On this Saturday, Burleigh Heads
Michael Peterson, Mark Richards, Peter Townend, Shaun Tomson, Randy Rarwick, Dennis Pang, Terry Fitzgerald, Tom Carroll, Mark Warren, Simon Anderson, Paul Neilsen, Wayne Bartholomew are just some of the big names attending.
Will someone PLEASE go and take some picies!!!
not to mention the creator of it all : Peter drouyn. And he is spewing. Came out in the paper lambasting anyone associated with the surf industry and promised to spill his guts at the high-priced luncheon associated with the event. Would love to be a fly on the wall. Unfortunately have another committment this weekend or I would be there for sure. Will be a classic to see all those guys together.
What’s he upset about???
living in a caravan park totally broke looking after his sick dad. Reckons people have benefited from his ideas without recognising or remunerating him. Can’t stand the violent direction surfing is going ala bra boys etc etc etc. Can’t find the article but it was in this weekends Sydney Morning herald.
Got it…
Anything but a surfer’s paradise for past champ…
WHILE some of the surfing industry’s biggest and richest names prepare for a celebration marking the 30th anniversary of a landmark surfing contest, the former champion who masterminded professional surfing’s format is living an impoverished nightmare.
Peter Drouyn said he was “totally broke” and looking after his 92-year-old father in a caravan at Runaway Bay, north of Surfers Paradise, but will attend the reunion organised by Surfing Queensland and intends speaking his mind.
Drouyn says he has been “ignored by the surf industry’s power structure for decades” and is viewed as professional surfing’s “difficult child” and troublemaker.
“I lost everything because of the Stubbies contest [at Burleigh Heads in 1977]. Plenty of others have made money out of my idea of man-on-man surfing heats, but nothing came back to me,” Drouyn said.
"Modern professional surfing is corrupt throughout and the industry emphasis on gangs and violence has totally ruined my dream of how professional surfing would emerge. All this stuff like the Bra Boys movie just glorifies a connection between surfing and violence.
"I got punched in the head by some aggro bloke at Currumbin just a few weeks ago because I dared to ask him not to drop in.
"The surf industry is run by uneducated people for uneducated people who want to have an identity that is determined by the logo on their shirts.
“Making clothes in China and putting 1000 per cent mark-up on them so people will pay to advertise a brand is completely unethical.”
Drouyn was the contest director of the inaugural Stubbies Classic and he pioneered professional man-on-man surfing heats in which only two surfers competed in each heat, whereas previously up to 10 surfers could be contesting a single heat.
Association of Surfing Professionals president Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew said Drouyn was instrumental in developing the way modern surfing is contested around the world.
“Peter was a visionary and it was his direction of the Stubbies that got the world sitting up and taking notice of what surfing could offer as a prime spectator sport,” Mr Bartholomew said.
“Unlike a lot of those people who have sucked a lot of money out of surfing, I gave the tour away and went to university,” said Drouyn, the 1965 and 1966 national junior champion and the 1970 ASA Australian Open champion.
Drouyn said he would attend Saturday’s reunion at Burleigh Heads and that he intended “telling the truth” to the 300 guests, including industry heavyweights, who have paid $200 a head for lunch, drinks and guest speakers. “I’ll have to keep one eye on the door, because not everyone will like hearing what I have to say,” he said.
As part of the celebrations there will be a surfing contest that will feature some of the greatest surfers from the Stubbies era, including Terry Fitzgerald, Peter Townend, Cheyne Horan, Bruce Raymond, Wayne Bartholomew and Tom Carroll.
Four-time world champion Mark Richards, who came second in 1977 behind Michael Peterson, is also competing.
Quote from the article:
Almost all the original line-up will attend the re-enactment of the 1977 draw. Though inaugural champion Peterson will have world no.1 Mick Fanning (Gold Coast, Aus) replacing him in the final against MR.
Thanks for posting this Hicksy… that final would be great - but it’d be even better to see MP get in the water again 
-Cam
MP in the water again, yes please…
And I’m sure he would love it too under different conditions…
Does anyone know enough about him to get him back in???
