Surf Retrospect is a Surfing Sutherland Shire initiative to embrace the unique place surfing has on our local heritage and culture.
In 2015 a month of historical and beach centric activities were celebrated to mark the 100 years since Duke Kahanamoku surfed a solid wooden board at Nth Cronulla beach to start the whole love affair with the surfing lifestyle we have now.
This year marks the first time the Malibu surfboard and modern surfing was seen on an Australian beach and it happened here at Cronulla.
It was 60 years ago when Australian Surf Lifesaving held a pre-Olympic surf titles at Torquay, inviting several countries to compete against Australia.
It was on November 18, 1956 and included in the US team were boardriders Tom Zahn, Mike Bright, Tad Devine and soon to be legendary big wave waterman Greg “The Bull” Noll.
The United States team turned up with two styles of surf craft, a surf kayak and a Malibu surf board never seen before in Australia.
In a little known fact, Cronulla was the first to see them when several lifeguards did a surfing demonstration at Cronulla Point in front of thousands of spectators who had only ever seen the ungainly “Toothpicks” style of surf craft. Surfing was never the same again as every young surfer made the switch to surfboards that could ride the waves.
A month-long celebration is planned to mark this 60 years of surfing progression in October and included is a heritage surf contest to be held at Cronulla Point with surf reunions, an historical surf board and photographic display at Cronulla surf club, the MOB Big Wave surfing award night,a Surfing NSW Wahoo Grom search contest, two team surfing events and a celebration dinner.
Also as part of the Esplanade walk there will be an unveiling of a Cronulla National Surf Reserve plaque on the Cronulla Point headland, and finishing the first weekend in November with the Sydney International QS Women’s' event brought to Cronulla by professional surfer Sally Fitzgibbon.
A whole month of beach and surfing activities organized by the Surfing Sutherland Shire committee and which is proudly supported locally by Purnell Motors ,Highland Real Estate and Sutherland Shire Council.
