Seeing RIP Midget Farrelly posts showing up on internet, looks like surfing has lost another legend, and Swaylocks member. 
The world of surfing has lost one its giants. Nicknamed Midget, he was nontheless a giant, in our sport. He was a credit to our sport, and to his country. May he truely rest in peace.
midget used to post here every now and then
sucks getting old watching your heros pass one one after another
aloha no Midget aloha no
from your unappreciated surfing to your blanks
we can’t thank you enough for your contribution to surfing
R.I.P Legend
The surfing world and Australia lost one of its greatest today , thank you Midget .
Bernard “Midget” Farrlley RIP
Did not believe it for a long while…
Too young, will be missed
Good piece from 2014:
http://www.surfermag.com/blogs/eos/midget-farrelly/#yiivgm7ywJALwvG4.97
Love the video sequence from '68 in Puerto Rico 1:27 - 1:40.
Midget gave me my first job in the industry, starting with stripping blanks, glueing stingers, blowing blanks, then fin panels, long term hard core boredom. He gave me the keys to the factory so I could start when it suited me.
He was a sensible focussed guy, good business man, entrepreneur, a bit of a recluse and the private manner of his passing is a reflection of his personality. Bit of a bastard too at times but business doesn’t favour the weak and he made the right decisions.
There is a respect held for those who constantly achieve without hype or fanfare and he defined the principles of hard work and professionalism for 50 years.
Icon.
It continues till today, the loss of a person from thousands of miles away who left an impact, in some small way. The early 1960’s brought the Australian’s to Hawaii for the Makaha International Surfing championships. Surfer’s and visitors from around the world sat on the white sandy beach of Makaha Beach Park on Oahu’s West shore to partake in the surfing spectacular.
ABC’s Wild World of Sportts was on the beach along with Jim Lampley doing the play by play call for the assorted divisions on Senior and Junior Men, the Womens catagory and the Tandem event with the combination of Man and Woman as a team, working different routines of athletisism as they rode across the face of waves towards the beach, folks on the beach applauding there combined efforts.
Bernard "Midget"Farrley, Nat Young, Jackman, Evans, Mactavish had come to Hawaii to give it a go at the Hawaiian’s and visiting California surfers, all wanting to win the most prestigeous trophy in the surfing world for that time period. The surf ran true to form with good surfing conditions, a packed beach and the small two lane highway, with bumper to bumper traffic at a stand still.
And in the end of competition, a new Mens Champion was crownd, Bernard “Midget” Farrley. The Aussie’s had come to do good and did quite well in fact. They walked away with the Makaha International Surfing Championship Senior Mens division trophy. In a small moment of chaos after the presentations while standing on the small stage, Midget leaned over towards me, a young skinny Hawaiian boy and said, “good on you mate, Congratulations Champ” with that big, ole wicked smile that he had. I was truly impressed by his small act of kindness then. Left an impression for some reason.
And through the years, every now and then, Midget would pop up on some surfing forum in a discussion about blowing foam, shaping, glassing, inserting his reasons & why’s. He reached out to me here, on Swaylocks, surprising the hell out of me, making me smile whole heartedly with a rekindling of Friendships from some 50 plus years. I’ll miss, My Friend, a simple yet wonderful individual, who many years ago made me fell like a champ, for putting out his palm and shaking my hand.
Aloha nooo, Midget. Aloha nooo, My Friend. RIP, Champ. RIP. PPK … 1962 Makaha Junior Mens Champion
Yes, sorry to hear this. Shaped some of his foam and still have a couple of boards on Maui made from “SurfBlanks”. Conversed a few time via PM about foam and differant things. A Gentleman compared to other Aus. Champs. I hope Huie comments here. I had heard the uncertified story that he and Nat came to the U.S. on a ship back early on. Surfed Rincon etc. Probably was one of the very best to surf Rincon. He tore the place up. There’s some good footage of him out there. Lowel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMHZliwpYxQ
11 minutes, gotta be some rincon,and makaha
seems like the pov photo angle.
as per this photo evidence, everybody’s
60’s performance quest.The jersey in the begining,thats sandiego world
contest… midget’s stringerless is doing quite well.
It is easy to say outloud,midget won the contest…
and won heaven.
…ambrose…
That was a cool video. Music too. Masterful surfing to say the least. Thanks for pulling it up, Ambrose. Hope you and your family are well. Mike
The segments where he’s wearing a black jersey with white square is indeed the 66 World Contest in SD.
Serious echoes of Phil Edwards in his style. Almost a carbon copy in many ways.
I heard the same echo. Phil’s the only guy I ever got out of the water, to watch him surf. Looking at some of Midget’s stills, my reaction was, ‘‘That’s a Phil Edwards move.’’ Good call, Sammy.
I love the way round bottom boards slip slide though the water. Parrallel stance a lost art. Flat and now concave all the way through bottoms do not do that. Roll and flow nothing wrong with that.
…Im one of his clients directly or indirectly and of course we had several messages here. Time ago I response to a thread about the future of shaping or like that; I remember to said something like after the Midget s death all would be sliding down for this labor.
Probably the factory will have in hands of these “new” surfers/entrepreneurs…like Arctic foam…that think that they know but they really know about factories not shapers or the core of this labor.
I have been dealing with all these fellas buying bulks of blanks and trying to get the right things; however most do not understand what is right if you make all the stuff not only HP small boards.
Arrogants that they think they know more than the guys building the boards.
What remains? US blanks; the others world wide are almost clueless about something that is not factory related (read: custom orders)
Then you have Slater/firewire, pro surfing/HP pro surfing boards/factories/pop outs and NEW MATERIALS!! yeah; no new fucking materials fucking newbie.
Im an advocate to maintain this craft/labor worldwide (very difficult right now)
R.I.P man.