"Modern professional surfing is corrupt throughout and the industry emphasis on gangs and violence has totally ruined my dream of how professional surfing would emerge. All this stuff like the Bra Boys movie just glorifies a connection between surfing and violence
I guess Volcom won’t be picking Drouyn up in a limo for the shindig…
I suspect Drouyn mistook the notion of “making a living from professional surfing” as meaning what it said, instead of “some people making a fortune off the wannabees”. Sometimes I’m amazed that professional surfing can actually support (in every sense of the word) the world class/cutting edge of performance surfing. I’m wondering now if that comes mostly from dvd projects, or a mix of dvd and contests. I don’t know anybody who cares about the pro contests…but I don’t know any surfers under the age of 20 any more either.
Ah, well…hope Drouyn can find some peace with his acknowledged place in it all someday. In the meantine I need to study the situation and figure out what happened to the 29 yeras between the 1978 Stubbies I attended as a spectator and today…I really meant to go back before this!
On this Saturday, Burleigh Heads
Michael Peterson, Mark Richards, Peter Townend, Shaun Tomson, Randy Rarwick, Dennis Pang, Terry Fitzgerald, Tom Carroll, Mark Warren, Simon Anderson, Paul Neilsen, Wayne Bartholomew are just some of the big names attending.
Hey I bumped into Randy Rarick as I was walking out of Haleiwas Surf n Sea yesterday. He was dropping off some new boards
Got it…
"Modern professional surfing is corrupt throughout and the industry emphasis on gangs and violence has totally ruined my dream of how professional surfing would emerge. All this stuff like the Bra Boys movie just glorifies a connection between surfing and violence.
"I got punched in the head by some aggro bloke at Currumbin just a few weeks ago because I dared to ask him not to drop in.
"The surf industry is run by uneducated people for uneducated people who want to have an identity that is determined by the logo on their shirts.
“Making clothes in China and putting 1000 per cent mark-up on them so people will pay to advertise a brand is completely unethical.”
My long lost brother.
One would have to agree with Drouyn on the Coca Colaisation of surfing. The image makers have stolen the culture to a large but not total extent. Multinational companies exploiting third world child labour is about as grotesque as it gets in this world where fascsim and bourgeois capitolism have merged to form the “fascoisie”.
But let us not forget about the Stubbies for what is a stubby? A squat seventies surfboard? A bottle of brew? A hastily rolled joint? NO none of the above. The Stubbies was a surf contest dedicated to the ugliest form of clothing devised by man. Stubbies were shorts and I mean short shorts that economised more on aesthetics than fabric. Cutting out an inch before the end of the average male phallus these flyless abominations were held in place by elastic. Nutsacks would sway in the wind and beer guts would spill over often to obscure aforementioned nads. One pathetic patch pocket with a handy little press stud flap afforded enough space for a packet of durries a few bob and the car keys. (This is back in the glory days of .08 drinking.)
Wearing Stubbies was saying to the world I have given up on beauty and am looking for the shortest distance to the next four ex ( Queensland’s mass produced swill beer), TAB and Winnie Reds (strong cheap seventies fags. Not to be confused with the Village People).
When wearing Stubbies one assumed the mantras “Beer here now” and “Youse can all get fucked”.
There is no contemporary equivalent to the Stubbies. They were an odyssey in ugliness never to be repeated. These days building sites look like cat walks in comparison to the Stubby clad Yobbos that built the Gold Coast.
I think it fittiing that Messers Richards, Bartholomew, Carroll, Drouyn etc should all be wearing Stubbies on this special day, if their legs are up to it.
PS what ever happened to Bill Boland?
One would have to agree with Drouyn on the Coca Colaisation of surfing. The image makers have stolen the culture to a large but not total extent. Multinational companies exploiting third world child labour is about as grotesque as it gets in this world where fascsim and bourgeois capitolism have merged to form the “fascoisie”.
But let us not forget about the Stubbies for what is a stubby? A squat seventies surfboard? A bottle of brew? A hastily rolled joint? NO none of the above. The Stubbies was a surf contest dedicated to the ugliest form of clothing devised by man. Stubbies were shorts and I mean short shorts that economised more on aesthetics than fabric. Cutting out an inch before the end of the average male phallus these flyless abominations were held in place by elastic. Nutsacks would sway in the wind and beer guts would spill over often to obscure aforementioned nads. One pathetic patch pocket with a handy little press stud flap afforded enough space for a packet of durries a few bob and the car keys. (This is back in the glory days of .08 drinking.)
