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It was back to the future as Surfing Sutherland Shire boardriders held their second annual Retro Surf contest at the North Cronulla Alley in support of mental health support on Saturday.

This year’s event raised almost $5000 for mental health training initiatives for the local surfing community-in 2023 20 surfers were put through this training because of the Retro Contest funds raised.

Hosted by the Cronulla Boardriders club, the event organised and started by Dan Larter with help from friends, family and his club saw 72 surfers battle it out on surfboards shaped before 1985.

There were plenty of old surfboards on offer to ride with favourites being closely followed and hidden as each heat progressed.

The three finned Thruster surfboard that is ridden today came into being in 1981, before that the twin fin held dominance after Mark Richards three world titles which preceded the single fin shortboard era that had evolved after the longboard era.

At the end of 23 long heats it was a battle between three goofy footers with the 2023 inaugural champion Jay Brown going back to back to lift the silver fin trophy over young gun Soren Smith and Matt Gall – Cronulla Sharks Boardriders champion Hayden Blair, team mate Rhys Young and Kurnell’s Ben Morgan also made the final. Smith looked a favourite from heat one but Brown shrugged of a recent injury to keep the diminutive Smith riding one of his father’s surfboards chasing him for the whole final.

Organiser Dan Larter thanked surfers, sponsors and everyone who helped support the event.

“The waves weren’t great, but the vibe was and the local surfing community turned up in force and really got behind the contest making it a fantastic day for all”

He thanked the hand on sponsors who all also put on a competition rash shirt RB99, Hairyman Brewery, Hydro Logic Solutions, Mountain Assets and Cronulla Surf Design for their help in making the event viable.

“Who knows next year we might even have a fin-less division, and get right back to surfing’s roots” he said

Words/Images: John Veage

Words/Images: John Veage

Surfing Sutherland Shire officially unveiled the Cronulla Surfing Walk of Fame in 2015 at North Cronulla Beach to recognise local surfers who made the Professional World Surfing Tour, we have now have formally announced a ‘Surfing Hall of Fame‘.

The Hall of Fame presents the most significant figures and greatest champions of the surfing lifestyle in Sutherland Shire Surfing’s past, they do not have to be surfing champions , though one of the inaugural inductee’s is.

There will be several inaugural inductees including the late Brian Jackson and Jack Eden but the most controversial will be a surfer with a name made up of two initials- PT.

The Hall of Fame will grow over the coming years to further recognise those who have made an outstanding contribution to our surfing community. Surfing Sutherland Shire will consider nominations annually.

Although 1976 World Surfing champion Peter Townend is a Queenslander, and one of the original ‘Cooly Kids’ a group of super competitive surfing talent that emerged at the birth of the shortboard, he also called Cronulla home in the 1970’s.

PT, moved to Cronulla in 1971 after negotiating to make surfboards at Caringbah’s Gordon and Smith Surfboards-and he lived at Mick and Sue Anasta’s house in Franklin road, surfing at Sandshoes with his mates and honing his big wave skills at Cronulla Point and at age 22, he was competing in 20-foot surf at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Hawaii, on the way to a World Title.

1971-1976 were his ‘Cronulla years’ and Townend who won the Inuagural ASP World title never forgot his time in the Sutherland Shire visiting old friends every time he returns.

Townend retired soon after his World Title and has lived in the USA at Huntington Beach ever since, and is now the Chairman at the Huntington Beach International Surf Museum and the Surfing Walk of Fame.

PT along with Ian Cairns formed the “Bronzed Aussies” he was executive director and coach for the USA surf team and for 10 years he led the advertising department at Surfing magazine before running marketing at Rusty-Townend also famously was the surfing double for actor William Katt in ‘Big Wednesday’.

PT was guest of honour at the Surfing Sutherland Shire 100 years of Surfing celebration dinner, and spoke about his years living at Cronulla and making history when he became the first professional world surfing champion .

Townend who is also a Hall of Fame member of Surfing Australia said he was honoured to be remembered in Cronulla and the original World Tour was concocted here.
“The entire structure for the birth of the IPS the professional birth of modern competition surfing was written down on G&S letterhead ” he said

“While I was working at Caringbah and living at Cronulla I became a professional surfer, up to then it didnt really exist as a career.

“Ive always talked about my Cronulla years, it was a perfect place to base myself and I always try and come back to visit my old mates.”

Townend who was in Cronulla celebrating his 70th birthday recently was welcomed to the Surfing Sutherland Shire Hall of Fame by Mayor Carmelo Pesce who said surfing is one of the Shires greatest assets.

The Hall of Fame will be located in the Cronulla Surfing Gallery in the walkway to Cronulla Central Library .