The Beagle
Feb 12, 2017
In collaboration with the University of the Sunshine Coast, Ian Ingram has given us a collection of stories and articles on surfing, growing up in Canberra and escaping the national capital, looking for the perfect wave from Lorne in Victoria to Noosa in Queensland.
He has presented more than three hundred quality photographs, many taken from Narooma to Broulee and places in between.
I met Ian when I was about 15 years old, and he always seemed to have a camera in his hand and the keys to a car, an essential asset for "gypsy surfers" in the 1960s and later. My mate, Bobby Giles, and I relied on older brothers and friends with a licence, or else we just surfed Mossy Point and walked to North Broulee.
Readers will enjoy many anecdotes about identities, especially Charlie Bettini, the Guilhome brothers, his brother Don and Mick Commins, amongst many.
As a dossier of photographic and written surfing experiences over a decade or more, it is also a significant piece of history, locally and nationally. It ushers in the changing period of the 1970s and highlights a major leisure industry.
There are a few gaps in his memory, as evidenced by several quality photographs of unknown surfing folk. That is not to be critical and I have helped identify a few of them, as no doubt others have too.
The book mentions the Safari Surfriders Club, based in Canberra, where a lot of us studied, worked and planned for the next weekend at the coast.
lan suggested I might write the next book on surfing and the associated travel, fun and games associated. Ian has demonstrated the value of friend-ship and networks in life and leisure.
We would be the poorer without this fine piece of work, and surfing.
written by Bill Baker
"Capital Surfers" was launched by its author Ian Ingram at Narooma Library in June 2016.
"Ian’s photographic memoir recalls the story of a group of young Canberra-based adventurers on their surfing journey along Australia’s east coast in the sixties. Filled with timeless photos, the book charts their journey south from Narooma, discovering the best beaches, surf breaks, and parties along the way."
"An evocative memoir of the sixties surfing era, Capital Surfers showcases Ian Ingram's eclectic collection of photographs, articles and memories. Ian recalls the story of a group of Canberra-based adventurers searching for the perfect wave; from a cup of tea with God at Noosa to coffee at the Arab in Lorne". Paperchain
"With its easy layout and its cohesive form of written and visual storytelling, Capital Surfers provides an enjoyable, unpretentious read that concerns itself with a simple yet eternally satisfying subject among all surfers—the joy of chasing and riding waves". Tracks Magazine
Title Capital Surfers: Surfing Australia's East Coast in the Sixties
Title Capital Surfers: Surfing Australia's East Coast in the Sixties
Publisher Limehouse Printers
Publisher Limehouse Printers Maroochydore, Qld, 2016
ISBN0994439717, 9780994439710
ISBN0994439717, 9780994439710
Length180 pages
Length180 pages
RRP $45.
RRP $45.
available at Narooma Visitor Centre and at Moruya Books
available at Narooma Visitor Centre and at Moruya Books
First printed in The Beagle Dec 7th, 2016