Pacific Dreams – Wood and Glass Exhibition 8-9th December 2012

Posted on November 17, 2012 by geoffcrow

Some of Newcastle’s elder surfing statesmen have got together and will be putting on an exhibition of classic surfboards at Pacific Dreams Surf Shop at 9 Darby Street Newcastle on the weekend 8th-9th December 2012. Some of Australia’s vintage shapers will be on hand for a chat or signings, bring in any boards of their brands and get it verified. The list includes Sam Egan, Roy Lee, Bob Brown, Bob Keno, Brian Jackson and Barry Bennet. The collection of boards includes solid Rewoods, hollow ply and foam along with some classic boards from famous surfers.

Poster for the event: Gee some of those photos on the poster look familiar. And the guy with the redwood is legendary Redhead Beach inspector Wally Berwick.

Pacif Dreams Exhibition 8th and 9th December 2012

The guys got together over a few cold ones at the Pacific Dreams board factory and came up with the ideas for the exhibition. From left Roy lee, Ron Rudder,Glen Benton, Steve Butterworth, Peter McCabe and Sam Egan.

Roy Lee and the team

Wood and Glass Surfboard collection Saturday 8/12/2012.

Lots of Newcastle’s surfers met up and checked out some classic surfboards.

Pacific Dreams Wood & Glass Board Collection 8/12/2012

A chance for some old mates Crow, Jim, Al and Roy to catch up at Roy’s Pacific Dreams Surf Shop 8/12/2012.

Crow Jim Al and Roy at Pacific Dreams 08-12-12

Domma and Ted Harvey checking out Domma’s restored classic – a 10 foot Sam Egan owned by Ted around 1966.

Domma & Ted Harvey at PD's Wood & Glass 8/12/2012

Domma & Ted Harvey at PD’s 8/12/2012

25/11/15 Redhead’s Neil Dalby

Redhead 25-11-12 Neil Dalby

25/11/12 Crowd on a sunny day at Redhead beach

Redhead Beach Crowd 25-11-12

June 2011

Posted on November 15, 2012 by geoffcrow

Newcastle surfer 3-6-11

I met young photographer Sam Glohe at Blacksmiths last Sunday when I was going out for a paddle. Sam took some water shots in the solid closing out but sunny conditions and his photos are awsome.

Check his site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/samglohe/

Here is some of his stuff –

Blacksmiths by Sam Glohe

Pulled Back by Sam Glohe

Closed Curtain by Sam Glohe

Stringy by Sam Glohe

_______________________________________________________________________

Redhead local Bodyboarder John early April 2011 morning Redhead Little Beach.

Redhead Beach bodyboarder John 2-4-11

Blacksmiths SUP Surfer Rick 14th May 2011

Blacksmiths SUP rider Rick

Newcastle Beach mid week May 2011

Newcastle Beach May-2011

Overlooking Newcastle May 2011

Newcastle 1-May-2011

Surfer at Redhead Easter 22nd April 2011

Redhead surfer 22-4-11

Surfer Newcastle 3rd June 2011

Newcastle Beach surfer 2-3-6-11

Another Newcastle surfer 3-6-11

NewcastleBeach surfer 3 3-6-11

Windsurfing in the 1970’s

Posted on November 15, 2012 by geoffcrow

Digger windsurfing at Blacksmiths around 1979 – At full throttle and fins out.

Martin Littlewood Windsurfing Blacksmiths around 1979. Martin makes all sorts of surfing equipment under the name Delta Designs at Margaret River WA.

This is what happens if you stay in the water too long. Barnacles growing on driftwood washed up at Redhead Beach around 1980.

Barnacles on driftwood Redhead Beach 1980

Egypt’s Pyramids. Photo by my daughter Ellen 2006.

Crescent Heads 1980 Late afternoon session.

Redhead Third Creek 1985. The third creek was man made, dug out to aliviate flooding at the Jewels Crossing, unfortunately it deviated a lot of water from the Second creek which rarely runs now.

John Dallymore Band at the Mawson around 1980. A great Aussie band.

Redhead Surf Carnival around 1981. Iron man Grant Kenny competed and lots of people grabbed a vantage point to watch.

Newcastle Beach nice left on a beatiful day June 2010.

Sydney Harbour Bridge by night 1985. The photo looked better photoshopped into a water colour.

