Utmost Spirit

Sequences in Ocean Rhythms

This competition sequence opens with my narration overlay. Fittingly; the first two backhand waves at Bells Beach showcase the style of Victorian legendary master surfer, Wayne Lynch [identified with title], then NSW’s Robert Staniford [identified with title], Bondi’s Steve Jones [identified with title], then WA’s top former Pro, Ian Cairns [no title - white stripe on his contest singlet and he's riding a Lighting Bolt surfboard] then, Michael Peterson [identified with title], then Newcastle’s Mark Richards waxing up his Ben Aipa shaped ’stinger’ on the beach & surfing [identified with title].

These are the early days out at Bells Beach and you can clearly see that for the contests in those days there was a crude judging shed with a tin roof and not much more. The sequence finishes with a crowd presentation scene in the Bells Beach carpark and with Victorian surfing administrator, Stan Couper, presenting contest winner; Michael Peterson with his 1st place Bells trophy.

Sequence #2
JOHANNA, Victoria

After competing in the pressure cooker of The Bells Beach Pro, surfers and their entourages head south down The Great Ocean Road to remote Johanna Beach for some relaxing free surfing. The sequence opens with some car park shots around Johanna beach, then Pipeline Master, Hawaiian Jerry Lopez with a red Lightning Bolt surfboard walks to the surf. Lopez rides the first wave [no title] then, Michael Peterson paddles out to join the line-up and catches a few waves. [MP identified with title]. Then Lopez and Peterson ride a few waves together.

Features the surfing of Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew. The sequence starts with a touch of humour as Rabbit bounces off a badminton net at a beachside resort in Kuta Beach Bali. Rabbit is clutching his faithful leather hat that he wore for what seemed like years.

To the incredible guitar sounds of Carlos Santana, Rabbit surfs a variety of waves, including; the beach-breaks of Kuta Beach in Bali, where Rabbit is riding a red-bottomed board are all titled. All the other waves of Bugs in his segment I filmed on his home turf along Queensland’s famous Gold Coast strip. The shots where Rabbit is surfing in light Blue board shorts and black vest, were shot mostly at various sand bar breaks at Duranbah Beach. In these shots I filmed from rocks at the northern end of Duranbah known as ‘Lover’s Rock’ using my longest lens – a Century 650mm lens to get in real tight on the action.

The longer and larger point-break waves of Rabbit are mostly Burleigh Heads, with a few Kirra Point shots in there.

Sequence #4
TERRY RICHARDSON

The sequence on Wollongong’s Terry Richardson was filmed on the NSW South Coast – just south of Nowra. Filmed at Summercloud Bay [this spot has been known with many names over years; South Coast Pipeline or Black Rock] the place that Richo became famous for making his own. Richo was famous not only for his brilliant long tube rides here – but also for his full round-house cutbacks.

In this sequence, Richo takes full ownership of his favourite surf spot as he surfs the late afternoon back-lit barrels of Blackrock to the classic sounds of The Love’s ‘Orange Skies’.

For lots more and where Terry Richardson is now: View my Terry Richardson Production Notes.

A quick look at how surfing in the city in the mid-seventies has become so crowded. Under a huge painted sign that screams; Surfboard Riding Prohibited At All Times – battling small waves and crowded city conditions, the first wave ridden by Peter Townend.

The tightly packed and crowded surf shots were mostly filmed in and around the Cronulla area. In several shots you can actually see how massive and high the old Wanda sand dunes in Cronulla are. These days you can see across the dunes, over the top of Botany Bay and into Sydney’s CBD.

On a sparkling Summer’s day with a Nor’ Easterly wind blowing, Peter Townend, Ian Cairns & Rabbit Bartholomew head down the NSW South Coast to Terry Richardson’s home reef break. Known by quite a few different names; Summercloud Bay, Black Rock, Torpedo Tubes or just Pipeline. This location is more famous for it’s hollow left waves – not it’s right handers. Our group of pro surfers discover that on the correct tide and if the swell is vectoring in correctly – the right hand waves can be just as hollow as the classic left hand wave.

