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Crew members of Red Beach’s very first surf boat Miss Findlay which made an appearance in late-1967. Ex-rowers Steve Westlake, left, and Scott Hurdley. Red Beach surf boat rowers from the 1980s. Photos, Ross Malyon
With the theme of ‘Red Beach Surfboats Through the Decades’, Red Beach Surf Club’s recent boaties’ reunion saw a gathering of surfboat rowing legends from the past 50-plus years.
The event, held at the clubrooms on November 22, attracted around 150 people, with no less than eight ex-rowers flying in to attend, all anxious to renew friendships established during six decades of surfboat racing.
Rowers and sweeps from the late-1960s and 70s mixed and mingled with the club’s latest crop of rowers, the youngest being the U19 women’s Valkyries crew who are currently in training.
The club’s first surfboat to enter competition was a second-hand one purchased from the Karekare Surf Club for $300 in late-1967. The Red Beach club gained sponsorship money for it and named the craft Miss Findlay to acknowledge the sponsor, Findlays Gold Krust Bakeries. The six club members who made up that original crew – Terry Marsh, Paul Ranby, Jack Young, Ollie Hobson, Wayne Pritchard and Ian MacKay – were all at the reunion. Also present was Leaon Prouse, who purchased the boat for Red Beach. He delayed a trip back to the USA so he could attend the reunion.
Also at the event were crews who have represented NZ in surfboat rowing – the Sirens women’s crew and the Boomers men’s crew. Both raced against top Australian surfboat teams in the Trans-Tasman Surf Boat Challenge in Australia.
Some of the rowers of the Flying Herons crew which took out the open men’s surf boat ‘double’ at the 2006 NZ Championships were also there. They secured Red Beach’s first-ever gold medals for national success. One of the crew, Steve Westlake, later gained fame after winning the Trans-Atlantic Rowing Challenge with Matt Goodman in 2001.
Also among the guests were Red Beach club patron Bryan Heron and wife Pat, aka The Flying Herons, who have been sponsors of the club for more than 40 years. They have been ardent supporters of surfboat crews, having gifted no less than five boats to the club since the 1980s.