Wearing Stubbies was saying to the world I have given up on beauty and am looking for the shortest distance to the next four ex ( Queensland’s mass produced swill beer), TAB and Winnie Reds (strong cheap seventies fags. Not to be confused with the Village People).
When wearing Stubbies one assumed the mantras “Beer here now” and “Youse can all get fucked”.
There is no contemporary equivalent to the Stubbies. They were an odyssey in ugliness never to be repeated. These days building sites look like cat walks in comparison to the Stubby clad Yobbos that built the Gold Coast.
I think it fittiing that Messers Richards, Bartholomew, Carroll, Drouyn etc should all be wearing Stubbies on this special day, if their legs are up to it.
PS what ever happened to Bill Boland?
Stubbies looked like all the surf clothing of that time. OP, Quik, SunBritches…all…ugly. Not much has changed. Alot of the junk it still ugly and has little to do with surfing.
Wearing Stubbies was saying to the world I have given up on beauty and am looking for the shortest distance to the next four ex ( Queensland’s mass produced swill beer
Errr…well, after watching the finals of the 1978 Stubbies I repaired to the caravan park and the vw camper and downed about 4 of the four ex beers…that was pretty much where I was at… 
Stubbies looked like all the surf clothing of that time. OP, Quik, SunBritches…all…ugly. Not much has changed. Alot of the junk it still ugly and has little to do with surfing.
Mostly true…Speedos today almost have more material than the Hobie trunks I had in Oz that year (I still have them-kept all the trunks). Within the year though the crotch ripped out and I went back to Sundeks…still way shorter than today’s average length. Nice trunks, wore that pair for years, Bill Yerkes still makes great trunks under his “Balsa Bill” label today…
Quote:Wearing Stubbies was saying to the world I have given up on beauty and am looking for the shortest distance to the next four ex ( Queensland’s mass produced swill beer
Errr…well, after watching the finals of the 1978 Stubbies I repaired to the caravan park and the vw camper and downed about 4 of the four ex beers…that was pretty much where I was at…
Quote:Stubbies looked like all the surf clothing of that time. OP, Quik, SunBritches…all…ugly. Not much has changed. Alot of the junk it still ugly and has little to do with surfing.
Mostly true…Speedos today almost have more material than the Hobie trunks I had in Oz that year (I still have them-kept all the trunks). Within the year though the crotch ripped out and I went back to Sundeks…still way shorter than today’s average length. Nice trunks, wore that pair for years, Bill Yerkes still makes great trunks under his “Balsa Bill” label today…
Bill does make nice trunks. I just think most surf trunks are non functional, rash you and are ugly. At least the fashion ones. The basic stuff doesn’t bother me too much. I like soft wetsuit types.
Thanks,
Noel
Chip just called me about this…
There’s coverage of the event on Channel 9 this Saturday at 11.30am…
Should be on at the same time over east…
Chip just called me about this…
There’s coverage of the event on Channel 9 this Saturday at 11.30am…
Should be on at the same time over east…
Cheyne told me the surf was not good, but it was great seeing all of his old friends again. It would be great if he would post some pics.
Chip just called me about this…
There’s coverage of the event on Channel 9 this Saturday at 11.30am…
Should be on at the same time over east…
…yep, i got it on video
it was excellent seeing footage from the original 1977 stubbies , the waves cranked !!
It was great to see M.P. give his original medal from the 1977 stubbies to mick fanning [ as a ‘thank you’ for surfing in M.P.'s place . ]
generosity.
…Mick [fanning] was overwhelmed.
good to see fanning on a single fin , too
… cheyne , did you have fun ???
cheeeers !!
ben
G’day Chippie,
What’s the chances of making me a copy of that show if I post over a VHS cassette to you? I’ve just gotta crank up the time machine to find a shop that still sellls them (sic).
Pete.
haha
you’re right …i had to search for blank videos myself
mate i’ll see if a neighbour can make a dvd copy instead , then i can do a few copies from there …
how does that sound , cuttly ol’ lad ?
[there's about maybe 20 minutes of footage , from memory ...i took out the ads.]
cheers
ben
G’day Chippie,
That would be great. A new sideline? Let me know if you can do it and pm your address so I can renumerate you. I would have loved to go and see it as it only a couple of hours drive down to Burleigh but I was stuck with the fun I call work.
Cheers,
Pete.