Origins of PIBC, from the 60s

Words by Life Member Malcolm Gregson

Ern’s shark and crayfishing boat the Belle E. as it returns to San Remo at dawn after a fishing trip

Well the saying goes “if you can remember the sixties then you weren’t there” and that is pretty much the story of the origins of the Phillip Island Board Riders Club. There are versions and memories so I have tried to bottom turn and cut back through the sea mist of time to give a brief account of surfing and the formation of the PIBC in the swinging sixties.

Surfing was a part of Island life way back at Summerlands and their accounts of famed Torquay life saver ‘China’ Gilbert dragging his toothpick board across the dunes at Woolamai in the fifties but that’s for someone else to document.

At the start of the sixties there where a bunch of local guys, San Remo fisherman David ‘Yardo’ Johnson the Stephenson and Kavanagh brothers along with grommet Peter Conelly who formed the genesis of the what would become the PIBC. Others included Dale Chapman, Daryl Kerslake, Colin Brown, Roger Richie, Ian McDonald, Kenny Robb, Zac Bagley, Lindsey Stirton and the Barling brothers from Surfies Point.

The local boys were not sure how to formalise themselves so they enlisted a few regular weekend surfers from Melbourne to do just that.

‘Jungles’ Jim Howard, (whose pre pro Bells Easter iconic Bell trophy stands proudly in the clubs trophy cabinet), Richard Garside, Tony Millen and Ian Waller and the inaugural president John Martin started the process. Other inaugural members were John Austin, Rick Albion, Vincent ‘Macca’ McDonald, Alan Wilson, Jeff East and Craig Nichols.

While the formation of the club started at the beginning of the descale the official registration with the Australian Surfers Association didn’t take place until 1965. The club duly registered their name at the Melbourne Surf shop and, as was the requirement of the day chose their club colours. The two blues were chosen representing the the sky and the ocean.

The clubs first club champion was John ‘Jerka’ Jenkins with Geoff Hasforth taking the junior title. More locals and regular Melbourne week enders started to join like ‘Dogga’ Luke, Barry ‘the hoe’ Ridgeway and Dave Fincher. Dogga and Dave had scoped out a lot of the early surf breaks very early in the sixties and can rightly claim to be Phillip Island surf pioneers. Dave was a tad anti establishment in those days (as a lot of surfers generally where) but later became a life member of the PIBC and his memory proudly lives on as one of the ten most influential Phillip Island surfers voted in 2023.

Bruce Richardson was overseas in ‘65 but returned soon after to become one of the PIBC’s leading members both administratively and competitively.

Inter club contests where the thing back then and after getting their arses kicked by Point Lonsdale the Island boys decided on a poaching coup and in 1968 tried to winkle the hot surfers of the day, Terry Klemm and Reg Bell out of Lonsdale across to the Island. Klemmy had been a regular visitor to the island since very early sixties and was one of the states leading goofy footers. The committee successfully convinced him to join while the other half of Klemm Bell surfboards stayed with Point Lonsdale.

Another source of membership came from the Woolamai Surf Life Saving club. Early surfers took advantage of the free accommodation in the Nissan hut at the second car park. It didn’t take long for those guys to reject the formalised clubbie life with its patrols to just go surfing. One of those surfers in those early days was fifteen year old grommet Robert Hosking. ‘Hippo’ is still dragging on the contest singlet some sixty years later and is an inspiration to all.

With the club now firmly established more members stared to join. Some from the Mentone Brighton area. Robert ‘the gremlin’ Mathews and Brian ‘Murf the surf’ Murphy were amongst the newer crew. A few East coast Suicide Savages (Laurie Thompson being the most prominent) came across and became life long PIBC members as well.

In 1969 the club where hell bent on improving so came up with a $200 winner take all contest to entice the best surfers of the day to come to the rock for this massive payday. Prior to this there had been small cash prizes for the best nose ride etc at the Bells Easter competition. Charlie Bartlett took out cash prize. The club has continued to be a progressive community based organisation to this day. The club has always welcomed travelling surfers and big names did come.

