August 2010 NEWSLETTER

Contents

Secretary’s Report [Top]

Hiya Gang,

What’s new? Well, Kerry has gone to Europe and so have Phil and Janelle Calnan and then they’ll be followed by Jan and Bill Webster. Italian wine will be getting a workout we suspect. Maybe we should have done a club charter?

The Anniversary dinner is on target with the girls doing most of the work. Thanks girls. It’s continuing to look good. T shirts are being produced so start thinking about how many and what sizes you want. The current talk is to only take paid-in-advance orders with no intention of ordering extra stock for those who miss out. Something to think about. Orders will need to be placed by the October comp weekend at this stage.

We are getting some extra needed goodies for our club tent, including a bag that is not ripped up. How good is that? Thanks to Marg. You can test it out on September 5.

Our generous sponsors, the Cherry Street Bowling Club, are changing their caterers on Monday 13 September. This means that if you want to pig out again on the Tuesday members’ Chinese buffet, desert and midi for $9.90 you’d better get in there quick while the offer lasts. No info yet on what will take its place. It sure is a good deal though, especially if you like their garlic prawns as much as me.

Speaking of both food and sponsorship, the Ballina Malibu Club is pleased to announce that it has a new sponsor. Trent Corrigan of Malibu Burgers has offered us burger vouchers for our monthly comps. Categories are yet to be worked out but he’s got a tasty act going on the corner of River and Cherry Streets. Check it out.

Trent is going to come down to Flat Rock to say ‘hi’ the next time he gets a chance on comp day. He has been hobbling a bit of late due to a recent broken leg so whenever he drops by take the chance to introduce yourselves and say thanks. It’s always nice to have a sponsor come to you, as Trent has, instead of going chasing. Ballina’s Malibu Burgers on River Street. That should give a few of you extra incentive to win a heat! And thanks, Trent.

Kerry has also done some research for our 20th and came up with some essential reading from yesteryear. See her history come alive later on in the newsletter.

Another thing that I’ve thrown in this month is a book review. I’m not a bad couch potato so don’t let it get out too far that I’ve been reading. It’s all about surfing though so I guess my reputation isn’t at too much risk. You’ll find it at the end of this.

By the way, anyone else who might want to contribute a review of their own on anything please accept my invitation to do so.

So, if I don’t hear from you first you’ll hear from me instead sooner or later. Either way, see you at the Father’s Day Comp on 5th September. What’s next? Spring, that’s what. Till then.

Secretary Alan

Presidents Report [Top]

Does it get any better? A picture perfect day on Sunday for the comp and nice little waves. Lots of styling on the day particularly from the ladies. Great to see Kerry out there with the No. 1's.

We all wish Kerry Bon Voyage for her upcoming European holiday. Another member Brian Fryer is off to Sydney for the City to Surf race. Good luck Brian.

Plans for the 20th Anniversary re-union are progressing well. Our social committee of Kerry, Jan and Mel have it all under control and heading towards what should be a great night for our club.

A word of warning to all members - BEWARE - Bruce Wilson was spotted out on his old Mal during the week. If you value your life give it a wide berth. Bruce is guaranteed to clear any surf break.

Good luck to all our members competing in the Lennox Longboard Classic. Hope the surf gods are good to you.

President Wazza

Captain’s Report [Top]

Greetings all,

Another glorious day in paradise for our August club round only downsize to the day was the swell or may I say the lack of it. The surf was very fickle with some long lengthy delays between the waves thus the reason why we extended the time limit during the heats.

Good to see Wazza take out 1st spot in the first division along with Grant Edwards in his usual good form winning the second division & Paul Abbott improving on each club round with his Fireball board taking out 1st spot in the thirds. During the final for the Fourths it got down to whoever caught more than one wave in the heat was going to take out 1st position, good on ya Pete you deserve a win.

A bit of feedback from a few members was how about we move the tent further along the beach near a good peak so the judges can have a better view of the surfers if they want to surf that peak. This can be discussed at our next round.

One thing I would like to mention in the role that I have in trying to keep tabs on the scoring sheets is that if you would like to check the judging sheets to see how you were scored during your heat can you please leave it until they have been sorted & tallied up thanks as mistakes can very easily happen with paper work going everywhere.

The Lennox longboard classic was held recently & I would like to give special mention to both Paul Abbott & Steve Watts in making it through to the finals. Paul placed 6th in the over 40’s with Steve placing 6th in the over 50’s well done guy’s as the conditions were extremely difficult at times & if it was our club event it would have postponed it on the day. One comment I received after surfing in the open 9ft semi final was what is that old bloke doing out in the water with the young ones, boy did I have a reality check after that just ask Col Woodbry. Overall it was a well run event & enjoyed by all who participated or just come down to watch the talented surfing that was put on by the competitors.

