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22.01.2022 A big thank you to @piercingtrace for selling quite a few copies of ‘So ...you wanna be a Surfer?’ @skintastictattoo 1/23 Griffith St. Coolangatta. 14 consecutive years of business in the Main Street of Cooly is no mean feat. Congratulations Trace and thanks for your support.
21.01.2022 M.R. Joel and Simon covers courtesy Surfing World Magazine. Excerpt from chapter titled ‘All the President’s Men’. Book - So... you wanna be a Surfer? The President, having to continually inform their family; sorry just wait a few hours and I’ll set this stuff up for the club then we can go! - then get shouted down by the majority with yeah - right! Most of the time - but back up they got, fronted up with the vision to once again lead the troops to victory and do their bit fo...r the community. A great club is a lot more than just the tight knit family organisation that stands as the local board riding club signature - there’s a lot more at stake here. The wider population being represented is also at risk of failure if you fall and gaining the keys to the kingdom dictates - the more you win, the more you have to keep winning - so your home town stays comfortable in the knowledge that their beach is one of the strongest in the land. Newcastle’s Merewether (pic 1 - M.R.) and the Gold Coast’s Snapper Rocks, (pic 2 - Joel) like North Narrabeen (pic 3 - Simon) in Sydney, are historically, prime examples of this unspoken responsibility that lands on the head of whoever is in charge at the time - the President - and all the Presidents men! They stand at the ready to do whatever it takes to keep the reputation of the club as powerful as the waves they ride. Their ‘A Grade’ performances representing the local area, keeps the community spirit buoyant as they go about their daily lives at the local pie shop, bowling club, pub or in today’s society - the cafes and restaurants. Those keys to the kingdom come with enormous responsibility, so be careful what you wish for when you put your hand up to support your community and keep your beach at the forefront of this magical game that is Australian Boardriders Club Surfing! Get your copy at swagbooks.com.au See more
20.01.2022 The Jakey Hugo Memorial has changed venues to the Greenmount surf club from 11am tomorrow because as Jake himself would have said - the weather’s turned shitty so we’re going to the pub So if you were a mate of Jake’s we’ll see you there. @larabarnshaw
18.01.2022 Ken Gudenswager is the 2nd generation in the @gen4surfboards story. We hear from Ken in this excerpt from the chapter ‘In the Beginning’ - Book - So... you wanna be a Surfer? Available @swagbook.com.au @amazon Needless to say, our Christmas trading relied on the big boys from Sydney supplying us with surfboards, when we needed them. (Pic 1 newspaper ad) The orders were pre-paid to all major suppliers and they ALL let me down consistently - we had a problem! So our next ste...p was to purchase land and build our own showroom and factory. We needed a premises we could keep under our own control and supply what we needed, when we needed it and we need it now! Adlers Surf Centre at 167 Logan Rd Wooloongabba came into being in 1966 (Pic 2 Ken with customers, our family lived above shop) because of the let-downs from suppliers and we also built a new surf shop, the best in Australia at the time and our photographs here prove that - compare our showroom presentation with Sydney’s best (Pic 3 Barry Bennett’s Pic4 Scott Dillon Pic 5 Wallace Pic 6 Dale Surfboards) and it becomes clear - this business was destined to succeed See more
18.01.2022 Congratulations to all the girls on International Women’s Day. Enjoy an excerpt from the Chapter titled - ‘That Little Redheaded Ripper!’ Book Title; So... you wanna be a Surfer? Available @swagbooks.com.au or @amazon There have been a lot of really good female surfers, great talent, impressive residents and visitors to Coolangatta over the years but of course, most people know the household names, the world champions, Phyllis O’Donnell (pic 2, Cover Vol 4 No 4 courtesy @su...rfingworld) , Pauline Menczer, Pam Burridge, Layne Beachley, Chelsea Hedges and don’t forget @stephaniegilmore (pic 1 Cover #308 courtesy @surfingworld) and @tylerwright . But there are quite a few women who never reached the pinnacle of professional competition, but that didn’t mean they didn’t try, real hard, it did mean they put on some stylish and sometimes heroic performances out at D’bah at times, also Snapper and Kirra. The ‘Cooly' girls, Michelle Ducat and @serenatownend as well as Helen Lambert-Ewing from North Straddy were standouts in the late ‘70s - also Jodi Cooper from WA was fearless in the early ‘80s, not to menttion lightheartedly, the small wave wizardry of Adelaide’s Kylie Webb in the ‘90s. The 2018 version would be someone like WA’s @flickpalmateer who charges 4ft Burliegh barrels and 40ft Pe’ahi in Hawaii. All great performers, ripped and they made a great impression on the local tribe, but there was a girl that lobbed into Cooly in 1994 that really set the jungle drums beating - a fiery little redhead from Maroubra called Lynette McKenzie. ( pic 3 courtesy of @jasonchildsphotos ) To find out the rest grab a copy today. www.swagbooks.com.au See more
17.01.2022 Big thanks to Swellnet for your kind support in the launch of "So... you wanna be a Surfer?" The guy is a straight forward surf journalist who does a great job in bringing surf history as well as the latest news to his many readers. Below is Stu’s introduction to my book promotion: Few families have the surfing lineage of the Adler/Gudenswager tribe. It begins with Frank Adler, a contemporary of Snowy McAllister, who hit his prime riding 16ft toothpicks, veers off to Frank's... son-in-law Ken Gudenswager who in the 60s ran the most modern surfboard factory on the coast, branches out to Chris 'Swag' Gudenswager, 80s hot rat and fashion model (sorry Swag), and ends with the green sprout of Jye 'Gen4' Gudenswager, shaper to the latest wave of Cooly talent. It's a Grand Oak of a tree (though Moreton Bay Fig might be more fitting) with a rich surfing history entwined within it. Partly inspired by a forum thread on Swellnet, Swag has set about documenting his family history in print. The result is 'So you wanna be a surfer?', twenty five stories that span four generations of Australian surfing, though there's a focus on Swag's time in the sun: the Gold Coast through the 70s and 80s, the place and its inhabitants. Get it at swagbooks.com.au See more
16.01.2022 Excerpt from the chapter ‘48 Hours in the Life of a Rabbit’ - Book Title - So... you wanna be a Surfer? Available @swagbooks.com.au @amazon It’s 1am by now and Rab has been dancing with 4 chicks at once for over an hour. They love his style, all hair flicks, hip swivels and finger points as he morphs into Mick Jagger and perfectly mimes the chorus; I’m so hot for her; I’m so hot for her; I’m so hot for her, but she’s so cold. The girls play up to him a treat and won’t even l...et him break away to the bar for a drink. It seems he’s done his nuts, but doesn’t know which way to turn. @rabbitbartholomew had recently signed with @billabong_australia and their jovial team manager, Vince Lawder @vinred60 has been patiently waiting in the wings to inform Rab he had to be at Angourie Point at 7 am the next morning for an important photo shoot with Joe Engel & @photowilba - Vince turns to me and suggests good-heartedly; because you’re with Billabong too, you should go as well and I was Ok with that, but mentioned to Vince that he’s got fat chance of extricating Mick Jagger from the dance floor any time soon. Like I said earlier, with Uncle Buggy you gotta be ready for anything, anytime and suddenly he appears at the bar. With a quick whisper in his ear from Vince, Bugs turns, looks at me and asks if I knew about the Angourie trip, then duly informs me with a sparkle in his eye, that it was gonna be pumping down there in the morning! I knew what that meant, then I thought about the trip and informed him that his co-pilot was locked in and ready for takeoff! To read more of this raucous 48 hour road trip go to the website and purchase - So ... you wanna be a Surfer? 280 pages - full colour. $40 RRP See more
15.01.2022 I’m honoured to have my first book selling @surfworldgoldcoast Currumbin. Thanks to Mal Sutherland for the connection. Suzanne and her great team do a fantastic job of curating our important surf history. I even found one of my Dad’s Kenn Custom Surfboards shaped by Garry Birdsall who wrote the foreword to my book. Call in to buy a copy of ‘So...you wanna be a Surfer?’for $40 and I bet you stay for at least an hour going back in time.