Rabbit, Ian and PT find barrel after barrel. I get asked more questions about where this location is than anything else in the film. Seeing the long sandy beachscapes in the background throws every one off while they are trying to identify it’s exact location.

Summercloud Bay is open to the South swells and is actually offshore in a Nor’ Easterly wind. This entire sequence was filmed on the right-hand reef breaking waves at Summercloud Bay. When I was shooting this day, I got the tripod legs spread out as far as possible in order to get down really low and try to shoot at the lowest possible level. I wanted to the angle of shooting right into the tube – eye to eye with the surfers.

The surfers are all identified by title. Of particular interest in this sequence: Bronzed Aussies; Peter Townend and Ian Cairns are riding US-built Hollow W.A.V.E. moulded Surfboards. While Rabbit is on a conventional board. Also our good friend, pro surfer, Mark Warren of North Narrabeen makes a brief appearance.

The music is Traffic’s ‘Low Spark of High-heeled Boy’

For lots more, including where Ian Cairns & PT are now: View my PT & Ian Production Notes.

Sequence #7
1975 2SM COKE SURFABOUT at North Narrabeen

1975 2SM Coca-Cola Bottlers Surfabout at North Narrabeen. Surfers: Simon Anderson [identified with title], Michael Peterson [identified with title], Hawaiian Reno Abillera [identified withtitle], PT riding his fish short surfboard [no title] Michael Peterson walking down to the beach then surfing [no title] then Terry Fitzgerald [no title] – then there’s a shot of Ian Cairns – [in a yellow contest t-shirt] incorrectly identified with a title on screen as: Michael Peterson. Then Reno Abillera [no title] Simon Anderson [no title], then Mark Warren on his backhand [no title], then Mark Richards [no title].

One thing to note here is how small the contest’s beach presence is on the beach. There is literally a small, camping style  tent [similar to ones you see in a caravan park] and that’s about it.

Finishes with ex-Surfing World publisher and well know Surf Photographer and current editor of Australian Long Boarder Magazine, Bruce Channon, crawling along the beach and burping after drinking from a large bottle of Coke.

Sequence #8
Surfing on the island of Bali in Indonesia

Richo had made several trips to Indonesia and Bali before all of us and he knew a bit about the place. So we used him as a guide. Rabbit and I actually flew from Sydney to Denpasar on a Pan-Am airlines Boeing 707. Kuta Beach in those days still had dirt roads everywhere – none of the roads were even tar-sealed. Local power blackouts were common – usually several times a day.

You’ll notice in the film the shots of our transport from Denpasar Airport in the taxi – it was not a beemo type Japanese van - but a large US-built imported 60’s Chevrolet with huge tailfins. We had our surfboards inside the car – across the seat-tops on a 45 degree angle. In those days; Rabbit and I paid forty cents a night for our accommodation on the beach at Kuta in a basic losmen.

The opening shot is of Richo walking along the beach at Sanur, Richo is walking with the late Brian ‘Furry’ Austen the original founder of Goodtime Surfboards on the Gold Coast.

Terry Richardson features in the first part of the Bali surfing sequence, you’ll see that I filmed these scenes of Richo with a hand-held camera from a outrigger canoe out along the runway at Denpasar Airport at Kuta Reef, Bali. The Rabbit sequence is filmed from above the cliffs at Ulu Watu. The goofy footer surfing with Rabbit at Ulu is Peter ‘Grubby’ McCabe from Newcastle.

My good friend, surf film-maker Hal Jepsen from Malibu, California also turned up in Bali on this trip. Hal made several classic surf movies like ‘The Cosmic Children’, ‘A Sea For Yourself’ and ‘Super Sessions’. For both Hal’s movies; ‘A Sea For Yourself’ and ‘Super Sessions’ – I shot the Australian surfing sequences.

