Surfing Lennox – From Then to Now, the book, is on sale in Lennox Head from Anchor Chief, the Post Office, The Book Room at Lennox and Lennox Head Surf or Lennox Head Heritage Committee (LHHC), phone +61 (0) 412 660 994, email lennoxheritagecommittee@gmail.com. In Ballina see the ABC Centre or Ballina Visitor Information Centre.
Whether you surf or love the beaches in and around Lennox Head, there is something in the 104 page pictorial for you. With pictures and stories of surfing and changes to the once sleepy fishing hamlet of 70 years ago to the upmarket world renowned surfing
Inspiration for collection and sharing of many previously unpublished photos and memories was kicked off by chance remarks from Rob at the Post Office and Beth at Lennox Bookmark to George Leslie and Robyn Hargrave who then gathered Phil Myers, Vic Leto, Max Perrot and Mary Lack, to form the volunteer Surfing Lennox Crew.
Surfing Lennox Crew, l to r Max Perrot, George Leslie, Robyn Hargrave, Vic Leto, Phil Myers. Image courtesy of Christian Photiou.
‘Generous donations by surfers, visitors and residents of precious images and recollections have been compiled by the Crew over the past 15 months to produce this book. The Crew put in more than 1,500 hours of volunteer time,’ said Robyn Hargrave of LHHC. ‘This unique journey in time will now be preserved and shared by the Heritage Committee and Lennox National Surfing Reserve.’ Local professionals reproduced photos, edited, designed and printed the book to ensure a quality and memorable product.
The project was helped financially by Ballina Shire Council and funds allocated to the Royal Australian Historical Society through the Heritage Branch of the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and supported by the Create NSW Cultural Grants Program. A last minute effort from Ben Franklin, Nationals MLC and Parliamentary Secretary for Renewable Energy and Northern NSW and the generous community who gave to a GoFundMe campaign ensured the book was launched on schedule at the Love Lennox Festival on 2 June 2018.
Two of the first surfers to try the waves at Lennox share their stories in the book. In the 1940s Dorothy Thompson and her siblings gave it a go on their father’s building planks and Judy Gibbon was the first female to surf the Point in the 1960s. Read their recollections in Surfing Lennox – From Then to Now.
Surfing Lennox – From Then to Now, the book is for sale in Lennox Head from Anchor Chief, the Post Office, The Book Room at Lennox and Lennox Head Surf or contact the Lennox Head Heritage Committee. In Ballina see the ABC Centre or Ballina Visitor Information Centre
Prepared by Robyn Hargrave, Convenor, Lennox Head Heritage Committee, a sub committee of Lennox Head Residents’ Association Inc. Contact 0412 660 994 or email harg1rob@gmail.com
Reviews
Read a wonderful review of Surfing Lennox in the October 2018 edition of Pacific Longboarders
