THE Cronulla Surfing Walk of Fame was officially unveiled at Peryman Square, North Cronulla on Sunday, March 8.
The unveiling was the culmination of Surf Retrospect, three months of celebrations held in Cronulla this year to mark 100 years of surfing in the Sutherland Shire.
Surf Retrospect marked the centenary of the visit of Hawaiian Olympic swimming champion and legendary boardrider Duke Kahanamoko's and his first surf at Cronulla in the summer of 1914-15.
Riding a board of solid wood weighing up to 50kg, he took to the waves on February 7, 1915.
Until that time, very few had attempted to ride the waves at Cronulla on a board.
The Cronulla Surfing Walk of Fame will be a permanent feature of Cronulla with a series of bronze plaques embedded into the famous Cronulla Esplanade honouring local surfing champions.
Present were Walk of Fame inductees and family representatives of Bobby Brown, Jim Banks, Gary Green, Richard "Dog" Marsh, Mark "Occy" Occhilupo, Andrew Lester, Kirk Flintoff and Gavin Colman.
The Walk of Fame will grow over the coming years to recognise those who achieve world class and elite levels in surfing sports.
"The walk of fame will be a wonderful way to encourage the next generation of surfers to aspire to one day see their name recorded forever along this stretch of magnificent coastline," Sutherland Shire mayor Kent Johns said.
The Surf Retrospect celebration was organised by a committee of the local surfing community local businesses and other interested community members.
Surf Retrospect events included the Australian Boardriders Battle in January at Cronulla where the top 20 boardrider clubs in the country battled to be crowned number one.
Other events included the Centenary Surf Titles, charity dinners, a photographic exhibition, retro surfboard display, and the presentation of a replica Duke surfboard.
The 100 Years of Surfing Formal Dinner at Rydges Cronulla was held on February 7.
The event was attended by key members of the local surfing community and businesses.
Special guest was the 1976 surfing world champion Peter Townend.
Have you checked out the walk of fame?