Sequence #9
Surfing on Queensland’s Gold Coast

The sequence opens with an old Ansett Airlines DC-9 making its final approach to Coolangatta Airport over the very under developed beaches of North Kirra and the lower Gold Coast. We see an assortment of Gold Coast surf icons that have long disappeared – old signs, old buildings, open space and those unique seventies people. Items like a Michael Peterson Surfboards sign at a Kirra Surf Shop, the old Harmony Surf Shop at Kirra with bearded Gavin sitting out the front in the sun. The old lady riding on the surf mat along the shorebreak is actually Ma Bendall of Ma and Pa Bendall fame.

Then Rabbit surfs tiny Coolangatta ankle-snapper waves during a common famous Gold Coast flat spell – over what is now the location of the Coolangatta Super Bank.

Then after a wild cyclone lashes the Queensland coast – we see the ocean alive with big waves as they hit Kirra Point. Breaking way out sea in muddy waters local goofy-footer David McDonald paddles onto a rare grinding big Kirra left hand barrel. Rabbit plays the bunny in the barrel at Burleigh. And Michael Peterson paddles out for a rip & tear session at his home break of Kirra Point – leaving no doubt as to who was the master of the house. Queensland surfing legend; Peter Drouyn makes an appearance in the green singlet surfing at Kirra Point. 

Music: The Isley Brothers – ‘Who’s That Lady’ 

Duranbah is the Northern-most beach on the NSW coastline and as such, is located just around the corner from the Gold Coast’s most Southern break: Snapper Rocks. Here, below the Captain Cook Memorial and the Laser Beam lighthouse. Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew is joined by two hot young Gold Coast goofy-footers Guy Ormerod and David McDonald to surf sleek Duranbah peaks.

The lads have an afternoon free surfing expression session in the varying , shifting sand bar peaks of Duranbah Beach. The surf is typical Queensland beach break with a reflective white sandy bottom and sparkling crisp water that appears as clear as gin.

Surfing his home break of Dee Why Point on Sydney’s Northern beaches, we see master kneeboarder, the late Peter Crawford in action. Riding a variety of his, what Queensland Surf Photographer Marty Tullemans describes as ‘Circus Machines’; Peter slots, slips, slides and slashes his way across some Dee Why point boomers.

One shot in the movie is of Peter standing on the balcony of his apartment which looked directly down onto the Point at Dee Why. Then he slips out through his garage with a trusty kneeboard and swim fins under his arm – straight into the lDee Why Point line-up.

For lots more on Peter Crawford: View my Peter Crawford Production Notes.

Sequence #12
Features the surfing of Narrabeen’s Col Smith

In his day, North Narrabeen’s premiere goofy-footer, Colin Smith was regarded as one of the best backhand surfers of his time. With an explosive, radical style, his off-the-lip blasts and back-hand re-entries were considered to be the best in the business.

When the classic North Narrabeen sand banks were lined up and at their best – no one could shred the hollow lefts to pieces - better then Colin Smith. When this footage was shot, Col was also riding his own brand of surfboards; Morning Star.

These days Col still lives on Sydney’s northern beaches at Avalon Beach and can always be found in the surf or out getting a line wet fishing.

Sequence 13
Hang Gliding with ex-1964 World Surfing Champion – Midget Farrelly

Some of the hang-gliding shots were taken at Bald Hill at Stanwell Park on the NSW South Coast. It was on the beach directly below Bald Hill that Lawrence Hargrave, an Australian pioneer of flight, experimented with box kites in the early part of the 20th century.

The shots of the hang-glider pilot with the white kite with the blue stars on it are of former World Surfing Champion, Midget Farrelly – hang-gliding the bluff at Long Reef on Sydney’s northern beaches during a light nor-easterly wind.

For lots more on Midget. View my Midget Farrelly production notes

Sequence #14
Fascination Reef – Callala Bay on the NSW South Coast

Surfers featured in this rare South Coast surfing experience captured on film; are North Narrabeen’s Mark Warren and kneeboarder Peter Crawford. The Callala Reef is actually located inside the massive Royal Australian Navy port of Jervis Bay. As is not an open ocean facing beach or reef break. Surf, wind and swell conditions need to combine to make this location ‘work’. This in itself makes this surf venue really unique and rare event to capture on film.

