Sporting Witness - 1964: When surfing came to Australia
Download 1964: When surfing came to Australia
Nearly 60 years ago, New South Wales in Australia hosted the first official World Surfing Championships. The competition attracted around 200 entries, including surfers from France, USA, South Africa, England, Peru and New Zealand.
The event was held in May at Sydney's Manly Beach and pulled in a crowd of up to 60,000 people.
Australian finalist Mick Dooley speaks to Patrick Kiteley about competing in the competition and how the weekend heralded a new wave of surf lovers in his country, making it a catalyst for the phenomenon the sport has become there today.
(Photo: Bernard 'Midget' Farrelly surfing during the First World Championships held at Manly beach, Sydney, Australia, on Sunday May 17 1964. Credit: Australian National Maritime Museum Collection. Gift from Dawn and Jack Eden)
Published on Saturday, 14th October 2023.
Available Podcasts from Sporting Witness
We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the Sporting Witness webpage.