8th Annual Wooden Surfboard Day
If you love your surfing and have ever thought of building your own board, then The Wooden Surfboard Day may give you some inspiration for a winter project. Come along to Currumbin Alley on Sunday 7th of August for the 8th annual event. It starts at 9am in the park.
The arrangement will be a "show and shine" of wooden surfboards and the like-minded people who build them. Feel free to wander and take in the variety of boards and crafts on display. Then at 11am there'll be an open forum discussion with Tom Wegener and Stuart Bywater who'll be only too happy to answer all those questions that come to mind.
If you make wooden boards yourself, please feel free to bring them along and share your experiences, go for a surf, bring a picnic lunch and spend the day with others who enjoy the ride - and the pride -that goes with wooden surfboards.
It is a non-competitive, non-commercial gathering of like-minded people who enjoy building and riding wooden boards.
If you have any questions contact: [email protected] or ww.woodensurfboards.blogspot.com
Wooden Surfboard Builders - We're a Splinter Group
Comments
Happenstance being Currumbin is birthplace of Gold Coasts 1st surf boards. Turn of 20th century huge high sand dunes almost smothered Currumbin Rock whilst main beachfront was large tidal seawater lagoon. Jim Farrell hitched horses to scoops to forge today's road lined even beachfront shape. I best figured 'about 1910' Jim and his surf grom buddies rewarded themselves by splitting logs crafting crude surf planks..call them what you like the gremmies then christened local breaks by riding the waves thus being classed as first surfboard riders on Gold Coast.Jim soon after founded Currumbin slsc then life member for backing Tugun slsc also, not finished he pioneered first buses of surfers to southern points, later cut/delivered timber for building Cooly's first beach wall.He also mined Currumbin beachfront for rutile and zircon. Keep an eye out in Currumbin for the 'Farrell Lookout' of course named in family's honour. Have a wonderful day skegz ! re: ( I credit most, near all of this fabulous tale to Peter Winter)..from one of many, in his wonderful 'Look back' series...available @ nearby Palm Beach Library. Many thanks 'Swellnet' for allowing me to share Mr Winters work with our local Surfing fraternity for Wooden Surfboard Day. P.S. I'll save for another day... my ancient story on Gold Coast's first wooden 'surfcraft' riders,that being yet another 100 years back further in time again. Hooroo!
Wooden Surfboard Day(Shocking sequel) It must be said that outrageous riding of timber planks occurred prior. Springboarderz or(hoverborderz) steeped massive tree buttresses similar to waveface. Heights and power = epic waimea. Joking around laying inside sweetspot, taking selfie at precarious moment akin to tuberiding the pipe,stoopin' like Lopez...one slip of lip no coming back either way. Fellers paired into goofy/natural stance riding teams tucking into cutbacks,all while waiting for kickback to send'em flying high back onto decks all while 40+1000 ft clear below .Matching skills of loads of lower lifeform wet champion cousins,Gold Coast hinterland timbermen renowned as champs thru ages.These worn smooth oiled springboards as with coach-seats retired in early 1900's with no further use 100's would've run down creeks,spat onto shoreline,anyone for a body board or too. Tradie/surfers of the day were crossing rivers,laying lines, building bridges on wobbly 50ft long planks with 15ft belly drop toward middle kissing the tides.Still a few senior 'never surfer' tradies today are skilled at lifting nose, flicking planks with toe/heelin 180% roundhouse,runnin' split deck of warped 8ft planks whilst 20 ft up as good as if kid skateboarders on 2ft decks. Note also that first local'proper surfboard' riders in 1920's were as popular as jetskis in local baths, labelled as hopeless surfers needing a ride from mummy's ironing board,went about notoriously ploughing, maiming or pounding 'real surfers' then run leaving board behind. To gain further privilege,these renowned non surfing planked villains were rewarded the whole open beaches angering renowned expert waveriders now herded into a bodybash longing for freedom.Hence the angry letters to ed. In closing be fair to say not until 1950's did Gold Coast standing surfboard riding reach dizzy heights and comparable deck skills of 1880's Green behind the Gold family tree cousins. If you sat thru parts 1 and 2.. you deserve a prize.That amazing ancient story'above' that started all oz timber surfing madness.... visit site of fellow historic local story teller-( Peter Ludlow Moreton Bay History)(you'll find it!..that's it)- now top left 2nd along- (CLICK) About my blogs. Warning! same commentator/story teller as here(sorry).. article on convicts surfing. Massaging some of this here then a bit of that there into your hair brain should chalm you with more local rustic surf cred than Huey himself.(So sorry just joking)Shit.. Now I got- wave of the day penalty! Hooroo! Enjoy big Sunday! thanks again 'Swellnet.. dead set legends.. Now for a last wave in! (So sorry again Huey).. but a 2 hr no set penalty is a tad steep..."Just try me for a third"..trueblue whatever it is your playing at !