Music: David Bowie – Fascination.

For lots more on Callala Bay. View my Calla Bay production notes

Sequence #15
Features the surfing of Peter Townend

A close-up look of the surfing of the original Coolangatta Kid: Peter Townend. Proud Queenslander and Hall of Famer, Peter Townend was the ASP’s first World Professional Surfing Champion in 1976.

PT and I have been the best of friends since 1971. Over the years we have made many surf trips together, we have lived together and we have worked together at Gordon & Smith Surfboards in Taren Point in Sydney. To this very day, we still stay in regular contact with each other.

In this PT dedicated sequence in ‘Ocean Rhythms’, PT surfs on his 70’s short Fish surfboard and talks a little about the design concept of the Fish surfboard and why the design appeals to him. In a classic twist of design rebirth some thirty odd years later; the Fish is once again a popular surfboard design in 2009.

Some of the ‘tight close-up shots’ of PT surfing in this sequence were filmed at Sandshoes Reef – located on Cronulla’s Southern peninsular.

Orginally from Stapylton Street, Coolangatta, Qld – PT has been a California resident since the late seventies and makes his home only a couple of hundred metres from the shores of the North Pacific Ocean in California’s Surf City - Huntington Beach. PT runs his own surf consulatancy and management business called: ActiveEmpire.

Music: Santana – Freedom

Sequence #16
Newcastle Contest 1975

Footage of the 1975 Newcastle Contest in Newcastle, NSW.

*More to come – still under construction.

Sequence #17
Features the surfing of Michael Peterson

A lot of the footage that you see in this sequence of Michael Peterson that I have shot – was used in the 2009 ABC-TV documentary series about Australian surfing titled; ‘Bombora’ and also in Jolyon Hoff’s great 2009 documentary DVD ‘Searching For Michael Peterson’.

In the 70’s I knew Michael Peterson very well indeed. In 1971 I started making regular trips from my home in Cronulla to Queensland’s Gold Coast to shoot film for my first 16mm surfing film – ‘In Natural Flow’. So that’s when I got to spend time with not only Michael, but PT and Rabbit.

In mid 1971 – on one particular filming expedition – I  traveled down the coast from Coolangatta in my Holden station-wagon with just Michael Peterson, Peter Townend and my wife. Just the four of us and we camped in a tent for several days out on the headland at Lennox Head.

While Michael gained a reputation for becoming a bit of a recluse later in his professional surfing career – I still always got on with him very well. Many people did.  It was just that his competitors mostly saw the mean and ruthless side of him. Michael always had plenty of time to take the time to speak with me and my family. He was always friendly and one thing I don’t hear mentioned about him these days; is the fact that he had a great sense of humour. He loved a good laugh as much as anyone and he could easily see the humour in a lot of his competitive surfing situations and competitors.

When ever I was trying to shoot footage of him surfing – Michael was always very cooperative with me and very easy to get on with. I remember, in the early seventies, he shared an old fibro flat on the beach at Rainbow Bay with some girls and I even stayed there with him on one of my filming trips to Queensland.

The footage I shot for this MP sequence was filmed mostly at the spiritual home of surfing; classic old Kirra Point. When ever the surf was good at his local Gold Coast point breaks – Michael would just turn up and paddle out, seemingly he would just appear from out of thin air. Remembering that in the 70’s there was no Internet and so we did not have web cams to check the surf conditions or mobile phones to contact each other.

At all those surf contests in the mid-seventies when Michael was on his impressive winning streak – he always continued to make him self available to me for any photographic work. In fact one day in Victoria, just him and I did a photo shoot outside the Geelong Advertiser’s front office in Geelong. Because that particular day, after MP had won his third Bells contest in a row, the newspaper featured a banner headline that read: “Mick Takes a Hat Trick’. I had MP standing on the front steps of the building pointing at the framed newsstand banner that proclaimed his ‘hat trick’ at Bells.

Film Ends

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