15.01.2022 The author (Pic 1 @billabong_australia ad @surfingworld by Hugh McLeod ) of So... you wanna be a Surfer? is the third generation in the @gen4surfboards story. Below is an excerpt from the chapter ‘The Ultimatum Letter’. At the same time my mates (pic 2 @snapperrockssc team 1982) were starting to carve a career for themselves in pro-surfing, I stumbled virtually by accident into a lifestyle that would comfortably support my surfing adventures for the next 20 years - because o...f one simple question - Do you wanna be a model? No! Will $500 change your mind? All I had to do was look healthy, be healthy, surf well and make my sponsors product come to life in and out of the water and identify! Also when possible, sign up new recruits and nail down any grass roots marketing opportunities of which there were many in the early ‘80s - all precursors to the ‘free surfing brand ambassadors’ of the ‘90s, the noughties and beyond! (Pic 3 @vogueaustralia summer ‘83 - Pic 4 @voguemagazine winter ‘84 both shot by Patrick Russell) (Pic 5 & 6 by @paulbrobesphoto Bede/Brobes Line Up Mag See more
15.01.2022 Was honoured to receive a badge and a Jakey H Memorial ring from the Hugo family yesterday. Many thanks to Lyn Hugo, Lara, Barney, Dean and Macy Barnshaw for the surprise and for hosting such a great day. The ring was lovingly handcrafted and donated by Neeni Jewellery so thank you Neeni. It will definitely be worn with pride. Caught up with some great Cooly characters like Johnny Buttenshaw, Murray Bourton, Lukey Poignand and also @liquifymag Luke Sorensen and his beautiful family amongst others. Great fun day to remember Jakey. Thanks again to the Hugo Family. @larabarnshaw
11.01.2022 Jye @gen4surfboards product testing at Snapper. This shot by Foamballs inspired the cover of So ...you wanna be a Surfer? beautifully painted in oil by Kerry Spence Art Thanks to Jye, Craig & Kerry Stockists: Komune, Cafe Dbar, Skintastic Tattoos, Resould Brunswick Heads.
10.01.2022 Congratulations @northnarrabeenboardriders (pic 1) winning the Kirra Teams Challenge for the first time adding to their 3rd place at the Australian Boardriders Battle. Club President Milkshake (pic 2) @milkeadie is certainly running a tight ship along with Super Coach Cattle @mattycattle - In the 80’s I lived at Nth Narra (pic 3) while working at Chadwick’s Agency (pic 4 Vogue winter 1984 shot by Patrick Russell). I’d just missed out on my dream trip to Summercloud Bay with s...ome local blokes because there was no room for my girlfriend. This excerpt from the book So... you wanna be a Surfer? explains how 2018 NNBC president Milky and I met. Next morning I’m sitting in Narrabeen car park checking some ordinary waves. I knew I was missing great surf and was agitated and not in the mood for a 12 year old smart arse Narra grommet who in reality was just being himself. This kid walks up to me and promptly says; ‘you lost something sport?’ And I laugh and say yeah, just my big chance to surf Aussie Pipe. ‘That’s too bad’ he says as if he’s concerned - ‘that joint pumps!’ and he says it like a veteran. I explain how I missed the surf trip south and ask have you surfed it? ‘Shit yeah, heaps’- he replies with the aplomb of a seasoned street hustler then says ‘if you’re that Coke a Cola bloke from the TV ad, then you’ve got money, hire a car and I’ll show you how to get there.’ Seriously? Are you sure? I say to him. His reply was a comical ‘fkn oath mate! - what are ya waitin’ for? Let’s go!’ he says with as much conviction as a 12 year old can muster (pic 5) and in that moment, a lifelong friendship began. See more
10.01.2022 Glen ‘Rocky’ Rawlings impressed me so much when I was growing up that I ended up writing a chapter about him in my new book titled So ...you wanna be a Surfer? Thank you to @rockyrawlings To order a copy go to swagbooks.com.au 280 pages - full colour - heaps of pics - $40.
