty surf 26-10-11

Redhead dirty surf 2 26-10-11

Dudley Beach 25-6-11

Newcastle Big winter swell 13/7/11

Newcastle Beach Big and cold 13-7-11

Newcastle Harbour Tug 14/6/11

Newcastle Harbour Tug 14-6-11

Blacksmiths Surfer 4/6/11

Blacksmiths Surfer 4-6-11

Redhead surfer 4/6/11

Redhead Surfer 4-6-11

Redhead  Surfer 2 4/6/11

Redhead Surfer 2 4-6-11

Newcastle Beach Big surf close up 14/7/11

Newcastle Beach big surf close up 14-7-11

Redhead Bluff up close 10/6/11

Redhead Bluff 10-6-11

Redhead Beach early morning right hander 14/10/11

Redhead Beach early morning right hander 14-10-11

Saturday morning 22/10/11 around 7:30 am.

The surf was very ordinary at 2 foot with a light onshore starting up, but it was the best place to be to watch the local dolphins throw a party. Dozens of dolphins gathered just outside the break in what appeared to be an introduction of the new young  calves to the extended dolphin clan. The young ones were accompanied by adults as they cruised around and around, meanwhile the young adults cavorted further out getting some serious air. They threw some awsome stale fish moves but without grabbing a rail. They stayed for almost an hour in the same area while the few surfers out watched in awe a few metres away.

2/10/11 Another Sunday surf check you don’t get out of the car for.

Redhead Beach bad weather 2-10-11

Saturday early Redhead surfer 1/10/11

Redhead surfer 1-10-11

Redhead Surf 1/10/11 A left from behind the shark tower.

Redhead surf 2 1-10-11

Redhead Surf 1/10/11 A right down the beach a bit.

Redhead surf 1-10-11

The swell jumped up quick and this one had the guys scrambling for cover.

Redhead surf 3 1-10-11

Jimmy Lewis HP98

Jimmy Lewis HP98

Behind the scences at the beach girl contest Rehead 1985

Redhead Beach Beauty contest 1985

Arial view from out of a Cessna Redhead Beach around 1978

Arial view Redhead Beach 1988

A 2 headed choock? No just a fluke photo – 2 of Sandy’s chooks 1/10/11

2 headed chook 1-10-11