1969 Charlie Bartlett
1970 Grant ‘Dappa’ Oliver
1971 Baddy Treloar
1972 John Bacheldore 

Alan Oke Memorial
1975 Ian Cairns
1976 Ian Cairns
1977 Wayne Lynch
1978 Ian Cochrane
1979 Milan Vivchelick
1980 Terry Richardson
1981 Larry Bertleman
1982 Glen Winton
1983 Glen Kelly
1984 Glen Kelly

It is hard to imagine what it was like at the start of the surfing revolution and Phillip Island in particular. The local lads were true pioneers and very generous with their local knowledge to the Melbourne visitors. (I hasten to add that secret spots existed back then.)

Here is what Dick Garside recollects:

None of us knew where the surf breaks were and roads to surf breaks or beaches were non existent. At best there was a dirt track heading towards the the coast and we would drive down this track to see what was at the end. This is where the local guys knowledge of the area was invaluable. They, having grown up down there knew virtually every beach from the Island to Inverloch and then onto The Prom.

The first time we discovered "Foots" was one day we had "Yardo" with us and we went to check out "Woolamai" because the wind was N,N/E. We arrived at Woolamai to find the swell was huge and the waves were closing out from one end of Woolamai to the other end. Yardo said he knew of a break we could surf and he directed us to a dirt track at the back of San Remo which stopped at a cliff which we had to find a way down and the walk out to "Foots". What a great surf spot it turned out to be. This was local knowledge at its best.

The guys from Wonthaggi had similar knowledge of breaks around the Cape Patterson/Inverloch area. It is hard to realise today where surf breaks have made roads leading to them that back in 1963/64 we had to sometimes make our own track to beaches just to see if there was a break worth surfing at the end.

Flynns Reef was one of those efforts. We were parked one day above Right Point and noticed what appeared to be a surf break further along the coast to the right. We then decided to walk around the beach to check it out and it indeed looked surfable. We then had to find if we could drive to an area close bye so we walked to the back of the sand dunes and tried to pinpoint an area on the far road that we could enter and make our way across to where we thought Flynns was.

We then went back to our cars and drove to this area and turned off the road and drove across the paddocks with the grass up as high as the windscreen and we had no idea of what was in front of us. We eventually got to where we thought the surf break would be and luckily it was spot on. The walk from the cars then to the beach was just as crazy because the place was full of snakes, but it was worth it with Flynns providing many great days of surfing.

One of the pioneer perks was naming of surf breaks so apart from the obvious place names here are some offerings.

Cat Bay was well established and pretty well the centre of the PI universe. Dave Fincher is reported to have called the point on the left, LEFT POINT and the break on the right of it RIGHT POINT. For an eccentric artist like Dave he could have done better. Dave also checked out the fast breaking wave east of Smiths beach and thought it looked like an express train hence Express.

Griffiths point at San Remo, another left was called FOOTS because a young Robert Hosking hurt his foot make the long trek out to the break.

Bruce Richardson claimed the south east corner of Woolamai to be ‘Magic’ hence Magiclands was named.

No one has claimed naming Anzac alley but on one particular Anzac Day holiday it broke both left and right perfectly all day through high and low tide.

There are plenty of other folk law stories we need to flesh out. Niners or barrels at Cat Bay while Craig Nicholls and three buddies had break away barrels fifty metres from the first one. Hooking up with North Steyne and Wanda beach board riders every summer. Limited club membership of fifty and the difficulties of joining.

Bruce Richardson was president at the end of the sixties and start of the seventies, major changes were afoot but that is another chapter. I should note that Vietnam conscription was a major issue of the day. Ugly board bumps on feet and knees where a health issue the army couldn’t deal with so a few lucky surfers were ruled out. Bobby Mathews had to serve in Vietnam and reckons ‘it was like running Woolamai sand dunes (with a rifle) Garry ‘Foss’ Foster was a big unit and served OS as a radio man. A few others Laurie Thompson and Graeme Dunn were called up but didn’t go overseas. Greg ‘jughead’ Miller took the very popular conscience objector option and avoided serving.

It is my hope that publication of this document will jog a few memories and we can add to our rich story.