Surf Culture

Once in a lifetime gathering of 1960’s surfers in Cape Town this weekend

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 18 March, 2010 : - - A once in a lifetime gathering of 1960’s surfers and other beachgoers who frequented the iconic Surfer’s Corner at Muizenberg Beach will celebrate their memories in Cape Town this weekend, starting with a party at the Pavilion on Friday night and continuing with barbeques on Saturday and a get together on the beach at the Corner on Sunday.

More than 520 guests, many of whom have travelled from overseas or elsewhere in the country specifically for the event, will be packed into the Friday night shindig that will feature live music from the era, a tribute to the late John Whitmore, the Doyen of Cape Town and South African surfing, a huge raffle with sponsored prizes totaling tens of thousands of Rands, a giant custom-made backdrop of the Corner bathing boxes for group photographs, aptly named dishes on the food menu and a wide choice of discounted refreshments..

Patrons will also be treated to a video presentation of original footage and interviews with storytellers from ‘back in the day’ along with a slide show of archive images compiled by Carlos Feyder. Footage recorded at the event will be added to the compilation which then will be available for general distribution. Images from the function can also be downloaded from surfpix.co.za after the event.

Initiated and coordinated by veteran surfing administrators Nick Hough and Charlie Moir, the project was intended to get around 100 of their old surfing buddies together but has resulted in undeniably the biggest ever gathering of Cape Town’s surfing pioneers and arguably the largest assembly of 1960’s surfers anywhere. Hough, Moir and the rest of the organising committee are hopefully that the occasion will leave a lasting legacy for Cape Town surfing with plans for a Surfing Museum and a Surfing Walk of Fame at the corner being hatched.

The gathering will also commemorate a centenary of surfing at Muizenberg as according to the recently published book "Muizenberg - a forgotten story" by Mike Walker, the official history of the coastal town, people started surfing there in 1910 and there is photographic evidence of stand up surfers riding waves during WW1.

There will be reunions within the overall reunion as members of the surf clubs of the day such as Muizenberg Corner, Atlantic, Point and their elite offshoots Surf Club Da Cat and Surf Club Swamis get together with their old-time friends. The project culminates in a gathering of everyone on location at the Corner on Sunday at 10am when a dozen or so original 1960’s surfboards will be available for the attendees to test their skills on in the gentle rollers.

Further information on the event can be found at the Facebook group ‘Surfers Corner Sixties Reunion’ where hundreds of archive images are displayed alongside discussion threads and messages from former Surfers Corner beachgoers.

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