Not much more I can add this month other than see you all at the next club round which will be held on Sunday 5Th September 2010.

Captain Bruce

Results for August 2010
Firsts: 1. Warren Wyatt, 2. Eric Walker, 3. Alan Rich, 4. Steve Watts, 5. Kerry Wilcox
Seconds: 1. Grant Edwards, 2. Mel Mott, 3. Dave Zeman, 4. Mick Wilson, 5.Col Harper
Thirds: 1. Paul Abbott, 2. Adi Lengyl, 3. Jan Webster, 4. Brian Fryer, 5. Paul Bioletti
Fourths : 1. Peter Wilcox, 2. Ken Garrington, 3. Bruce Wilson, 4.Col Woodbry

See all the pics in the gallery...

13th Annual Lennox Longboard Classic [Top]

One hundred longboarders competed over nine age and gender divisions, over two winter days on 7-8 August. There were predominately offshore to south-easterly winds, but with a challenging and variable swell size from 3’ to 7’ on low tide dominated days. There were some great waves off the banks on the higher tide.

Saturday was the bigger of the two days with a punishing sandbank at low tide to contest around mid am. If you don’t believe it, ask Wazza. Heats were completed and two lots of semi’s done in the arvo; over 40s & 50s.

One of the sideshows at the Classic was the Global Surf Industries travelling surfboard and demonstration board display. They had about 15 of their boards on show that you could check out and take for a ride; just like the library only better! Amongst their quiver was the highly experimental design of the new Meyerhoffer surfboard. My review of it follows this report.

There was stand-out surfing in the final event, the Open 9 ft Final on Sunday, with Ben Dickens from Byron the eventual winner in a quality finish.

The real highlights, however, are those our BMC crew produced courtesy of Peter, Paul and Steve. And Honourable Mention must go to Bruce Wilson for making the semi-finals of the 9’ Open division. (There is no truth to the rumour that he is now planning to rest on his big fat laurel and retire from competitive surfing.) Watch out, gang!

See all the pics...

LENNOX LONGBOARD CLASSIC RESULTS

TripleX Wetsuits &Dirty Dog Sunglasses/ Over 40s Final
1. Rick Chalmers (Gold Coast). 2. Glen Cunningham (Bundaburg QLD). 3.Mick Furchtman (Evans Head). 4. Darin Nobbs (Lennox). 5. Greg Gover (Lennox). 6. Paul Abbott (Ballina).

Sun Zapper Sunscreen & Headland Beach Resort Lennox/ Over 50’s Final
1. Mark Baptist (Woolgoolga).2. Mike Pimm (Cabarita). 3. Greg Moir (Burleigh QLD). 4. Dennis Carberry (Burleigh QLD). 5. Forfar Petrie (Lennox). 6. Steve Watts (Ballina).

Old Guy’s Rule & ALB Magazine/ Over 6O’s Final
1. Peter Cox (SA). 2. Ben Hutchings (Cabarita). 3. Dennis Lowe (Burleigh QLD). 4. Peter Farrell (Ballina).

Composite report by Alan with a little help from Pacific Longboarder

The Meyerhoffer Surfboard Test [Top]

I went down to the beach mid-Saturday morning at the Lennox Classic with the intention of joining the queue to try the new Meyerhoffer out. To my pleasant surprise nobody was using it. Not even Wazza. Given the conditions I thought a few more might have had a go. There were some okay looking lined up ones though not really that many waves with makeable shape, plus you had to chase them down. I couldn’t help but think how glad I was not to have entered the comp. It was really difficult to get good waves and if you only had twenty minutes to surf there weren’t very many long rides to be had at all. Waz left shortly after I got there for good reason.

Nonetheless, I wasn’t subject to any contest time limitations so I picked up a 9’1” new competition Meyerhoffer from the tent to give it a try. I don’t know how the old shape differed but they looked the same from a distance. It was set up with middle-of-the-road standard size fins as I paddled out. There was nothing different apparent about the way it paddled.

Then I caught a wave. The first thing that I noticed was that when you go to stand up you need to push off from the narrowest part of the board. Your hands feel like they’re really close together, which of course they are, and it’s quite a weird feeling. Once up it felt pretty good. It had good speed so that was no problem.

