It’s funny as you get older, we all seem to have a closer connection to the past. Recently we have posted a selection of historic Byron Bay photos online to an overwhelming response. This is part one. The majority of the images are from Max… Read More »Photos from the Past (part one)
We were fortunate on a number of occasions to spend some time at Makaha in Hawaii with Rell Sunn “The Queen of Makaha”. Rell Kapolioka’ehuka Sunn was a champion surfer and water woman, when her daughter Jan was small, Rell started a contest for kids… Read More »Future Legends
The Byron Bay Jetty in 1950 The Byron Bay Jetty’s Words and Photos by Max Pendergast There were actually two jetty’s built in Byron Bay, the first in 1888 at the top end of Jonson St, where the small Groin is now. Unfortunately the 1888… Read More »The Byron Bay Jettys
My favourite photography is by far Black & White portraits. Some people find them boring, I find them very emotional. Something that I cant quite articulate. I started taking portraits in casual settings of locals around Byron Bay sometime ago – the photos that we… Read More »B & W Faces of a colourful community
Today, you wouldn’t be able to rent a place at Watego’s for a night for $200, but back in early days, Wategos Beach was considered “too far out of town” and “too expensive”. Just imagine if you owned a piece of land there today after… Read More »Land at Wategos for $200?
It doesn’t take any words to be transported back to the ‘hey day’ surfing moments of the 60’s, with these amazing images from Max Pendergast. A couple of the surfing names featured in these photos from the era are Derek Beckner (above), Brian Campbell, Doug… Read More »Surfing in those 60’s
When people are asked; “What do you think is the most dangerous thing about surfing or ocean swimming?”, their most common reply is “Sharks”, “Rocks” and even “Sand”. But actually it’s other surfers!!!! More surfers and swimmers, especially beginners are injured by being hit or… Read More »The Silent Monster
Photo: The Original Bridge During the early ‘60s the bridge was the surfing kindergarden for local Lismore and Ballina surfers. My wife Yvonne learned to surf there along with a number of local surfers including Kenny Buck, “Shorty” Conners, Murray Suffolk, Barry Gilligan, Bob McDonough… Read More »The Missingham Bridge Ballina.
“The vessels that will never go out again… and those that never came back”. I have a strange fascination with old boats, especially wooden boats! Once proud crafts that were created with love and skill by old craftsmen, then left high and dry to rot… Read More »Old Boat
A welcome was hard earned here, and almost always conditional. Byron Bay usually defended itself against any newcomer with either blankfaced rebuffal or a beating. The town had no shortage of strong-armed men with both the butter factory and the slaughterhouse in full production,… Read More »A Small Town Welcome – Peter Bowes