Sydney Harbour Bridge 1986

Wooden surfboards and other things

Posted on November 15, 2012 by geoffcrow

In 1935 Tom Blake made a hollow surboard and put a fin on and surfing moved quicky ahead with many changes since.

Well, the hollow board has started to come back with technology advances, Weber is making chambered epoxy /styrene composites and Pope is making hollow epoxy boards and now many craftsmen are making chambered wooden boards again.

A good surfboard is regarded as a work of art, in this case a work of art – is a good surfboard.

Redhead regular David Chung met up with some other like minded Aussies and attended a mind blowing week on the NSW South coast making their own wooden boards under the guidance and trained eye and skilled hands of US craftsman Paul Jensen.

Here is a link to Paul Jensen’s blog, giving details of the process of building a wooden board.

http://www.hollowsurfboards.com/2010SapphireCoastAustraliaTripReport

Check out Paul Jensen’s Website: http://www.hollowsurfboards.com/

David’s new board detail:

Manna Fish 5’10” x 21″ x 2.5″ Built by hand October 2010 at Manna Park Merimbula Decks – Blackwood, Western Red Cedar and Paulownia Rails – Cork and Ply, Fins – Marine Ply Inspired by Steve Lis Designed by Paul Jensen Board Construction and Fins by David Chung Rails shaped by Jed Done Glassing by Jye Byrnes 45+ hours to build and a lifetime to enjoy.

David Chung’s wooden Board – Deck

David Chung’s Wooden Manna Fish November 2010

David Chung’s wooden Board – Bottom.

David Chung’s Manna Fish

Here is a collage of the week making the board :

Making Manna Fish Collage

Mark Richards Leggy Point 1978 heading for a place on a wave not many can come back down from.

Mark Richards Leggy 1978

Mark Richards cutback 1977

Dudley/Redhead swamp 1980. The white paperbark trunks reflecting in the water made a striking scene.

Dudley Swamp reflections 1979

The little crab in the top left was keeping very busy making this sand sculpture 1978 Marks Point.

Crab at Work Marks Point

Peter Allen took us all on a trip to Rio when he did this song at the Newcastle Civic Theatre around 1989. What a great singer songwriter and entertainer he was.

Peter Allan Civic Theatre 1989

December 2010

Posted on November 15, 2012 by geoffcrow

Late November 2010 Redhead Little Beach is starting to get some sand out the back again with the constant North Easters we have been getting.

Bells Beach 1977 Women’s top 3 place getters, who all put on a powerful display in very cold and very solid 8 foot surf. These ladies ripped.

Graham Parker & the Rumour at Newcastle Civic Theatre 1978. England’s Graham Parker produced some great R&B music with biting lyrics and had a great band. Here he lifts the obligatory shades and sings “Hey Lord, don’t ask me questions, cause there aint no answer in me”

Redhead Shark Tower left June 2010 unknown surfer.

Redhead Shark Tower left May 2010

Sandy on a windy day at Redhead Beach 1984.

Sandy on a windy day at Redhead Beach 1984

Redhead Surf Club Members after the annual general meeting around 1977.

Redhead SLSC Members 1977

Who you gonna call? Turd Busters! Apply named business – Central Coast plummers truck at Bateau Bay around 1992.

Turd Busters Central Coast around 1992

Redhead Lambton B Colliery shut down and on the way out around 1980. This coal mine was the financial backbone for Redhead during it’s many years in operation.

Redhead Lambton B Colliery closed around 1980

Old photos of Redhead and elswhere

Posted on November 15, 2012 by geoffcrow

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 1978

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

Bring back the chariot races and the pillow fights at Surf Carnivals! Newcastle region surf carnival Chariot Race at Blacksmiths around 1978, these teams look like they were having fun.

Newcastle area surf carnival Chariot Race 1978

We gave them the book, but it didnt seem to help much. My daughter Ellen and son Sam seem to be taking the business of toddler taming a bit too lightly.

Toddler Taming Sam & Ellen 1990

An uncrowded line up at Arrawarra around 1977.

Arrawarra 1977

A bee on a flowering thistle plant close up make a nice combination of colours.

Bee on flowering thistle 1978

Blower & his Dad and band playing some super cool music at Belmont Yatch Club around 1978.

Blower & Dad’s Band

Redhead surfers in the 1970’s

Posted on November 15, 2012 by geoffcrow

Surfing at Redhead in the 1970’s

I started surfing at Redhead in 1963. Redhead was always a great place to surf with good surfers. Somehow I found time to take some photos along the way.