Doing turns along the wave was also a bit unfamiliar. I decided that if the waves were better there would be a good chance of getting used to it more quickly. Seeing as how they weren’t I decided that I would need more time to get used to how it turned. It turned alright though, it was just ‘different’ and I wasn’t used to it.

A couple of times I started to stress about making a coming section as the waves were pretty lined up much of the time. The Meyerhoffer accelerated well and responsively in these situations and I was pleasantly surprised, making it around sections and drawing lines more easily than I would have expected.

I had wanted to see how it went on the nose but I didn’t really ever quite get there. Again, it was unfamiliarity with the board I think. When I tried to stall it a bit I felt like the tapered tail wasn’t pushing enough water and slowing down enough to scoot to the nose. So I would kind of stall and feel a bit too loose and that the board wouldn’t support a nose ride right then. That left me sort of wobbling along the wave doing small turns. Maybe from the beach it looked like I was in control but really I was trying to stall and it wasn’t working! I was in control but I was not doing the lines that I had in mind. Familiarity, or?

I gave it a fully flat out bottom turn on one wave, really trying to push myself to the limits. On this one occasion it didn’t pass the test. While turning pretty hard from about mid-board I felt it slow-down momentarily about half-way though my turn. I reckon it was the hippy shape of it ploughing into the face on the inside rail, scooping water as it went then releasing a bit and regaining speed. I was wondering about this ever since I first heard of them.

Again, I thought that maybe getting used to this shape would provide ways around this… or maybe my surfing style wasn’t well suited to this shape. I don’t know. I had a few people tell me that it looked like I had some good waves out there on it and that the board was going well. I didn’t feel like I was surfing at the next level or anything so I’m not too sure about it all. Still, I was having fun on it.

I also had a go on a GSI 9’6” McTavish Fireball Evolution as I’m looking to get something in that length. It went really well on the nose, even though it wasn’t nearly as responsive to turns as my own 9’1” Bonga Perkins model. I wish the waves had been a little bit better for testing purposes.

In conclusion, the Meyerhoffer had some good speed, was loose and was a bit tricky on the first attempt. It also might not be too well suited to tight, snappy turning or mid-board rail burying. Since this was a go-out in not-too-good conditions I wouldn’t place too much importance on what my experience was. I am not ready to buy one but I wouldn’t mind trying it again at Flat Rock or someplace where I have a chance to play around with its potential a bit more.

I was really stoked that Global Surf Industries set up their tent and loaned out their boards free for anyone to try. It was a great opportunity to have a go and I was stoked to have taken advantage of it. If they set it up again next year at the Lennox Classic I encourage everyone to come along. Grab something different, jump in the water and try it out. Thanks again GSI.

Social Report [Top]

Nearly a week after our committee meeting finished our one-and-only Kerry Wilcox emailed me with her apologies. It can be our August Social Report:

----- Original Message -----
From: Kerry Wilcox
To: secretary.@ballinamalibuclub.org
Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2010 3:35 AM
Subject: RE: Committee meeting tomorrow night at 7pm

<hello, dont forget I will be an apology!

Today I am in Sintra- Portugal, sitting at the foot of the castles and sipping cherry port - see you in a few weeks.
Kerry

Great report, Kerry. Especially for you! But there is more; we had another really top night out at Mel Mott’s Mi Thai for our August social. See the picture gallery for all the details in photos.

See all the pics in the gallery...

Kerry has also done some research into the club’s social history for our 20th and come up with some classic stuff. There’s a newsletter from this month, 19 years ago. Whoever Col McKenzie was, boy he got heaps! Little wonder he’s not in the club anymore! Check some of this archival stuff out from 1990s newsletters, it’s good fun (and it’s clear Col was a good sport):

August 1991 newsletter

Hand Written Newsletter Page #1

Handwritten Newsletter Page #2

The Social Calendar for calling September an ‘optional’ month. If anyone has a good idea bring it up at the next comp.

Otherwise, I think the club ought to go to the Ballina RSL ‘Big Gig’ free comedy night on September 30th. Any takers? The price is right. We can discuss ideas at the comp. If you want, check out the link to the Ballina RSL Big Gig Page for more info: http://www.ballinarsl.com.au/entertainment/the_big_gig.php

Pic of the Month [Top]

Our Mi Thai social outing in Lennox was thoroughly enjoyed. Great meals, plenty of wine and drink. In fact, probably no one enjoyed it more than Pete Farrell. Disturbingly. My Thai? Or Your Thai? Sue, if you’re reading this… well, perhaps you shouldn’t. But, it’s too late now! Our Pic of the Month is of Peter Farrell:

Wood was on Pete's menu for the My Thai night....