09.01.2022 If you were a friend of Jakey H. come along and have a surf and a snag in memory of the big fella. Feb 24. Rainbow Bay or D -bah. From 11am Qld. Formal attire not required.
07.01.2022 Jakey Hugo Memorial Surfin’ Barby. This Saturday 11 am Qld time - D’bah or Rainbow Bay. Surf - Snag - Sip - Remember @larabarnshaw
03.01.2022 Our family surfshop. 1966. We lived upstairs. Staircase in top right hand corner of pic led into our lounge room. I was 4 when this was taken. Surfboard in foreground displays all the major manufacturers logo’s of the time as a promotion for the fledgling industry in Queensland. This features on page 41 of So ...you wanna be a Surfer? In the chapter titled -In the beginning.
03.01.2022 Thanks to Iconic Aussie 60’s surf star Garry Birdsall (centre) for kindly writing the foreword to my book ‘So ...you wanna be a Surfer?’ Garry pictured here with Kenny Alexander (left) and John Rylands (right). All 3 were production shapers for Ken Gudenswager at Kenn Custom Surfboards in the late 60’s and each shaper is seen here holding their personal signature models. You can purchase ’So... you wanna be a Surfer?’ from swagbooks.com.au
03.01.2022 @jye_gudenswager @gen4surfboards (Pic 1) is the 4th generation of a rich family surfing history you can find in the book - So... you wanna be a Surfer? on sale now @swagbooks.com.au @amazon - Below is an excerpt from the chapter ‘Crossroads’ When Jye was only 12 years old, he came home from a day of autograph hunting with friends - @mitchparkinson & @jackfreestone from the 2004 Quiksilver Pro @snapperrockssc and announced over dinner, that his mates wanted to be pro surfers..., but he thought he’d prefer to maybe shape their boards one day. As his Dad, I was stoked and pulled out an old suitcase and said; that’s interesting, have a look at this and inside were family surf history photos and memorabilia dating back as far as 1930, with press clippings and excerpts from magazines and books about the industry and all the greats that made up the story. The next morning, when Jye casually told me he was going to be a shaper, I simply replied; Okay, let’s go buy some blanks! After studying photos of my grandfather, Frank Adler, my father, Ken Gudenswager and yours truly, he realised, being the 4th generation Australian surfer, should prompt a great brand - the name of his own boards. (Pic 2 by @kerryspenceart) Gen4 Surfboards was a natural progression of the family history and after gaining important shaping tips from Tommy Petersen @murraybourton @jsindustries1 @mhsurfboards @bkshapes as well as helpful advice and assistance from his teachers at Palm Beach/Currumbin High School, his future was in the making. (Pic 3 & 4 by @foamballs - Pic 5 sequence by @adrenalineshots on my favourite board that he reclaimed) See more
01.01.2022 In the mid 70’s Ken Gudenswager owned labels such as Kenn Custom Surfboards at Mermaid Beach, Spirit of the Sea at Kirra and San Juan at Byron Bay (pic 1 with KG’s V8 Valiant parked out the front) He would alternate stock between the 3 shops (pic 2) When I was 13 years old 8 surfboards were stolen in one hit from San Juan in Byron. My dad thought a Sydney gang was responsible and was happy to let the police do their job and not really expecting to see the boards again. Later ...a rumour spread that the perpetrators of the heist were a hippy religious cult that buried the boards so in the afterlife they could dig ‘em up and go surf the Bay. A rumour laughed off by my family until years later when I was given this clipping from a Byron newspaper. ( pic 3) I was amazed. Was the buried board one of the stolen ones? - same model - or was it simply lost by an unlucky surfer in the pre legrope era to be buried in time and only uncovered after extensive beach erosion. To get the full story grab a copy of So ...you wanna be a [email protected] and check out the chapter titled, Fact or Fiction - You Decide! See more