Col Smith was Redhead’s best surfer and in the 70’s and 80’s became respected for his surfing world wide.

Col Smith Channel Boards he took to Hawaii

Col Smith the day before heading to Hawaii with his new channel boards made by Shane, shaped by Jim Pollard. Col went well in Hawaii in 1976 winning the Pro AM and places in all other events including 4th at Pipe.

Col Smith surfing next to the Shark Tower at Redhead about 1976.

Col Smith in his shaping Bay making Channel Boards

Col started making his own harder edged Channels in his Dad’s Shed that he and Martin Littlewood from Delta Designs worked out. This one was my 6 foot 5 inch single fin.

Martin Littlewood was another good Redhead surfer in the 70’s shown here at Redhead Beach. Martin has been making surfboards since then and is now over at Margaret River WA making all kinds of surf boards under the name Delta Designs.

Martin Littlewood Redhead Beach 1976

Peter Kuba was another good surfer from Redhead shown here in a nice tube same day as the photo above.

Peter Kuba surfing at Redhead 1976

Here is Col Smith again in an excellent position, making getting a good photo easy. These lefts next to the Redhead Shark Tower were solid this day in 1976.

Col Smith Redhead Beach 1976

Redhead Boardriders Club was very competetive and finished 2nd to Merewether in the Newcastle area teams comps, having a great surfer like Col Smith helped. This team photo after a club competition was held at Col’s place and all members were having a good time as usual.

Redhead Board Club 1976

June 2011 Storm

Posted on November 15, 2012 by geoffcrow

Another big June storm hit just north of Newcastle and we got the tail end of it’s fury.

Merewether Baths coping a flogging 14th June 2011.

Merewether in storm 14-6-11

Redhead beach on a dark on a stormy night.

Redhead in storm 14-6-11

2 Days before the storm was just building, Redhead Beach the surf is starting to get bumpy.

Redhead Beach 12-6-11

Newcastle Foreshore. A lot of country towns have a big thing like a big banana or a big pineapple, Newcastle just has a big thingy.

Newcastle Ferry Wharf 14-6-11

Redhead 2nd Creek walkway between rain squalls.

Redhead 2nd Creek Walkway 11-6-11

A walk along the Redhead 2nd Creek walkway between rain storms, and I found the fairies had been busy in their Dell.

Another look at this wave… I found 2 hell men deep inside trying to get out through the lip.

Redhead Heavy wave 4-6-11

Newcastle Beach mid week mid day.

Newcastle surfer 3-6-11

Redhead Bluff showing off it colour on sunset.

Redhead Bluff 9-6-11

This gnarled Banksia tree above the bright red soil has been doing it tough for a while.

Redhead Bluff 13-6-11

Going for a paddle around Swansea Channel, you see some nice sights.

Pelicans Swansea Channel 4-6-11

July 8th 2011 Big swell at Merewether and Newcastle

Posted on November 15, 2012 by geoffcrow

More winter swells on the way.

Newcastle at lunchtime 8/7/2011 no one out and some big ones hammering in.

Newcastle Beach Heavy Wave 8-7-11

This one looks a bit more rideable but there were a lot of closeouts.

Newcastle Beach good one 8-7-11

Merewether Point late arvo lining up 8/7/2011

Merewether Point 8-7-11

Merewether Point line up with evening glow 8/7/2011

Merewether Beach evening glow 8-7-11

Redhead Beach Saturday morning early closeout 9/7/11

Redhead closeout 9-7-11

Redhead Beach Saturday morning spray coming off a mean one.

Redhead wind sprayed wave 9-7-11

Black Neds Bay Swansea 30/6/11 – A nice place to go for a paddle, it’s only shallow so best go a high tide and you can see the fish moving around, watch out for the razor clams though.

lack Neds Bay Swansea 30-6-11

Blacksmiths 29/6/11 choppy and raining but still a nice sight.

Blacksmiths Beach rain cloud 29-6-11

Overlooking Newcastle City May 2011 some of it old and some new.

Overlooking Newcastle City May 2011

Wendy Saddington and friends visiting Redhead beach 1969. Wendy sings the blues properly and has one of Australia’s best voices and played at Newcastle Wests Bus Stop Disco the night before. Bus Stop Disco hosted Australia’s best bands like the La De Das and Levi Smiths Clefts and I didn’t hear much disco music there as it wasn’t invented yet – that was a 70’s thing.