Book Report: Stoked! by Bob McTavish [Top]

Stoked! Bob McTavish. 2009, Hyams Pub., Huskisson NSW, 431 pp, ill. Biography.

Reviewed by Alan Rich

I saw Bob at the May Byron Malibu Classic and had a bit of a chat at the Bowlos there with him about surf and the books and movies and life and all, as you do with Bob. When he eventually asked me to read his book I told him I would.

Recently I found myself wandering through Ballina library also having a chat with my favourite librarian. Remembering my promise, I suggested to her that she get the library to purchase a copy of Bob’s new book. You know, help the lad out. Not surprisingly, again she was one step ahead of me and told me she already had it. Before I knew it I too had it in my hot little hands.

Now I really am a lazy reader when it comes to lots and lots of pages, and at 400 some, this originally was a bit scary. But I was curious and said I’d read it, so I got around to making a start. I didn’t expect to make it past more than 50-75 pages but as I got more and more comfortable, like a bad guest, I just couldn’t bring myself to leave.

In the early stages especially, speaking of bad guests, McTavish details heaps of welcomes he personally manages to wear out. But Bob, like the irrepressible larrikin he is, makes reading Stoked! great fun.

It’s a perfect title. Not only does it fit Bob so well, the stoke comes across in page after page. I found the early days of his story particularly riveting. How could anyone not be jealous of someone who has to search for mates to surf with and to find perfect spots with them time and again in ancient Southern Queensland? It chronicles a time that lasted for a decade more or less in which the great exploratory finds of dream surf in places like the Indonesian archipelago nowadays were literally taking place in Bob’s own SE Queensland backyard. It seems so long ago now. It was. But boy, are they times ever worth remembering.

Of particular interest to me were the stories of the sixties Australian surfers. Names that as a Californian I’d heard of, even known to my amusement, were continually popping up in contexts I hadn’t previously been aware of. Bob certainly comes across as a bloke who never let anything get in the way of dropping everything to go surfing. Ever.

Often the book reminded me of an Australian version of the Big Wednesday movie (whose script was also written by one of his partners in crime of the time, Denny Aaberg). The books focuses around the characters that work in the various surfboard factories and the creative ways they made their own boards, fun, parties, surf trips or just made ends meet. Or didn’t, as the case often was. Heaps of stories will have a familiar, often hilarious, ring to them even if it wasn’t exactly the same crew you knew. Then again, maybe it was?

Bob’s first great fling at fame and notoriety receives extended attention, being told for the first time publicly in such detail; that of his little stowaway effort to Hawaii in 1963. If you know some of the characters it’s even better.

For instance, the illegal ship disembarkation in Honolulu was probably one of the trickiest feats of all. Bob tells of being wary as he thinks he is risking everything aboard ship in Honolulu by reluctantly taking into his confidence a good looking girl he has met who is continuing on to California. Will she help him get off the ship? My sides were splitting at the very suggestion. This was not just any girl it turns out, but a former girlfriend of one of Bob’s great Californian surfing idols of the time.

This was a former girlfriend of Mickey Dora, only the surfing world’s most legendary scammer of the 20th century. If anyone would have been right at home in helping McTavish out with a scam, she had to have been the one to ask. I doubt Bob realised it at the time but I’m sure he does now. It took me the rest of the chapter to stop laughing. They made it off safely, as you’d know. Classic Aussie.

If anyone stands out amongst this crew of standouts, it has to be George Greenough. My awe of George’s genius just increases on reading Bob’s stories in Stoked!. Bob himself is not shy either about his own contributions, but he has had one colourful life and deserves to claim his mark in my opinion.

By the end of the book – about 1970 – you have to be a convert, although you probably were one from the outset. He captures the essence of what surfing was for him as a grommet, young or old. His was a gifted and privileged place to start with and he conveys the feeling of a stoke and a love of waves that has never let up.

If Stoked! was required reading in high school I fear everyone who finished it would immediately drop out. A great read of great surf stories, and probably true! Get Stoked!, you’ll be glad you did. I certainly was.

PARTY HARDY [Top]

Members with recent or upcoming birthdays for August include Mel Mott, Adi Lengyl and Rob House. As another milestone ticks away for you I hope your day includes a tube or two, or at least a trip to the nose! All the best, stay wet!!

The Ballina Malibu Club monthly newsletter production and editing is by Alan Rich. The web site production and management is courtesy of Chris Bull. No unauthorised reproduction please.