PT's Bonzer

A few people have contacted me to ask "did I shape the board?" I am riding in the previous post [directly below].

No I didn't - it's actually one Peter Townend's ['76 ASP 1st World Champion] personal Bonzer surfboards. I worked closely with PT on the Australian development of the Bonzer at Gordon & Smith Surfboards in Taren Point.

PT with the Bonzer surfboard in Hawaii.
This is the same board I am riding in the previous post.

In 1973 - PT got all the Bonzer technical specs and intel from his good friend Mike Eaton, who at the time, was shaping the first production Bonzer surfboards for Bing Surfboards under licence at G&S in San Diego, California.

On his first trip to Hawaii for the Winter of '72, PT had met Mike Eaton in Hawaii where Mike was a resident North Shaper, shaping and making surfboards for all the leading Australian ASP world-touring surfers at the time.

For the full story on the Bonzer development at G&S in Caringbah please click here to see our own coverage.

Core Subject

A friend just sent me a link to the Cronulla Surf Museum's Facebook page.  It's a very popular and wholesome site that attracts a lot of viewers from Cronulla surfers of all eras.

Cronulla Surf Museum was founded and is run by an old mate of mine; Cronulla Surf photographer; Chris Stroh. Back in the '80s Chris worked alongside me on some of the World Pro ASP Tour 5-star rated events that were held in Cronulla like the Beaurepaires Open & the Straight Talk Tyres Open.

Quote from Cronulla Surf Museum blog:

"Surf entrepreneur and media main man, Steve Core this time the subject of Peter Simons
using a Nikonos camera at Garie Beach in the Royal National Park - mid '70s"

Under the guidance and direction of former ASP CEO, Cronulla resident, Graham 'Syd' Cassidy, Chris worked on the contest's beach admin - while I used to do the live beach commentary with former pro-surfer Mark Warren filling the role as my co-commentator. 

Ex-Cronulla surf photographer, Peter Simons [left]
chats with surfing journalist Nick Carroll at 
Bells Beach in 1980. Photo: Peter 'Joli' Wilson

The photo of me [above] surfing on a Peter Townend shaped Gordon & Smith board - was taken by another old friend and ex-Cronulla surfer & photographer, Peter Simons - who moved from the city to the peace of the bush surf country over 20 years ago. 

Peter lives and surfs in the small NSW South Coastal township at Milton [Ulladulla].

Many of Peter's great historic surf related photos of Cronulla regularly turn up on the Cronulla Surf Museum blog.

I like the Cronulla Surf Museum Blog and Facebook sites because they are free from political messages, that is to say they have no persuasive content and hold no ideology. They have a straightforwardness that is honest. Chris's peculiar mix of surf voyeurism and tracing Cronulla history through a melting pot of thematically related images are its hook.

To check the continually unfolding Cronulla surfing history on the exceptional Cronulla Surf Museum Facebook page click here

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