Upcoming: Bobby Brown Exhibition, Gold Coast

    
Cronulla legend finally recognised;
Bobby Brown Exhibition

A National exhibition celebrating the life of Cronulla surfing legend Bobby Brown will be launched at the opening of the 2010 Kirra Surf Stock Festival on the 11th November, 2010.

Scheduled to tour the Eastern seaboard this Summer, the inaugural launch of the Bobby Brown Exhibition will take place at the Surf World Gold Coast Museum at Currumbin [opposite the famous Currumbin Wildlife Bird Sanctuary].

In a first-of-its-type exhibition, the collection will be dedicated to one of Australia's greatest surfing legends, Robert 'Bobby' Brown. It will be showcasing his significant contribution to the classic sixties era of surfing, forming part of the huge Southside & Cronulla story.

Affectionately known as Brown Bobby, his surfing prowess ranked with the best surfers in the 1960’s such as Midget Farrelly, Nat Young and Peter Drouyn. His short but impressive surfing life was captured in surfing films like Bob Evans' 1963 classic 'The Young Wave Hunters' and Paul Witzig's 1967 groundbreaking movie, 'The Hot Generation'. Clips from both movies will be on media displays in the Exhibition. In addition, featured stories and photos from Bob Evans' Surfing World and Jack Eden’s Surfabout magazine captured during Bobby’s classic era, will also be exhibited.

The Bobby Brown Memorial Contest perpetual trophy has been
proudly in the last winner's hands for the past 40 years. The trophy
was a likeness of Jack Eden's famous photo of Bobby Brown
performing a 'soul arch' bottom turn at Sandon Point, NSW.

He was only 17 years of age when he qualified for the first open men's World Titles in 1964 won by Midget Farrelly at Manly Beach in front of a record crowd of 50,000. That first ever World Title event launched surfing as a sport and the promising career of Bobby Brown who became a perennial open men's finalist in the 1966 Nationals at Coolangatta, Gold Coast and 1967 Nationals at Bells Beach, Victoria.

The Exhibition has been engineered, researched and collated by Gold Coast resident and former pro-surfer Andrew McKinnon, known as 'Andy Mac'. For the last twenty years Andy Mac has been a well known surf reporter for SEA-FM and GOLD-FM, and a local newspaper journalist. Ironically, it was a 16 year old, goofy-footed rookie from the Gold Coast; one Andrew McKinnon, who won the third a final Bobby Brown Memorial Contest in Cronulla in 1970.

With a relentless passion, Andrew has managed to gather a remarkable collection of timeless photos of Brown and others from the 1962-67 era. The Exhibition also includes 16mm movie footage, surfing magazine memorabilia and newspaper clippings detailing Bobby's tragic end. Included too, are original Bobby Brown surfboards and clothing.

The Bobby Brown Exhibition flyer.
[Click to enlarge]

Bobby Brown was destined for surfing greatness and a World Title was just around the corner, when tragically and unexpectedly his life was ended, just two months short of his 21st Birthday. He was fatally struck with a schooner glass over a game of pool at the Taren Point Hotel, in Sydney's South.

"The Bobby Brown story needs to be acknowledged and find its rightful place place in the history of Australian surfing" Andy Mac said. "Bobby loved to surf Currumbin on his early surf safaris to Queensland, I feel honoured and privileged to present this Exhibition at Currumbin, so close to The Alley, a surf spot he loved".

The Bobby Brown Exhibition will be at the Surf World Gold Coast Museum at Currumbin from November 12th and into the new year, then it heads off to the Golden Breed store, Hastings Street, Noosa from March 12-20 for the Noosa Festival of Surfing 2011. Then it travels South down to Kingscliff for the Malfunction Festival held in March 23-27 and finally down South of the border, to Victoria, to the Surf World Torquay Museum during the planned festive celebrations to help commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Rip Curl Bells Beach Easter Classic on April 18-25th, 2011. 

The public are more than welcome to attend the opening night party at Surf World Gold Coast Museum starting at 6:30pm on Thursday 11th November, 2010. A $15.00 admission fee will include live music, light snacks, and a special presentation of Bobby Brown's remarkable life and surfing legacy.

Limited edition framed prints and t-shirts will be on sale in conjunction with the Exhibition. The Currumbin Museum's phone number is 07 5525-6380.

Something to add or say? E-mail us at: swapsurf@gmail.com

*